Vascular Surgeons work to correct issues and diseases affecting the circulatory system. The specialty of vascular surgery combines therapy and minimally invasive procedures to improve the functions of the vascular system, which includes the arteries, veins, and capillaries. Popular procedures include, but are not limited to, thoracic endovascular aortic repair, endovascular aneurysm repair, angioplasty, stenting, and bypass surgery. These surgeries can be life-saving in many cases and require the surgeon to be details oriented and have a high level of technical skills.

Vascular Surgery Residency

Medical graduates hoping to become vascular surgeons will have a long road ahead of them. Graduates have two options, they can either complete their residency in general surgery and follow it up with a fellowship in vascular surgery or, they can choose to simply complete their residency in vascular surgery. The first option can take six to seven years while the second can be shorter by about a year.

The National Resident Matching Program offered  66 vascular surgery residency spots in 2019. IMGs filled six of these spots. In comparison, the NRMP offered 8,844 general surgery spots during 2019. 1,414, or roughly 16 percent, of these individuals identified as IMGS. An IMG’s chance of matching into a general surgery residency position is more likely than one in vascular surgery. This makes an argument for why IMGs might decide to take the longer route to become a practicing surgeon.

For more data on the 2019 residency match, click here.

Practicing as a Surgeon

Currently, there are just under 3,000 vascular surgeons practicing in the United States. Worldwide, there are about 10,000. A majority of these vascular surgeons are reaching the age of retirement. This means that there will be openings in the industry in the near future.

During 2019, the average salary for vascular surgeons was $254,265.

To view AMO clinical experiences related to the specialty of vascular surgery, click here.

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