Con: The Length of Adult Cardiothoracic Anesthesiology Fellowship Training Should Not Be Extended Beyond One Year.

Fellowship training in adult cardiothoracic anesthesiology (ACTA) is a one-year postgraduate experience with formal accreditation by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. ACTA is a competitive and evolving subspeciality. With expanding knowledge, clinical roles and technical skills required of the modern cardiothoracic anesthesiologists, the optimal structure and duration of the fellowship training are worth considering. This manuscript provides supporting rationale for fellowship training in ACTA to remain one year in duration. The expanding responsibilities of the cardiothoracic anesthesiologist and strategies to best train the future of the subspecialty within the current training structure are discussed. It also briefly examines the history and current status of the fellowship training, reviews considerations for increasing fellowship duration, and highlights personal and financial considerations during the training.