Vascular surgery
Vascular surgery is the diagnosis and treatment (operative and non operative, including endoluminal techniques and interventional procedures) of patients with disorder of the blood vessels (arteries and veins outside the heart and brain) and the lymphatic system. It also includes the management of trauma and surgical access to the vascular system.
Vocational training in vascular surgery is undertaken through the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS). Once RACS training is completed, the doctor is awarded the Fellowship of the RACS (FRACS) in vascular surgery.
Am I able to apply to work as a recognised specialist in New Zealand?
To apply for vocational registration in vascular surgery, you would need to hold:
- the FRACS qualification; or
- an international postgraduate medical qualification, where your combination of qualifications, training and experience will then be assessed against the standard of FRACS in vascular surgery.
What standard will I be compared against?
To obtain the FRACS in vascular surgery, the trainee completes at least 5 years of advanced training (after obtaining general medical and surgical experience):
- 12 months of operative surgery in general
- 4 years of specialty vascular surgical training in posts accredited by the RACS
- Direct Observation of Procedures (DOPS), Mini-Clinical Evaluation Exercises (Mini-CEX) and in-training assessments must be undertaken throughout first year of training
- completion of the Australian and New Zealand Surgical Skills Education and Training (ASSET) course required before entry into the second year of training
- passes in the generic surgical sciences and clinical examinations required before entering the second year of training
- completion of Care of the Critically Ill Surgical Patient (CCrISP) and Early Management of Severe Trauma (EMST) courses required before entry into third year of training
- passes in the vascular anatomy and pathology examination required before entering the fifth year of training
- attendance at the Trainee Skills Course required every year during training
- 1 oral presentation and 1 poster presentation must be made at the Australian and New Zealand Society of Vascular Surgeons or the RACS Annual Surgical Conference during training
- 1 paper must be published in a refereed medical journal during training
- 100 hours of ultrasound scanning, covering a variety of ultrasound examinations, must be completed during training
- at least 50 peripheral and 50 aortic endovascular procedures must be performed during training
- a research project must be completed before the Fellowship examination can be taken
- logbooks must be maintained and submitted to supervisor at regular intervals during training
- a pass in the Fellowship examination required upon completion of training
- FRACS in vascular surgery awarded on satisfactory completion of examination and training requirements
- participation required in the RACS continuing professional development programme
I want to make a vocational registration application
If you wish to make a vocational registration application, please refer to the Vocational Registration Homepage and select the Option appropriate for you.
Am I able to apply for other types of registration?
You may be able to apply for more than one type of registration. To find out which is the best fit for you, please use our self assessment tool