The U-40 generation of cardiovascular surgeons is receiving training as cardiovascular surgeons, including daily surgeries, ward responsibilities and other important tasks, young surgeons are on their way to becoming skilled cardiovascular specialists. However, it is said that it takes a long time to become a full-fledged surgeon, and in particular, the way to becoming a full-fledged cardiovascular surgeon varies greatly among individuals and is not standardized. Therefore, the U-40 generation is always concerned and worried about their future career development. At the 54th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society for Cardiovascular Surgery, we will discuss what the U-40 generation needs to become full-fledged surgeons, what they are worried about, and how their seniors who are actually active as independent cardiovascular surgeons think and what their career paths have been like. I had an opportunity to reflect on the gap between the two. This time, we conducted a questionnaire survey to visualize the conditions and future prospects for becoming an independent surgeon as considered by the U-40 generation.

As part of U-40 activities, chapters have traditionally held sessions of lectures and hands-on as the Basic Lecture Course (BLC) to improve the basic skills and knowledge of young cardiovascular surgeons. Because of the COVID-19 epidemic, we have shifted our activities from onsite to online. This column focuses on “management of postoperative delirium and pain” in the lecture of “Postoperative Management in Cardiovascular Surgery” given by the Chubu Chapter in 2020. We summarize the lecture and report the results of a questionnaire survey of the U-40 members.