What are the steps to get a cardiology fellowship? Do you apply during your last year of IM residency or before, or must you first complete the residency and then apply?
What IM programs would you go in order to increase your chances of landing a cardiology fellowship? Also, is step 1 score important in fellowship application?
My friend says no but I'm guessing it must be somehow important. I know this is a difficult question to answer but, What is the approximate step 1 cutoff for cards?

Bump. Anyone?

Bump. Anyone?

I will give you what I gathered from a family friend who's the CHO at Durham Regional and has been faculty at Tufts and MGH.

This is just a list of good ones, no rankings.
WashU, Columbia, MGH, BWH, Duke, UCSF, Penn, Utah, Denver, UNC
Kind of a 'no duh' type list, these are usually considered the top.

Utah?!

Utah?!

Yea, shocked the hell out of me too. He said its a very strong program that not many people know about. More accurately, he said that the strong cards programs are more sparse on the west coast, UW, ucsf mainly then maybe stanford ucla and then after that denver and utah. Its not a top program overall I dont think, just a strong cardiology department.

What are the steps to get a cardiology fellowship? Do you apply during your last year of IM residency or before, or must you first complete the residency and then apply?
What IM programs would you go in order to increase your chances of landing a cardiology fellowship? Also, is step 1 score important in fellowship application?
My friend says no but I'm guessing it must be somehow important. I know this is a difficult question to answer but, What is the approximate step 1 cutoff for cards?

You apply in your PGY-2. It;s a match, and match day is at the end of June (for a fellowship start the following july).

You should try to get a university IM program, or a community program with a cards fellowship at the same program.

USMLE scores are important. The most important factors for most fellowships are a letter from your PD, a letter from someone known to the cards PD, USMLE scores, and research

when one says that USMLE scores are important for a cards fellowship, what type of scores are we talking about?

for example, what type of scores are reasonable for cards? I know...there are MANY other factors (i.e. LOR's, research, etc), but what is a reasonable score that PD's look for?

In contrast, how do some of the 'not-so-competitive' specialties (i.e. pulm/ccm) compare in terms of USMLE scores? What do they typically consider as competitive?

Thanks in advance! It's something I've always wondered...

I am not so sure USMLE scores matter. In fact lots of places dont require them even for cards. For Pulm/CC (I am applying this year) none of the programs I am applying to (Harvard, BU, Penn, Hopkins, UCSF) even ask for USMLE scores. My friends applying in cards have said that BWH/Hopkins cards fellowships don't ask for USMLE scores either. You can find which places want what for fellowship apps by looking at their websites. USMLE is more important for a good residency so you can get your fancy cards spot but it is still not everything.

USMLE is more important for a good residency so you can get your fancy cards spot but it is still not everything.

I've realized that big fancy residencies don't care $hit for 250+ boards...they'd rather have a 230+ and AOA.

Disclaimer: Big fancy residency = JHU (no rejection but not holding my breath)

its only like this in internal medicine unfortunately

I went through the process last year and also got the impression that USMLE scores didn't matter much.

it's your letters and research, with letters being first. interview is also important as a second tier. baylor would be another program i'd add with bias : )