The European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery—Core Curriculum for the Cardiac/Cardiovascular Surgeon

The European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (EACTS) has developed a unified Core Curriculum for cardiac surgical training to address variations in training standards across Europe. Created with contributions from 26 national programs, the curriculum outlines competencies across three stages of training—introductory, intermediate, and advanced. It emphasizes competency-based progression, minimum case requirements, standardized assessments, and robust quality assurance. While adoption is voluntary, the curriculum is designed to enhance training quality, safeguard patient care, and support surgeon mobility across European borders.