THORACIC
SURGERY DIRECTORS ASSOCIATION BY-LAWS Article I
Name Article II
Objectives 1. provide a forum for
the interchange of ideas and information relating to the education of thoracic
surgery residents;
2. assist in the identification
and solution of educational and administrative problems that may arise in
the conduct of thoracic surgery residency programs; and,
3. serve as the advocate
of resident education in the various professional agencies, boards, councils
and committees that influence the specialty of Thoracic Surgery.
4. represent the Directors
of residencies in Thoracic Surgery that have been approved by the Accreditation
Council on Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). These individuals shall hereinafter
be referred to as the Directors.
Article III Section 1. Membership.
Each Director of an approved Thoracic Surgery residency program is a member
of the TSDA and is expected to participate in its deliberations and endeavors,
including a uniform Matching Program for resident selection. Termination of
membership in the TSDA will occur if (1) an individual ceases to be a Program
Director, (2) a Director fails to participate in the Match without the specific
authorization of the Executive Committee, (3) a Director fails to pay annual
dues or meet his/her fiscal responsibility to the TSDA, or (4) a Director
or his designee (authorized as a result of prior request to the Secretary/Treasurer)
fails to attend three consecutive meetings. Should an individual with specific
ongoing responsibilities to the TSDA cease to be a Program Director, at the
discretion of the Executive Committee, discharge of these responsibilities
may continue until their completion.
Associate Membership:
Associate Member status shall be approved by the Executive Committee. Such
membership is limited to (1) one associate member per approved residency,
and is available to a faculty member sponsored by a Director; (2) Directors
of approved Canadian residencies in cardiac or general thoracic surgery; and
(3) Directors of programs whose approved status is withdrawn by the RRC.
A Director of a program
which loses its approved status is eligible for Associate Member status for
a period of time not to exceed three years, by which time it is expected that
his/her program will have regained its approved status. An Associate Member
will pay annual dues, may attend meetings and receive publications of the
TSDA, serve on temporary or standing committees but is not eligible to hold
office, serve on the Executive Committee, or vote on the deliberations of
the TSDA. Associate Memberships will be reviewed by the Executive Committee
every three years to determine whether they should be renewed.
Section 2. Voting Privileges.
Each approved program is accorded one vote for transacting the business of
the TSDA. This vote is executed by the Director. No proxies or substitutions
are permitted without prior written notice to the Secretary-Treasurer by the
Director.
Section 3. Approved Programs.
For purposes of membership in the TSDA, an "approved program" is defined as
a thoracic surgery residency program which is recommended for approval by
the Residency Review Committee (RRC) for Thoracic Surgery and accredited by
the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). The Director
of such an approved program is identified by the RRC as that individual authorized
to sign the applications of his/her graduates for the certifying examination
by the American Board of Thoracic Surgery.
Article IV Section 1. 1. President B. Terms of Office. The
President and President Elect shall each hold office for two years or until
their successors are duly elected by the membership and may not succeed themselves.
The President-Elect, at the end of a two-year term, shall automatically become
President.
The Secretary-Treasurer
shall hold office for four years or until a successor is elected by the membership
and may not succeed himself/herself.
The two Councillors at
Large shall each hold office for four years and may not succeed themselves.
Their terms shall be arranged so that a new Councillor at Large will be elected
each biennium at the time a new President-Elect is elected and a new President
assumes office.
If the office of the
President becomes vacant by reason of death, resignation, retirement, disqualification,
removal from office or otherwise, the President-Elect shall become President,
fill the remainder of the unexpired term, and then complete his/her two year
term of office. Such unexpected progression of the President-Elect to the
office of President shall result in an election of a new President-Elect by
the Directors at the next meeting of the TSDA. The term of the new President-Elect
shall coincide with the term of office of the then President. Should the office
of the Secretary-Treasurer or either Councillor at Large become vacant, the
Executive Committee then in office may, by majority vote, choose a successor(s).
Such successor(s) shall hold office for the unexpired term with respect to
the vacancy occurring.
C. Duties of Officers 2. President-Elect: If
the President is absent or unable to act, the President-Elect will perform
the duties and exercise the powers of the President and will be a member or
ex-officio member without vote on all committees except the Nominating Committee.
3. Secretary-Treasurer:
The Secretary-Treasurer shall prepare and distribute minutes of all meetings
of the TSDA; shall maintain the records of the TSDA including a list of all
members and their addresses; shall initiate notices of forthcoming meetings
and conduct any correspondence deemed necessary by the TSDA and/or the Executive
Committee; shall collect all moneys, make all authorized disbursements and
render an account thereof to the TSDA each year at the first bi-annual meeting;
shall obtain review of the financial records and assure proper reporting of
the tax status of the TSDA each year; and shall be a member, or ex-officio
member without vote, of all committees except the Nominating Committee.
