TCTMD: What Rowing in the Olympics Taught Me About Training in Cardiothoracic Surgery

TCTMD recently featured an article by Veronica Toro Arana, MD, a cardiothoracic surgery fellow in the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai, about her experience training for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and how it prepared her for a career in surgery.

Toro Arana, the first female rower to represent Puerto Rico in the Games, wrote in TCTMD that going from Olympian to cardiothoracic surgical resident was a major transition.

“The lifestyle of an elite athlete—focused on prioritizing recovery in between training sessions with adequate sleep, diet, hydration, and mindfulness—and the constant stream of demanding 12-plus hour shifts of a physician in training couldn’t differ more,” she wrote. “However, the high-performance expectations of an Olympian and a cardiothoracic surgeon are similar.”

Toro Arana wrote in TCTMD that key lessons from her Olympic training, such as the benefits of finding a mentor, are guiding her through her residency training.

“Crossing paths with Joanna Chikwe, MD, the only female chief cardiac surgeon in any of the U.S. integrated thoracic surgery residency programs at the time, was pivotal in my decision of where to train,” she wrote. “Having her as my mentor has been crucial in navigating residency as a minority woman.”

Toro Arana wrote in TCTMD that she also still focuses on improving her craft to avoid slipping into mindless repetition.

“Whether I am practicing my surgical skills or rowing on my days off, I always have the voice of a coach in my head telling me what I can be doing better,” she wrote. “Being proactive is a huge part of how I became part of the first boat in the varsity crew on my second year as a rower. As a surgical resident, I make it a point to ask for feedback at the end of each of my operations.”

Click here to read the complete article from TCTMD.