Abstract: To help clinical medical undergraduate master the fundamental knowledge and basic surgical skills of cardiac surgery, cultivate their interest in learning and pursuing a career in cardiac surgery, and enhance their medical humanities literacy and competence, an elective course in cardiac surgery was designed and implemented. This course integrates ideological and political education with innovation and entrepreneurship education, utilizing a variety of teaching methods, including theoretical lectures, practical exercises, clinical internships, and simulation teaching. A total of 39 students from the five-year Clinical Medicine program at Sichuan University, class of 2018, were enrolled. The teaching effectiveness was evaluated through final examination scores, questionnaire surveys, and the number of approved student innovation and entrepreneurship training programs. The results showed that all students achieved a final course grade of good or above. Specifically, 92.3% (36/39) of the students considered the course design to be reasonable, 94.9% (37/39) believed the course stimulated their interest in learning, 89.7% (35/39) felt the course deepened their understanding of theoretical knowledge, 71.8% (28/39) thought the course improved their clinical operation skills, and 100.0% (39/39) agreed the course enhanced their humanities literacy. Additionally, all students participated in applying for and securing a total of 45 provincial, university, and college-level student innovation and entrepreneurship training programs. The exploration and practice of this course have made valuable contributions to the innovation of medical talent cultivation, offering a reference for the implementation of similar courses in clinical medicine programs at medical schools in China.

Key words: Clinical medicine, Elective course, Cardiac surgery, Ideological and political education, Innovation and entrepreneurship education