Section 2. Committees B. Executive Committee.
2. The Executive Committee
shall generally manage the affairs of the TSDA. During the interval between
meetings, it shall serve as the administrative and policy making body of the
TSDA. A majority of the Executive Committee shall constitute a quorum for
the transaction of business.
3. Meetings of the Executive
Committee shall be held at such times and places as may be agreed upon by
a majority of the Executive Committee, or in the event of disagreement, as
designated by the President.
C. Standing Committees.
Standing Committees are established by the members of the TSDA for a period
of up to five years. To continue beyond the five year period, the committee(s)
must be re-established by vote of the TSDA. They may be abolished at any time
by similar vote. They shall perform such duties and functions as assigned
by the President or the Executive Committee of the TSDA. All standing committees
shall be composed of at least six members appointed by the President, subject
to the approval of the Executive Committee. Approximately one-third of the
members of each committee shall be appointed annually and shall not serve
for more than two consecutive terms.
Although Chairpersons
and members of standing committees are appointed for terms of specific duration,
any incoming President may, at the beginning of his/her Presidency, conclude
the service of any Committee Chairperson or member after the first year of
his/her term and appoint a new Committee Chairperson or Committee Member subject
to the approval of the Executive Committee. The chairpersons of these committees
will be appointed by the President. Chairpersons of Standing Committees may
not simultaneously hold office in the TSDA. They will report the actions of
their committees to the Executive Committee and the TSDA at regular meetings
of these bodies.
The Standing Committees
will be as follows:
1. The Requisite Curriculum
Committee, which shall be responsible for updating the thoracic surgery curriculum
at no less than three year intervals.
2. The Curriculum Implementation
Committee, which shall be responsible for developing the optimal methodology
whereby the requisite Comprehensive Curriculum is taught to thoracic surgical
residents. An evaluation of competency in the requisite curriculum is implicit
in this charge.
3. The Prerequisite Curriculum
Committee, which shall be responsible for defining, developing, and implementing
where appropriate (a) the general surgical curriculum (core knowledge) and
(b) the thoracic surgical curriculum (core knowledge) deemed essential for
residents beginning their thoracic surgical education. An evaluation of competency
in the prerequisite curriculum is implicit in this charge.
*Additional Standing
Committees may be established by a majority vote of the TSDA members in regular
session.
D. Ad Hoc Committees.
Ad Hoc committees may be established from time to time by the President or
the Executive Committee, to accomplish specific and limited goals. They may
not continue for more than two years without affirmative action by the membership
of the TSDA in regular session.
Article V The Executive Committee
shall appoint a chief administrative officer hereinafter designated the Executive
Director. The Executive Director shall be responsible for the operational
management of the affairs of the TSDA under the executive direction of the
President and Secretary/Treasurer. As primary custodian of the TSDA funds,
the Executive Director shall be bonded in an amount sufficient to safeguard
the financial assets of the TSDA.
Article VI Section 1. The fiscal
year of the TSDA shall coincide with the calendar year dating from January
1. The books shall be kept and reported on this basis.
Section 2. The President
and/or Secretary-Treasurer shall have the power to execute documents and binding
commitments on behalf of the TSDA consistent with the policies established
by the Executive Committee.
Section 3. Members and
Associate Members shall contribute to the financial maintenance of the TSDA
through annual dues and special assessments. The amount of dues and assessment
shall be determined by the Executive Committee subject to approval by the
membership in regular session. All income derived from dues, assessments,
gifts or other sources shall be used for expenses incurred in attaining the
objectives outlined in Article II.
Article VII Section 1. Two TSDA meetings
shall be held each year. The specific time, place, duration and format of
these meetings will be determined by the President in consultation with the
Executive Committee. A majority of the membership of the TSDA shall constitute
a quorum.
Section 2. A special
meeting of the TSDA may be called on a one month's notice by the President,
or on written request of twenty members. The specific purposes of the meeting
must be stated in the request and in the official call for the meeting.
Section 3. There will
be at least two meetings of the Executive Committee each year.
Article VIII Section 1. Any question
of order not provided by these articles shall be determined by parliamentary
usage as contained in Robert's Rules of Order, Newly Revised.
