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Vascular Surgery Resident & Student Newsletter

On the Cutting Edge is an e-newsletter from the Society for Vacular Sugery reporting new training programs, up-to-date vascular research and other vascular-related information for students and residents.

To be included on the e-newsletter distribution list, send your email address to studentresident@vascularsociety.org.

View previous issues:
October 2006
November 2006
May 2007
October 2007
December 2007
August 2008

December 2008
Welcome to On the Cutting Edge, an e-newsletter from the Society for Vascular Surgery reporting new training programs, up-to-date vascular research and other vascular-related information for residents and students.

If you have any comments or suggestions for making this newsletter more effective, please email studentresident@vascularsociety.org.

Tips on Applying for Vascular Surgery Residency Programs

By Shivprasad Nikam, MD
Vascular and Endovascular Surgeon,
Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center, Wilkes Barre, Pa.

1. Research on Internet
It is important to start the application process early. Researching the various vascular residency programs is the most time consuming part of the whole application process. A variety of online resources are available to check out the basics of ACGME approved vascular residency programs: AMA's FREIDA web site and ACGME's web site. These web sites help verify the basic characteristics of the program including number of positions, teaching staff, years of future accreditation, affiliated institutions,
contact information, etc.

2. Consider Your Personal Situation
No program suits all. Personal aspirations are a very important consideration. Family situation, preferences of spouse or significant other, children etc., maybe other factors which ultimately make or break what you can derive out of the vascular program. Evaluating programs for their endovascular component is important, however a clear eye on making sure that you get enough open vascular experience is just as important.

3. Speak to Your Mentors
Many residency preferences finally are made based on what we learn about the program from people we trust. Mentors play a big role in our choices, directly or indirectly. A frank discussion with your trusted mentor(s) is a very healthy beginning. A constant bidirectional communication with your mentors is likely to help you make the ultimate
choice.

4. Interview Process
These days, no one could afford any extra traveling expenses, let alone the time needed to attend a wasteful interview. A thorough scrutiny of programs that offer an interview is necessary before embarking on the actual commitment to interview.

A good idea is to learn more about the program alumni and even speak to them. More than often this opportunity is not taken until after the interview. Members of alumni may give a frank picture of the relative domination of interventional cardiology, vascular surgery and interventional radiology, which is ultimately crucial for the trainee's personal educational gains from the program.

In any case, restricting interviewing to only programs that look like a good future match is recommended. Many programs interview more than one candidate in a day, a few try to do justice by interviewing only one candidate in a day. Interview day is clearly the most important day for fact-finding. However, being well-informed beforehand helps to derive more out of the interview day and eases the candidate into the process.

Keep an eye out for new mentors in the vascular programs. Ask direct questions about common endovascular procedure volumes including carotid stents, abdominal/thoracic endografts, etc.

In today's age, keeping an eye on open vascular experience also is vital by checking the average numbers of open aneurysms, distal bypasses, etc. being performed.

Try spending time with current residents in the vascular programs. They are probably one of the best resources of information. Stay in touch with them even after the interview day.

5. Matching Process
List programs purely based upon your own preferences. There is a common misconception that one needs to rank a program higher if the program is likely to choose the candidate. On the contrary, the matching process is purely the ranking of programs as per one's own preferences.

I hope these tips help you sail through the application process.

Questions?
Please feel free to email Dr. Nikam, a member of the SVS Young Surgeons Advisory Committee, at sdnikam@geisinger.edu.

Latest News from the Journal of Vascular Surgery

Arteriovenous Hemodialysis Access: The Society for Vascular Surgery Practice Guidelines
In the November 2008 supplement of the Journal of Vascular Surgery, SVS published clinical practice guidelines outlining seven key recommendations on the surgical placement and maintenance of arteriovenous hemodialysis access. Download and view the guidelines.

Five additional documents from the supplement cover the methods used by the KER unit to analyze the available evidence in the literature, an analysis of evidence, and a review of the identification and management of the complications of arteriovenous hemodialysis access. These additional documents are available on the journal's web
site - click on Supplements in the left sidebar.

Research News
Research has been published about carotid endarterectomy (CEA) surgery and carotid artery stenting (CAS), however there was no specific discharge code for CAS until 2005. With discharge data from 20 percent of all U.S. nonfederal non-acute hospitals now available from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample, researchers from the University of Massachusetts at Worcester wanted to compare the benefits of both procedures for that same year, as well as examine surgical outcomes and resource utilization associated with CAS and CEA.

Researchers believe this is the first study to use this data when comparing both procedures. The complete study was published in the December 2008 issue of the Journal of Vascular Surgery, published by the Society for Vascular Surgery.

2009 Vascular Annual Meeting

General surgery residents and medical students can learn more about the latest treatments and research in vascular disease by attending the 2009 Vascular Annual Meeting in Denver, June 11-14. There is no registration fee for residents or students to attend the meeting. Registration and housing opens February 23, 2009.

