Variability in Noninvasive Vascular Laboratory Experience of Vascular Surgery Training Programs Based on Survey of Trainees Suggests the Need for a Standardized Curriculum

A Roadmap for Noninvasive Vascular Laboratory Education

“…Studies suggest that the NIVL experience for vascular surgery trainees is inconsistent and there is a need for a structured NIVL curriculum for vascular surgery trainees. 3,5 A recent study by Tanious et al that surveyed vascular surgery program directors showed that only 69% of vascular surgery programs utilize printed materials including books in their curriculum, and only 52% provide direct supervision of their trainees in regard to the NIVL. 5 Even the method used to attain the 500 required study interpretations varies among training programs.…”

“…The time dedicated to NIVL training also varies among vascular surgery programs, and for the most part, appears insufficient, as overall interpretation experience is reported to be as low as 20 hours over the course of training. 2,3,5 For accredited NIVL programs, the Alliance for Physician Certification and Advancement (ACPA), which is the part of the ARDMS that oversees the RPVI, does not have specific guidelines for NIVL training but does recommend 40 hours of observation or supervised participation in the NIVL and 30 hours of didactic instruction related to interpretation or NIVL educational topics for programs not accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) such as Vascular Medicine. 12 The exact number of hours required for a trainee to obtain a thorough understanding of hemodynamics, blood flow, and ultrasound physics, in addition to vascular disease, is unknown.…”

“…2 Our own survey of trainees in APDVS programs confirmed the variation in the NIVL experience for vascular surgery trainees and showed that only 55.7% of programs had a structured curriculum, 52.5% of programs dedicated less than half a day per week to the NIVL and that many trainees felt unprepared for the PVI exam. 3…”