Why did you choose vascular surgery?

[thevikness]

Hey friends! Congrats, if you recently matched Vascular Surgery!

Open question for all including previously matched, why did you choose Vascular Surgery? What about it drew you towards the field?

I'd like to hear your stories! I think this sharing would be beneficial for those still ambivalent about the field.

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[thedrjojo]

Hey friends! Congrats, if you recently matched Vascular Surgery!

Open question for all including previously matched, why did you choose Vascular Surgery? What about it drew you towards the field?

I'd like to hear your stories! I think this sharing would be beneficial for those still ambivalent about the field.

I love me some dead feet


Oh you were asking why we went into the field, not why we would never...

Vascular is a slick field. Dissecting and sewing vessels is one of my favorite things to do in surgery... Carotids when done well are a thing of beauty and fistula are thrilling (eh, get it?).

If you like playing with gadgets and have a secret desire to be an interventional radiologist, and the endovascular stuff has a lot of appeal as well. There is a ton of tech. Wearing lead and staring at the fluoro screen just makes me

Lines and vein stuff are big money, but mundane and boring imo. But something has to pay the bills.

Open cases are becoming fewer and far between

 

[filter07]

Vascular surgery is the perfect field for me. It has a good combination of open cases and minimally invasive cases. The open cases are technically challenging enough to make me feel like a surgeon. Doing a thoracoabdominal aneurysm once in a while is a nice change of pace to get my heart pumping a bit.

The endovascular cases are entirely different. If it wasn't for endovascular, I would not be doing vascular. I like the feeling of having a really big set of tools and using the combination of them for clever and inventive solutions. Endovascular cases are really made in the planning - I like to make a detailed plan for a complex case and have it all go smoothly, with minimal trauma to the patient. It's a very satisfying feeling.

I like that I am able to offer both endovascular and open options to the patient, and my decision to go with one or the other is well informed and less prone to bias. I can provide comprehensive but specialized care for vascular disease; this combination is a rarity in medicine.

Lastly, I like having the flexibility of doing straightforward cases and complex cases, and mixing/matching as I please. I do not want to do thoracoabdominal aneurysms everyday, or vein ablations everyday.

 

[surgeonsoon]

As a GS resident, do you apply for vascular surgery fellowship in your 4th or 5th year?

 

[mimelim]

As a GS resident, do you apply for vascular surgery fellowship in your 4th or 5th year?

It is a 4th year match.

 

[SpikesnSpookes]

I feel like the field of vascular surgery is very poorly compensated, especially for how busy it is Do you guys see compensation rising? Do vascular surgeons ever make 600k+?

 

[LucidSplash]

I feel like the field of vascular surgery is very poorly compensated, especially for how busy it is Do you guys see compensation rising? Do vascular surgeons ever make 600k+?

Poorly compensated compared to what other surgical specialty/field? I don't have access to the MGMA data but most quotes for median starting salary for vascular is >350k. Starting salary. There's a lot of variance there for private practice vs academics. So the answer is yes. >600k possible depending on practice type. But again, poor compensation compared to who? Neurosurg/ortho? Again, Lots of variance. But great job security with vascular and on average 6 jobs available for every new fellow graduate. The question you need to ask yourself is how much money is enough? Is this concern because of perceived relation between prestige and compensation and you want to be the top earner in the hospital or because you're worried what you put in isn't worth what you'll get out? It's not like you won't be able to support a family and take nice vacations as a vascular surgeon. So how much money is enough? Is there a number you're shooting for and where does that number come from?