Call for Abstracts
Residents and students are encouraged to submit abstracts for the meeting. Please note that either the primary author or one of the co-authors of each abstract must be a member of SVS. If you or a co-author is not a member, a member of SVS must sponsor your abstract. The abstract submission deadline is January 5, 2009.

Submit your abstracts online.

Poster Sessions
All abstracts submitted will be under consideration for the Poster Sessions at the meeting. Prizes will be awarded to the top posters. Opportunities to present posters at the meeting will be awarded to select posters.

Travel Scholarships
SVS is funding a limited amount of travel scholarships in the amount of $1,000 each. More information regarding the application process will be available early 2009.

More information about the meeting is available online at VascularWeb.org.

Podcasts and Multimedia

Podcasts
SVS posts a new podcast each month on iTunes in the Science & Medicine podcast section. These podcasts address a broad scope of vascular surgery topics and career opportunities. The most recent podcasts include:

Job Options in Vascular Surgery
Endovascular Repairs Result in Decrease of Total Aneurysm Deaths

Listen to the podcasts.

Multimedia Resources
Watch the free video presentation of the "How to Review A Scientific Paper for JVS: A View from the Editors' Desk" session from the 2008 Vascular Annual Meeting to:

Learn how to read and review a scientific paper
Assess the strengths and limitations of a research study design
Review the statistical analysis of presented research data
Write a better review for both the editors and the authors

View the presentation.

Update on Vascular Surgery Integrated Training Programs

In 2006 ACGME approved the Primary Certificate in Vascular Surgery, which eliminates the requirement for certification in general surgery prior to certification in vascular surgery. You now have the option of more than one training pathway.

0+5 track - The vascular surgery integrated track is for trainees who match during medical school. Three years are devoted to vascular surgery and two years to core surgical training. Core surgery rotations may occur throughout the first four years of training. Eligible for board certification in vascular surgery only.

Current 0+5 programs include:

Cleveland Clinic Vascular Surgery
Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center
Good Samaritan Hospital, Cincinnati, Ohio
Indiana University School of Medicine
Mount Sinai Medical Center
Northwestern University
Stanford University Medical Center
Stony Brook University
University of Cincinnati Medical Center
UMass Medical School
University of Michigan Medical Center
University of North Carolina Hospitals Program
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
University of Rochester Medical Center
University of South Florida
Yale University School of Medicine

Please note that ACGME approves new vascular surgery integrated programs twice a year. We are expecting additional 0+5 track programs to be added in early 2009.

For more information on 0+5 track, as well as the ESP 4+2 track and the traditional 5+2 track, visit:

Find a training program.

How to apply.

2009 Research Initiatives in Vascular Disease Conference

The 2009 SVS Research Initiatives in Vascular Disease Conference will be held April 28, 2009, at the Omni Shoreham Hotel, Washington, D.C. The one-day conference is designed to encourage interaction between vascular surgeon investigators and scientists from other vascular biology-related disciplines and stimulate interest in research
among trainees who are aspiring academic vascular surgeons.

Call for Abstracts
The SVS Research Council and the Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis & Vascular Biology (ATVB) Council of the American Heart Association are coordinating their basic science meetings for the first time in 2009. Those wishing to submit an abstract will compete for oral abstract presentation opportunities at both the SVS Research Initiatives in Vascular Disease Conference and the ATVB Annual Conference. There are two deadlines for abstract submissions:

January 5, 2009 - SVS Research Conference
January 16, 2009 - ATVB Conference

Find more information on how to submit abstracts.

New Online Resources

SVS has recently reorganized and added more career resources to the Resident & Student section of VascularWeb.org to help you find resources quickly, career resources are now categorized by training levels:

Medical Students
General Surgery Residents
Vascular Surgery Residents

Coming Soon
The SVS General Surgery Resident and Medical Student Sections are working on future online resources such as a FAQ document on interviewing and applying to training programs, a compiled listing of available vascular research awards and grants, a compiled listing of vascular abstract submission opportunities, and more.

Upcoming Research Awards

View more vascular research awards.

Find A Vascular Surgeon Mentor

Need some guidance on a career in vascular surgery? Have you tried the SVS online Mentor Match-up feature that
matches medical students and general surgery residents with vascular surgeon mentors?

We have over 120 vascular surgeon mentors ready to answer any of your career questions, and support you through your training.

Find A Mentor.

Networking Sections for Medical Students and General Surgery Residents

Get direct access to valuable career resources by joining the SVS Medical Student Section or the SVS General Surgery Resident Section. The Sections serve as platforms for medical students and general surgery residents to network
with similarly interested students or residents.

Learn more about the Sections.

Society for Vascular Surgery - 633 N. St. Clair, 24th Floor; Chicago, IL 60611; Phone: 312-334-2300 or 800-258-7188; Fax: 312-334-2320; Email: vascular@vascularsociety.org
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