Training pediatric residents to evaluate congenital heart disease in the current era

Working with young pediatricians to create an exciting educational environment in which to learn cardiology remains a challenge for all of us. Numerous forces impact our efforts, making the process of training residents to evaluate and treat congenital heart disease in the current era a dynamic and, at times, difficult endeavor. This article considers the changes that have occurred in the medical school graduate who chooses pediatrics and subsequently pediatric cardiology as a career; explores the changes in the graduate medical training guidelines, requirements, and restrictions that have been put into place within the last several years; and discusses the seemingly constant advances in scientific understanding and technology that shape our field and move us forward as a discipline.