Objective. To describe and delimit the surgical vocation process and associated factors. Design. Selected cases cross-sectional study qualitatively and quantitatively analyzed with descriptive purpose. Methods. Previous informed consent in depth audio-recorded interviews was carried out in 40 surgeons in current professional practice. Main outcome measures. Surgical vocation. Results. Males represented 95%; mean age was 65 years (41-86), mean medical experience 35.4 years (10-68), surgical experience 30.2 years (03-59). Training centers: 85% had university surgical training and 15% non-university training. Surgical vocation is a process that can begin in different periods of the life`s cycle. When it does before university studies (17.5% of the studied sample) it is mainly associated to strong family influence (parents or uncles surgeons). More frequently (80%) it emerges during medical ...