Many GED courses are offered at night so you can still work full-time and take the classes afterward. Try to get involved with science-based extracurriculars or clubs if your high school offers any.
Look for clubs or activities related to science or medical fields so you can connect with like-minded individuals and make new connections. Each medical school requires different prerequisite courses, so if you have one in mind, look up their academic requirements so you can plan what to take during your pre-med.
The MCAT usually lasts over 6 hours with breaks and contains sections about biological foundations; chemical and physical foundations; psychological, social, and biological foundations of behavior; and critical analysis and reasoning. There are many practice tests and study guides for the MCAT online.
Connect with your instructors and other students in your courses so you can network and learn about new opportunities from them. If you take vascular surgery courses in the first 2 years of school, you may also be able to shadow clinical vascular surgeons early on so you can observe and learn from them.
Some locations may offer all 7 years at the same location, while others may have you complete your general residency and vascular fellowship separately. If you performed well in medical school, you may qualify for a 4+2 early specialization program, which allows you to start performing vascular surgery sooner. Residencies are when you work in a hospital or clinic for basic surgical procedures while fellowships are the training periods where you learn specialized skills in a specific branch of medicine.
You can usually see the monthly breakdown of when you’ll learn certain procedures if you look at the university clinic’s website.
You can look for open residencies and fellowships here: https://services. aamc. org/eras/erasstats/par/index. cfm During your residency and fellowship, you will receive training and gain operating experience so you can learn specialized skills for vascular surgery and improve. Finding a vascular surgery residency is moderately competitive, but usually most people that apply are able to find one.
You can find registration for the QE here: http://www. absurgery. org/default. jsp?app_vqe_inst. You will need to make an account on the website before you’re able to register. The QE consists of 250 multiple-choice questions about different types of patient care in regards to vascular surgery and is given in 4 blocks that are 90 minutes each. You will get the results of the qualifying exam within 1–2 months of taking it. You can fill out the application online here: http://www. absurgery. org/default. jsp?app_vqe_inst.
The exam consists of 3 consecutive oral sessions that are each 30 minutes, and the examiners will evaluate your clinical skills while diagnosing common problems with vascular surgery. You will get results within 7 days of the exam, and you’ll get your vascular surgery certificate within 6 months. You will have 3 opportunities within a 3-year period to complete and pass the CE.
Use a font that’s easy to read, such as Arial or Times, and use bullet points to help employers find your information easier. Keep your CV limited to about 2–3 pages so it isn’t too overwhelming to look at. You may also include any research or publications that you’ve done in your CV.
You can find postings for vascular surgeons here: https://svs. careerwebsite. com/jobs/. You may also be able to find positions listed on non-medical job boards.
Talk to connections you made while you were in med school or from your residencies to see if they know of any open positions.
You can find a list of groups that you can join here: https://vascular. org/about-svs/affiliated-organizations. You may also find specific professional groups for your state or region.
The employer will usually spend the entire day walking you through the clinic or practice so you can see what the work environment is like.
Contracts will also have information about legal issues, such as malpractice insurance, non-compete agreements, or partnerships. Every contract will vary, so make sure you check the terms on each one you receive.
Vascular surgeons usually have an average salary of $398,636 USD per year. [18] X Research source Working in vascular surgery can be a high-stress lifestyle, so be sure to take care of your personal and mental health.