Article IX Section 1. These articles
may not be changed except by a two-thirds vote of the members present at regularly
called meetings, and further provided that the proposed alteration or amendment
will have been moved and seconded at the previous regular meeting, and that
printed copies of the suggested alteration or amendment shall have been circulated
among the members, and that the members shall have been specifically advised
that such alteration or amendment will be voted upon.
Section 2. These articles
may be suspended in whole or in part for a period of not more than twelve
hours by unanimous vote of those present at any regularly convened meeting
of the TSDA. THORACIC SURGERY RESIDENT MATCHING PROGRAM
In 1992 a Thoracic Surgery
Residency Matching Program, conducted under the auspices of the Thoracic Surgery
Directors Association, was adopted as the method of selecting residents. The
process is similar to that used by the National Resident Matching Program
(NRMP) after medical school. The NRMP is an arm of the American Association
of Medical Colleges (AAMC). This system has the advantages of encouraging
residents to visit and compare different training programs and providing uniform
guidelines for applying to and selecting programs and candidates for residency.
The TSDA Residency Match
is endorsed by the American Board of Thoracic Surgery and the Residency Review
Committee for Thoracic Surgery. On January 15, 1993, the RRC for Thoracic
Surgery added the following statement to the special requirements for residency
training in thoracic surgery: "In selecting from among qualified applicants
for first year thoracic surgery resident positions, the thoracic surgery program
should participate in the Thoracic Surgery Matching Program." On January 23,
1993, the TSDA approved a revision in its by-laws which made participation
in the Match a condition for membership. The by-laws state:
Article X
Membership, Privileges
and Responsibilities It is expected that all
candidates for thoracic surgery residency will participate in the Match. Registration
information is sent to Program Directors in the Fall, early in October and
the closing date for enrollment of Programs in the Match is in February (see schedule of the Match - next page). Residents may enroll in the Match before
the closing date for registration each year either by calling the NRMP - Thoracic
Surgery Specialty Match Office at (202) 828-0676 or writing to the NRMP office
at 2501 M Street, NW, Suite 1, Washington, DC 20037-1037. Interviews now occur
in the spring of the year before the start of residency. A Universal Thoracic
Surgery Residency Application form has been developed and endorsed by the
TSDA and is accepted by all programs. Applicants and Program
Directors are informed each year of the date by which they must submit their
Rank Order Lists. Program Directors receive the results of the Match via Federal
Express approximately one month later. Applicants receive the results of the
Match by First Class Mail.
The matching plan algorithm
penalizes neither resident nor program for ranking choices at a level that
exceeds their expectation; applicants and programs each match with their highest
choice they make provided that choice wants them. Resident selection should
take into consideration the fact that the ABTS requires prior ABS certification
before certifying candidates in thoracic surgery.
(Revisions adopted 5/2/98)
The name of this organization is the Thoracic Surgery Directors Association,
hereinafter referred to as "the TSDA."
The objectives of the TSDA are to -
Membership, Privileges and Responsibilities
Officers and Committees
A. Officers. The officers of the TSDA shall be elected by the membership and
will consist of the following:
2. President-Elect
3. Secretary-Treasurer
4. Councillors at Large (2)
1. President: The President shall preside at all meetings of the TSDA and
the Executive Committee; shall perform all other duties usually associated
with the office of President, including the appointment of various committees
as set forth in these articles, or as directed by the Executive Committee
and/or the assembled members at regular meetings of the TSDA; with the aid
and advice of the other officers, shall be responsible for developing a program
for the regularly scheduled meetings; and as chief executive officer of the
TSDA, shall be a member or ex-officio member without vote on all committees
except the Nominating Committee.
A. Nominating Committee. The Nominating Committee shall be responsible for
presenting at the second of two annual meetings of the TSDA nominees for offices
which are or have become vacant. The membership of this Committee shall consist
of one individual elected by the Directors, one Director appointed by the
President, and the last two consecutive living past Presidents. The most senior
past President shall serve as Chairperson of the Committee. No member of the
Nominating Committee may serve consecutive terms.
1. Members of the Executive Committee are the President, the President-Elect,
the immediate past President, the Secretary-Treasurer and the two elected
Councillors at Large. The chairpersons of the standing committees of the TSDA
(Article IV, Sec. 2, c) shall serve as ex-officio (without vote) members of
the Executive Committee.
Executive Director
Finances
Meetings
Newly Revised Robert's Rules of Order
Amendments
Section 1. Membership. Each Director of an approved Thoracic Surgery residency
program is a member of the TSDA and is expected to participate in its deliberations
and endeavors, including a uniform Matching Program for resident selection.
Termination of membership in the Association will occur if a Director fails
to participate in the Match without the specific authorization of the Executive
Committee.