From High School to Vascular Surgeon

Vascular surgeons are passionate about their field. They are particularly drawn to its diversity, as it combines caring for and responsibility for patients with technical precision in the operating theatre and scientific challenges in research.

We are delighted when young people see their future in vascular surgery and vascular medicine, because we can still use lots of empathetic people with clever minds and skilled hands.

To become a vascular surgeon, you first need a university entrance qualification for medical studies. University entrance qualifications are the responsibility of the federal states. As a rule, the Abitur (German university entrance qualification) is a prerequisite, but the federal states can also grant access to medical studies to people without a general university entrance qualification (Abitur).

There are restrictions on admission to medical studies (the so-called numerus clausus). Study places are allocated by the ZVS (Central Office for the Allocation of Study Places) and the universities.

The programme consists of theory and practice in a pre-clinical part lasting two years and a clinical part lasting four years. The final year of the clinical programme is the so-called practical year (PJ).

Certified Courses for Specialist Medical Training

The DGG certifies third-party courses in endovascular techniques that are part of the curriculum for certification as an endovascular surgeon or endovascular specialist. These courses can be found on the website of the Private Academy DGG, which coordinates the certification of both the courses and the endovascular surgeons and specialists on behalf of the DGG.

The licensing regulations for doctors stipulate compulsory seminars for the pre-clinical part of the course, as well as compulsory internships and compulsory courses for the clinical part. The remaining teaching events, in particular lectures, are determined by the universities themselves.

Those who have successfully completed their medical studies can enter further training to become a specialist in vascular surgery. This is regulated in the Model Further Training Regulations of the German Medical Association and lasts six years, of which two years are spent on basic training in the field of surgery (common trunk) and four years in vascular surgery.