17 Cardiothoracic Surgeon Interview Questions and Answers

Cardiothoracic surgeons are medical doctors who specialize in the surgical treatment of diseases affecting the heart, lungs, and chest. If you’re interested in becoming a cardiothoracic surgeon, you’ll need to complete four years of medical school, followed by a five-year residency in cardiothoracic surgery.

After completing your residency, you may be asked to interview for a cardiothoracic surgeon job. During your interview, you’ll be asked questions about your medical school training, your residency, and your experience in cardiothoracic surgery. You may also be asked questions about your research experience and publications.

To help you prepare for your interview, we’ve compiled a list of sample cardiothoracic surgeon interview questions and answers.

Are you board certified in cardiothoracic surgery?

Employers may ask this question to make sure you have the proper credentials for the job. If you are not board certified, they might want to know if you plan on becoming certified in the future. You can answer honestly about your certification status and explain what steps you’re taking to become certified.

Example: “I am not yet board certified in cardiothoracic surgery. I’m currently working toward my certification through the American Board of Thoracic Surgery. Once I pass that exam, I will be able to add ‘board-certified’ to my resume.”

What are the most common procedures you perform as a cardiothoracic surgeon?

This question can help the interviewer understand your experience level and how you might fit into their team. When answering this question, it can be helpful to mention a few procedures that are similar to those performed at the hospital where you’re interviewing.

Example: “The most common procedure I perform is coronary artery bypass surgery. This involves replacing blocked or damaged arteries with healthy blood vessels from other parts of the body. Another common procedure I perform is valve repair or replacement. In this procedure, I replace damaged valves in the heart with artificial ones. These two procedures make up about 80% of my work as a cardiothoracic surgeon.”

How would you describe the relationship between cardiothoracic surgeons and interventional cardiologists?

This question can help interviewers understand your knowledge of the medical field and how you interact with other professionals. Use examples from your experience to explain what a cardiothoracic surgeon does, who they work with and why it’s important for these two types of doctors to collaborate.

Example: “Cardiothoracic surgeons are responsible for performing open-heart surgery on patients while interventional cardiologists focus on noninvasive procedures like angioplasty. These two specialties have different roles but often work together to provide the best care for their patients. For example, I recently worked with an interventional cardiologist to perform a minimally invasive procedure that helped my patient avoid more invasive surgery.”

What is the most challenging part of being a cardiothoracic surgeon?

This question can help interviewers understand what you find challenging about your job and how you overcome those challenges. When answering this question, it can be helpful to mention a specific challenge that you have faced in the past and how you overcame it.

Example: “The most challenging part of being a cardiothoracic surgeon is having to tell patients that there are no other options for their treatment. I always make sure to explain all of my reasoning behind why we need to take certain actions, but sometimes it’s hard to know if they truly understand or agree with my decision. To solve this problem, I try to spend as much time as possible talking to them before surgery so they feel comfortable asking questions.”

Provide an example of a time when you had to perform an emergency surgery.

This question can help interviewers understand how you react to stressful situations and whether you have experience handling them. When answering this question, it can be helpful to describe a specific situation in which you had to perform an emergency surgery and the steps you took to ensure your patient’s safety.

Example: “In my first year of practice as a cardiothoracic surgeon, I was performing a routine heart surgery when one of the patients started having complications. The patient began bleeding heavily, so I immediately called for assistance from another doctor. Together, we were able to stop the bleeding and complete the surgery successfully.”

If a patient needed both a valve replacement and a lung resection, which surgery would you perform first?

This question is a great way to test your knowledge of the procedures you perform and how they relate to one another. It also allows the interviewer to see if you have any preferences for certain surgeries or processes. When answering this question, it can be helpful to list out the steps of each procedure so that the interviewer can get an idea of what’s involved in both.

Example: “If I were performing these two surgeries on the same patient, I would first perform the lung resection because it requires more time than the valve replacement. Once the lung resection was complete, I would then move onto the valve replacement surgery.”

What would you do if you and your team made a mistake during surgery?

This question can help interviewers understand how you respond to challenges and learn from your mistakes. In your answer, try to explain what steps you would take to correct the mistake and prevent it from happening again in the future.

Example: “If I made a mistake during surgery, I would first apologize to my patient and their family for any distress or anxiety that may have been caused by our error. Then, I would discuss with my team members what happened so we could all learn from the experience. Finally, I would make sure that the mistake was corrected before the end of the day so that my patient’s treatment plan remained uninterrupted.”

How well do you communicate with other medical professionals, such as nurses and X-ray technicians?

The interviewer may ask this question to learn more about your interpersonal skills. They want to know how you interact with others and whether you can communicate effectively. Use examples from past experiences where you had to work with other medical professionals to complete a task or project.

Example: “I find that communication is one of the most important aspects of my job as a cardiothoracic surgeon. I need to be able to clearly explain what I’m doing during surgery so that nurses, X-ray technicians and other surgeons understand what I expect from them. In my last position, I worked with several nurses and X-ray technicians on a daily basis. We developed a system for communicating during surgeries so we could all do our jobs efficiently.”

