Curriculum

First-year vascular surgery residents gain eight months of experience in areas of transplant, hepatic-biliary-pancreatic, pediatric, trauma, surgical intensive care and general surgery, including one month of night float. Residents spend the remaining four months with the vascular surgery program at IU Health Methodist Hospital and Roudebush Veterans Affairs Hospital. The goal of the first year is to introduce residents to basic skills while creating a strong surgical foundation for future skills. PGY1 residents also participate in the general surgery skills lab curriculum throughout the first year.

In the second year of vascular surgery training, residents focus on subspecialty rotations to build upon the foundation created in the first year. Residents participate in surgical intensive care, thoracic, urology and plastic surgery along with a split rotation of anesthesia (two weeks) and hematology/oncology. The remaining rotations are vascular-focused at Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Hospital and Roudebush Veterans Affairs Hospital. PGY2 residents continue to participate in the general surgery skills lab curriculum throughout the year.

The third year of vascular surgery residency training further expands on general surgery training and is the final year of general surgery-focused training before residents transition into the final years of vascular-specific rotations. Experience is gained in trauma, surgical intensive care, thoracic, colon-rectal, transplant, cardiac and general surgery, including one month of night float. The remaining rotations are vascular-focused at the three primary sites for the program: IU Health Methodist Hospital, Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Hospital, and Roudeboush Veterans Affairs Hospital. PGY3 residents begins the vascular surgery simulation curriculum during this time and only attend specialty-specific general surgery skills labs at the discretion of the program director.

In the first full year of vascular surgery training, PGY4 residents rotate between IU Health Methodist Hospital and Roudebush Veterans Affairs Hospital. Each rotation is a three-month block, giving residents continuity of care experience as well as autonomy in the areas of open and endovascular procedures. PGY 4 residents complete the final year of vascular surgery simulation curriculum. At this stage of training, vascular surgery residents are allowed to attend the American Venous Forum Fellows Program in conjunction with the Society for Clinical Vascular Surgery (SCVS) Conference at no cost to the trainee.

Chief residents in the final year of vascular surgery training rotate between IU Health Methodist Hospital and Roudebush Veterans Affairs Hospital. Each rotation is a three-month block, which allows the resident to provide continuity of care with autonomy in the areas of open and endovascular procedures. The chief resident also becomes the trainer (along with the second-year Vascular Fellow) for the vascular simulation, teaching practice sessions to PGY 3-4 residents and the first-year vascular fellow prior to official testing by an assigned vascular surgery faculty member. The chief resident is allowed to attend the Society of Vascular Surgeons (SVS) Vascular Review Course, the SVS Coding Course, and the Midwestern Vascular Surgery Society Conference at no cost to the trainee.