Boris Yeltsin died today

Boris Yeltsin died today. You may wonder, what does that have to do with Cardiac Surgery? He was 76 years old. That is 10 years older than my father and 14 years older than my mother. Again you may wonder, what does that have to do with Cardiac Surgery? Our family lived through political persecution and threats of death. We have been political refugees and immigrants. And we have embraced Canada as our home. During all that time we only had each other: immutable bonds forged. Still you may wonder, what does that have to do with Cardiac Surgery? From hard work and good fortune came success, personal and professional. So when my parents enter the twilight of their lives, where will I be? Unfortunately, not geographically close to them. And that has everything to do with Cardiac Surgery.

When I went to my "hometown" to inquire about a job in Cardiac Surgery, it was suggested to me that I return to do a fellowship year there. J'ai reculé. What could they possibly offer me?! After all, I had done my residency there and I was already doing a fellowship at the Mayo Clinic and wanted to stay another year. At that moment, I was not thinking of my parents. However distasteful that proposition was, it was an opportunity to stay on and be close to them in their latter years. I chose to continue at Mayo, closing that door. Obviously, this was the correct professional decision, but not the best personal decision. Now I am faced with the death of Boris Yeltzin, my parents' mortality, and our physical separation. I know they would not criticize me for this decision, but I hope they forgive me for it, because it had everything to do with Cardiac Surgery.

Studying from the Internet

I recently passed my Canadian Royal College of Surgeons Fellowship Examination in General Thoracic Surgery. I finished my training in the field in 2002 and after an interlude in Cardiac Surgery, I went ahead and sat the exams. That I passed is not remarkable or worth writing about. What is notable is that I studied, mostly, from the internet, as a matter of convenience and somewhat of a challenge. What does this say about the future of medical education and the apparent unlimited resources on-line? For me, it substituted for the textbook. I was able to take the book's table of contents and research the topics on-line and get all the necessary, relevant, and detailed information necessary to pass the examination. I would caution others that might want to take this approach: I had already, although some time ago, read a standard book in General Thoracic Surgery and completed my residency. Therefore, I could discern what was garbage and what was useful; I had context to fall back on.

Although, all this may not come to a surprise to many, it says to some that unless the quality of the standard textbooks improves, why should they be purchased if the same information is available on-line. Authors and editors of these tomes should provide us with not only data and information, but also share their knowledge and wisdom. The latter two are sorely lacking in "modern" textbooks.