Undergraduate

Medical students will get the opportunity to learn about the basics of vascular surgery as well as have hands-on experience in performing focused examination on vascular patients including acquiring the ankle-brachial-index. The vascular clinical skills seminar occurs in the Spring. 

In partnership with the Undergraduate Surgery Club, our division hosts an annual vascular surgery workshop where second year medical students can gain hands-on experience in endovascular surgery, CT scan interpretation, ultrasound-guided line insertion, as well as suturing and knot-tying. This workshop usually takes place in the Fall.

UBC medical students have the option to rotation through vascular surgery as part of their core clerkship during the surgical block. These can take place at either Vancouver General Hospital, St. Paul’s Hospital (Vancouver), Kelowna General Hospital or Royal Jubilee Hospital (Victoria). Students typically spend two weeks on service learning the various vascular pathologies and their respective medical and surgical managements.

Year 3 Learning Objectives

• Discuss the management of a 65-year-old male who presents with abdominal ultrasound
  evidence of a 6.0 cm abdominal aortic aneurysm.
• Perform a focused surgical history and physical examination and outline urgent procedures
  and diagnostic tests required for a patient presenting with signs and symptoms suggestive of a
  ruptured aorticaneurysm
• Discuss the investigations, treatment and general management of an 80-year-old female who
  presents with a carotid bruit and compare both medical and surgical therapy for extracranial
  carotid occlusive disease in patients with symptomatic vs asymptomatic carotid stenosis.
• Outline the approach to a 78-year-old man with an acutely painful, pale, pulseless leg giving
  reference to the natural history of acute arterial occlusion and its irreversible effects.
• Describe the diagnostic approach and a management scheme with treatment options for a
  patient presenting with intermittent claudication
• Explain the significance of Virchow’s Triad and its importance in chronic venous insufficiency
• Characterize deep venous thrombosis in the context of the post-operative patient and outline
  the approach to investigation and treatment.
• Describe the pathophysiology of pulmonary embolus and its usual clinical manifestations in
  the post- operative patient.

Elective students can arrange for two or four weeks elective at VGH, SPH or KGH to further strengthen their knowledge of the field as well as learn about our residency program. Interested students can apply through the Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada (AFMC) website

The UBC Vascular Surgery Residency Program is a community of learners, faculty and staff who share responsibility for creating and maintaining a positive, inclusive, learning and work environment where all participants are valued and treated with respect.