On the Subject of Vascular Surgery Training: The Educational Rubric

Excerpt

The legacy of educating vascular surgeons has been one of considerable turmoil and conflict. Distinct training programs were initially suggested by leading vascular surgeons in the early 1970s, but it was not until 1984 that the Residency Review Committee-Surgery (RRC-S) accredited its first training program. Initial training programs were 1 year in duration. Over the ensuing two decades, many programs voluntarily extended the clinical training to 2 years to accommodate the greater complexity of open procedures and introduction of endoluminal therapies. This change becomes mandatory in 2008. The future training of vascular surgeons will de facto increase to 3 years with implementation of the recently approved American Board of Surgery (ABS) Primary Certificate in Vascular Surgery. Implementation of the primary certificate will carry many pitfalls unrecognized today by most in the vascular surgery community. …