The Road
We all make choices in our career about how wepursue our ongoing education. With every choice wemake, we narrow our choices. On the Road, if wechoose to go left instead of right, we have obviouslyexcluded whatever was to the right.
In the Winter issue, the “Third Wave” of venouseducation was discussed. The Third Wave consists of
those younger trainees – residents, fellows, medicalstudents and recent graduates. They need to makechoices on their Road much earlier than we did. Training programs havebeen shortened and are more specialized, just as Phlebology has becomemore specialized. For instance, vascular surgical education can now beginright out of medical school. A fourth year medical student can now commit to a 0-5 vascular training program. No longer is 5 years of general surgeryrequired before a 2-year vascular surgery fellowship. Training is not onlyshortened but a critical educational choice along the Road needs to be made as a 3rd- or 4th-year medical student, rather than a 4th- or 5th-year surgical resident. Each choice made limits the next choice.
This issue of VEIN hopes to give you some insights into the choices othershave made along the Road. Some of the articles discuss ideas that may helpyou in making decisions along the Road where many paths and errandsmeet: evaluating new technologies, research in a private practice setting orelectronic medical record decisions. Others involve educational choices forcurrent or future practitioners: CME courses, Thrombophilia workup issues and the Fellows Course in Venous Disease.
Our vision at VEIN Magazine is to assemble forward thinkers that are atvarious points along the Road who can share a little of their experiences.These individuals are not merely “skiing the topsoil” by completing their
tasks with as little effort as possible within their careers and the vein world; they are not content doing their jobs just to maintain physiological stasis. They have embraced the idea of travel and choices at each place where the
Road has joined some larger way. We can learn from their experiences and see where they may fit into our own personal educational Road within the world of Phlebology. Where will your Road take you?
Steve Elias, MD, FAC S, FAC Ph
Medical Director