University of North Carolina Hospitals Program

The Division of Vascular Surgery at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill offers a fully accredited 5-year integrated residency program. This program allows residents to enter directly from medical school, providing a rigorous and comprehensive training experience in vascular surgery. The curriculum is divided between three years focusing on vascular surgery and two years dedicated to core surgical training. Residents will gain exposure to a diverse array of cases, ranging from common procedures to complex surgeries, ensuring a well-rounded educational experience that prepares them for certification by the American Board of Surgery in Vascular Surgery.

The residency program emphasizes an integrated approach to both open and endovascular vascular surgery, allowing residents to develop a dual expertise. The program promotes graduated responsibility, with increasing levels of autonomy as residents progress through the years, culminating in the ability for fifth-year residents to operate independently on patients. This structure fosters the development of essential surgical skills and techniques, integrating direct patient care with academic learning and research opportunities.

Eligible applicants to the program will be assessed based on various criteria, including preparedness, academic credentials, communication skills, and personal attributes such as motivation and integrity. The program maintains a non-discriminatory stance regarding sex, race, age, religion, color, national origin, disability, or veteran status. Applicants must be graduates of a medical school in the U.S. or Canada accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME), or hold ECFMG certification if they are international medical school graduates 1.

Curriculum and Rotations

The residency curriculum includes extensive rotations in several key areas:

• General Surgery: Trainees receive foundational surgical training necessary for the practice of vascular surgery.
• Vascular Interventional Radiology: This exposure equips residents with skills in minimally invasive techniques that are crucial in modern vascular surgery.
• Cardiothoracic Surgery: Involvement in thoracic surgical procedures enhances the breadth of surgical experience.
• Peripheral Vascular Lab: Residents participate in the diagnostic and therapeutic aspects of vascular treatment, focusing on procedural skills.

Residents are expected to maintain a comprehensive understanding of each rotation's goals and objectives, with an emphasis on continuous learning and improvement. Counseling and remediation pathways are established for residents who may fall short of these expectations to ensure their development as competent surgeons.

Research Opportunities

Research is a core component of the residency at UNC. Residents engage in both prospective and retrospective clinical studies, with ample opportunities to participate in high-quality clinical trials. The expectation is for residents to produce work that leads to presentations at national meetings and to contribute to peer-reviewed publications, enhancing both their academic credentials and understanding of vascular surgery advancements 1.

Conferences and Seminars

The program includes weekly conferences which are essential for educational development:

• Friday Morning Vascular Conference: Residents present cases and engage in discussions covering a comprehensive range of vascular topics, emphasizing surgical decision-making and preoperative evaluation.
• Morbidity and Mortality Conference: This conference focuses on the review of outcomes to improve practices and patient care.
• Non-invasive Vascular Laboratory Conference: Emphasizes interpretation of diagnostic studies essential in vascular lab work.
• Quality Initiative Conference: A monthly review of methods to improve surgical outcomes.

Clinical Environment

Residents gain experience in an active clinical environment supported by a large patient volume. The vascular lab at UNC performs more than 13,000 procedures annually, offering residents unique exposure to a broad spectrum of cases 1. The lab is accredited, employing skilled technologists who aid in training residents to become proficient in ultrasound technology and interpretation, qualifying them for the Registered Physician in Vascular Interpretation (RPVI) exam upon completion of residency.

On-Call Responsibilities

The on-call schedule is structured so that residents share responsibilities between the open and percutaneous services. This balanced approach enables consistent exposure to high-acuity cases while protecting residents' well-being through adherence to the 80-hour work-week guidelines 1.

Visa Support

The program offers visa sponsorship for international medical graduates (IMGs), supporting J-1 and H-1B visas as required. This ensures that IMGs can secure the necessary documentation to participate in the residency program, promoting diversity and international representation within the training cohort.

Competitiveness and Application Requirements

The Vascular Surgery residency program at UNC is known to be highly competitive. It accepts candidates from diverse educational backgrounds, including DOs and IMGs, as long as they meet the eligibility criteria. There may be additional considerations, such as limits on the number of attempts at USMLE Step exams. Applicants should remain informed of any specific requirements set forth by the program relevant to their background 1.