is it good idea to apply for fellowship after practicing medicine for 3-4 years?? will i be a competitive candidate base on my experience or is it actually a disadvantage??

Hi,
Of course you can; I just got matched for a nephrology fellowship after being working in primary care in a rural clinic located in the middle of nothing. (j-1 waiver)
Never give up!!!!
GL
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I finished residency 4 years ago
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is it good idea to apply for fellowship after practicing medicine for 3-4 years?? will i be a competitive candidate base on my experience or is it actually a disadvantage??

Not sure if it will be an advantage or a disadvantage. Probably a little of both which will wind up being irrelevant. Plenty of people do it so you won't be alone. If it's something you want to do, go for it. The worst that can happen is that you don't match...at least you'll still have a job.

I know many people who have gone into fellowship after a few years of practice. When you ask this question to fellowship directors, most will tell you to apply for fellowship immediately after residency. I think you'll have a better story to tell if you go immediately after residency.

If you go into practice and then "change your mind" to pursue a fellowship, that may suggest: 1) indecisiveness and a potential lack of commitment because you couldn't make up your mind during residency; or 2) true decisiveness because after testing the waters, you really know what you want to do after you grow up.

How can you tell your story most effectively?