Do you have experience performing open-heart surgery on children?

This question can help the interviewer determine if you have experience working with children and their families. It can also show them how comfortable you are performing surgery on young patients. In your answer, try to explain why you enjoy working with this age group of patients.

Example: “I love working with children because they’re so excited about everything. I find it rewarding when a child comes in for an operation and leaves feeling better than before. When I was in medical school, I volunteered at a hospital that specialized in pediatric care. There, I learned how to perform open-heart surgery on infants and toddlers. While it’s rare for me to work with such young patients as a cardiothoracic surgeon, I’m always ready to do what’s best for my patient.”

When performing a lung resection, do you prefer to remove the entire lobe or just part of it?

This question is a great way to see how much experience the candidate has performing lung resections. It also allows you to evaluate their decision-making process and whether they are able to explain it in an easy-to-understand manner.

Example: “I prefer to remove just part of the lobe because this helps reduce the risk of complications, such as bleeding or infection. Removing the entire lobe can lead to more blood loss during surgery, which increases the chances of needing a transfusion. I also find that removing only part of the lobe reduces the amount of time needed for recovery.”

We want to improve our patient recovery times. What strategies would you use to do this?

This question is an opportunity to show your knowledge of the field and how you can help improve a hospital’s processes. When answering this question, it can be helpful to mention specific strategies that have worked for you in the past or any new methods you’ve learned about recently.

Example: “I would start by looking at our current patient recovery times and comparing them to other hospitals with similar patient populations. I’d also look at what factors are contributing to longer recovery times and see if there are ways we can reduce those factors. For example, I might suggest implementing more efficient systems for tracking patients’ progress after surgery.”

Describe your process for preparing a patient for open-heart surgery.

This question is a great way to show your interviewer that you have the skills and knowledge necessary to perform this type of surgery. When answering, it can be helpful to include details about how you communicate with patients and their families before, during and after the procedure.

Example: “I always make sure to thoroughly explain every aspect of the open-heart surgery process to my patients and their family members. I also like to answer any questions they may have as soon as possible so there are no surprises on the day of the operation. Before performing the surgery itself, I will go over all of the steps again with the patient and their loved ones to ensure everyone understands what’s going to happen.”

What makes you stand out from other cardiothoracic surgeons?

Employers ask this question to learn more about your unique skills and abilities. They want to know what makes you a valuable candidate for their open position. When answering this question, think of the most important qualities that make you an excellent cardiothoracic surgeon. Try to focus on traits that are relevant to the job.

Example: “I believe my biggest strength as a cardiothoracic surgeon is my ability to communicate with patients. I always take the time to explain every aspect of a procedure before performing it. This helps put patients at ease and ensures they understand everything we’re doing. It also allows them to ask questions and voice any concerns they have.”

Which operating systems have you worked with?

The interviewer may ask this question to see if you have experience with the operating systems they use in their facility. If you don’t, it’s important to explain that you’re willing to learn and adapt to new technology.

Example: “I’ve worked with both Windows and Mac operating systems throughout my career. I find them equally effective for completing tasks and communicating with other team members during operations. However, I prefer working on a Mac because of its ease of use and intuitive interface. In fact, I’m currently using a Mac at my current job.”

What do you think is the most important aspect of post-operative care?

The interviewer may ask this question to assess your knowledge of post-operative care and how you interact with patients. This is an opportunity to show that you are a compassionate caregiver who can provide excellent patient care.

Example: “I think the most important aspect of post-operative care is making sure my patients understand what they need to do after their surgery. I always make sure to thoroughly explain all instructions, including when to take medications, how to change dressings and how to recover from anesthesia. I also encourage them to contact me if they have any questions or concerns about their recovery.”

How often do you perform follow-up appointments with patients?

Interviewers may ask this question to learn more about your bedside manner. They want to know how you interact with patients and their families after surgery. In your answer, try to emphasize the importance of these appointments for patient care.

Example: “I always schedule follow-up appointments with my patients within a week of their surgeries. These appointments are important because they allow me to monitor my patients’ progress and ensure that they’re healing well. I also use these appointments as an opportunity to educate my patients on what to expect during recovery. This helps them feel more prepared when they go home.”

There is a risk that a patient may develop a complication during surgery. How would you handle this?

Interviewers may ask this question to assess your ability to manage a challenging situation. In your answer, you can describe how you would respond to the complication and what steps you would take to ensure that it did not affect the patient’s recovery.

Example: “If a patient developed a complication during surgery, I would first focus on resolving the issue as quickly as possible. If there was any risk of permanent damage or loss of life, I would immediately call for my team members to help me with the procedure. After ensuring the safety of the patient, I would then work to resolve the complication. Depending on the severity of the complication, I might need to schedule another surgery to address it.”