Canadian human resource needs in vascular surgery

To outline the distribution of vascular surgeons in Canada and to determine the present and future human resource needs in vascular surgery practice in Canada.

Voluntary questionnaires sent to all members of the Canadian Society for Vascular Surgery (CSVS), the administrators of hospitals in Canada with more than 100 beds, and interrogation of the membership database of the CSVS.

The perceived present and future needs for full-time and part-time vascular surgeons, determined by a variety of methods.

One hundred and forty active members of the CSVS and administrators of 120 hospitals.

From the CSVS members 62 responses were received from those residing in Canada, revealing 47 full-time vascular (more than 75% of the practice) surgeons working with 0 to 5 colleagues (mean 1.8 [SD 1.3]). Fifteen responding surgeons combined the practice of vascular surgery with another specialty. Perceived immediate needs were 24 surgeons, with 42 required in 4.8 (1.8) years. Of 120 hospitals offering vascular surgery services, 90 stated that they met the needs of their community; however, additional immediate manpower requirements totalled 27 surgeons. Hospital administrators predicted a need of 55 additional vascular surgeons in a mean of 5.5 (4.6) years. Over 85% of hospitals stated that they had the resources to support the currently practising surgeons and their immediately required additions.

Prediction of the need for additional vascular surgeons should be based on an estimated retirement age of 65 years, with an adjustment for the increasing percentage of the Canadian population reaching the age of 60 years. All methodologies used in this study predict the need for additional human resources in vascular surgery. The need for continued training of new vascular surgeons is apparent, but the optimal number of trainees per year is less clear.