Training Requirements
Candidates for initial certification in vascular surgery must be meeting all posted requirements in place at the time of application.
Intro
All requirements must be met by the time of application to the Vascular Surgery Qualifying Exam
A primary certificate in vascular surgery took effect July 1, 2006, giving vascular surgery a board certification pathway independent of general surgery. Its significance as a standard of skill and knowledge in vascular surgery and with regard to credentialing for vascular surgery procedures remains the same. In most cases, completion of the general surgery certification process is not required to enter the vascular surgery certification process.
Below is a general overview of the training requirements for vascular surgery certification. For complete details, please refer to the ABS Booklet of Information – Vascular Surgery.
Training Requirements
Required for certification in vascular surgery
With the primary certificate, an individual may complete any of these three pathways toward board certification in vascular surgery. New vascular surgery programs approved by the ACGME are listed on the ACGME and SVS websites. Please also see our Osteopathic Trainees Policy.
Operative Experience
Candidates for certification in vascular surgery must submit an operative experience report as surgeon and assistant surgeon that is deemed acceptable to the ABS, not only as to volume, but as to spectrum and complexity of cases. Specific case requirements:
- At least 250 major vascular reconstructions must be listed.
- A minimum of 40 cases in surgical critical care must be listed, with at least one in each of the seven categories: ventilatory management; bleeding (non-trauma); hemodynamic instability; organ dysfunction / failure; dysrhythmias; invasive line management and monitoring; and parenteral / enteral nutrition.
Cases must be from the applicant’s vascular surgery residency or fellowship and verified by the program director.
Applicants must submit a report that tabulates their operative experience during vascular surgery training. Cases must be from the applicant’s vascular surgery residency or fellowship and verified by the program director. Applicants must also indicate their level of responsibility (e.g., surgeon chief year, surgeon junior years, teaching assistant, first assistant) as applicable for the procedures listed.
Applicants may claim credit as “surgeon chief year” or “surgeon junior years” only when they have actively participated in making or confirming the diagnosis, selecting the appropriate operative plan, and administering pre-operative and postoperative care. Additionally, they must have personally performed either the entire operative procedure or the critical parts thereof and participated in postoperative follow-up. All of the above must be accomplished under appropriate supervision.
When previous personal operative experience justifies a teaching role, residents may act as teaching assistants and list such cases during the fourth and fifth year only. Applicants may claim credit as teaching assistant only when they have been present and scrubbed and acted as assistant to guide a more junior trainee through the procedure. Applicants may not claim credit both as surgeon (surgeon chief or surgeon junior) and teaching assistant.
International Rotations
Receive approval in advance from the ABS and the ACGME
In certain circumstances, the ABS will accept rotations completed outside of the U.S. or Canada toward its vascular surgery training requirements.
Training Pathways
There are three approved vascular surgery training pathways
An individual may complete any of these three pathways toward board certification in vascular surgery. New vascular surgery programs approved by the ACGME are listed on the ACGME and SVS websites. Please also see our Osteopathic Trainees Policy.
There are slight variations between pathways in terms of what is needed from applicants to vascular surgery initial certification examinations
- Successful completion of the General Surgery Qualifying Exam (GSQE) is not required as a prerequisite for vascular surgery certification.
- However, graduates of independent and ESP pathways must have an approved application to the GSQE, meeting all application requirements.
- Once the GSQE application is approved, individuals who wish to pursue both general surgery and vascular surgery certification may pursue these in whichever order they wish.
- Core surgery content has been integrated into the Vascular Surgery QE.
Full-Time Research Limits: For individuals in integrated programs, no more than six months of residency may be devoted to research. For individuals in independent programs, no more than 10% of the total required vascular surgical experience may be devoted to research. Any research time beyond 10% requires prior ABS approval.
Program Limit
Program limits exist for all training pathways
Candidates for certification in vascular surgery must have completed their vascular surgery training at no more than two programs. For integrated programs, the final two years must be completed at the same institution. For independent programs, the final 18 months must be completed at the same institution. Individuals in independent programs must also have completed their general surgery residency at no more than three programs.
Examinations
Two exams are required for initial certification in vascular surgery
Successful completion of both the Vascular Surgery Qualifying and Certifying Exams is required.
VSITE
Offered annually to programs
The Vascular Surgery In-Training Examination (VSITE®) is offered annually to ACGME-accredited vascular surgery training programs to measure residents’ progress in their knowledge of vascular surgery.
The exam is furnished to programs as an evaluation instrument to assess the progress attained by residents. Results are released only to program directors. It is not available to individuals and is not required as part of the board certification process.
Most questions can be answered with the information available on our website. For specific inquiries, please contact the vascular surgery exam manager.