Objective assessment of technical skills in cardiac surgery

Objective: Reduced training time combined with no rigorous assessment for technical skills makes it difficult for trainees to monitor their competence. We have developed an objective bench-top assessment of technical skills at a level commensurate with a junior registrar in cardiac surgery. Methods: Forty cardiothoracic surgeons were recruited for the study, consisting of 12 junior trainees (year 1–3), 15 senior trainees (year 4–6) and 13...