The Basic Lecture Course (BLC) hands-on seminar has long been a core educational activity organized by the U-40 of the Japanese Society for Cardiovascular Surgery at the branch level. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, in-person seminars were suspended for an extended period. Since 2022, the seminars have gradually resumed, and in 2025, a branch-based hosting system was introduced. Nevertheless, several challenges unique to the post-pandemic era have become evident. In the Hokkaido Branch, BLC hands-on seminars were held in July 2024 and August 2025. This report presents the outlines and management processes of these two events, summarizes the results of participant surveys, and discusses future challenges and perspectives for the operation of BLC hands-on seminars.

Lately, there has been a trend towards integration among cardiovascular surgery institutions. However, local institutions continue to play a crucial role in community-based medicine, given the emergent nature of cardiovascular diseases and the challenges involved in transporting patients with such conditions over long distances. We present the results of a questionnaire survey we conducted to examine the current status and issues faced by cardiovascular surgery institutions in community-based medicine.

Many aspiring surgeons under 40 years of age feel uneasy because surgical opportunities are rare. Under such circumstances, vascular surgery may provide operating opportunities relatively early. Here we used a questionnaire to clarify what opportunities young surgeons are seeking in the field of vascular surgery.

The Japanese board of cardiovascular surgery has changed the requirements for the certification of cardiovascular surgeons. The requirements include Off the Job Training and the training of extracorporeal circulation. The role of training facilities should be changed because of its duty. We showed a questionnaire survey about the new requirements for young cardiovascular surgeons in Hokkaido. We hope this article shows what is required for the training facilities in the new era.