[Evolution of vascular surgery and vascular surgery training: lessons learned.]

Over the last decade, surgery as a discipline, and vascular surgery in particular, has been faced with a rapid growth in the scope of knowledge and array of techniques to be mastered by the graduating resident and the constraints of work hour limitations. In response, the U.S. vascular surgery community significantly altered its surgical training curriculum. This article will discuss the factors that prompted these changes, the challenges that continue to face vascular surgery education and the expectations for the future. We will also comment on the relevance of this experience to other surgical specialties.