Fellowship AFTER NHSC Service?? 2021-2022

[bebenanners]

Hello!
I have been deemed a finalist for the NHSC Scholar program. I am extremely excited about primary care but still can't rule out fellowship. Is it possible to serve at an FHQC for the designated time and then afterwards try to do a fellowship? Is this done often? Are fellowships too competitive to do this? Obviously, things could change between then and now and I could be committed 1000% to primary care. However, I don't want to close all my doors if I can help it.
Thanks in advance.

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[smq123]

Hello!
I have been deemed a finalist for the NHSC Scholar program. I am extremely excited about primary care but still can't rule out fellowship. Is it possible to serve at an FHQC for the designated time and then afterwards try to do a fellowship? Is this done often? Are fellowships too competitive to do this? Obviously, things could change between then and now and I could be committed 1000% to primary care. However, I don't want to close all my doors if I can help it.
Thanks in advance.

Which fellowship were you thinking about? A geriatric fellowship after FM is very different from a cardiology fellowship after IM, in terms of competitiveness.

 

[Rusino]

I have also been selected as a finalist. I cannot answer your question from a practicing physician's perspective, but I can tell you that I would not have chosen to do the NHSC if I had any doubts about wanting to do primary care (FM specifically for me).

 

[stillers]

Hello!
I have been deemed a finalist for the NHSC Scholar program. I am extremely excited about primary care but still can't rule out fellowship. Is it possible to serve at an FHQC for the designated time and then afterwards try to do a fellowship? Is this done often? Are fellowships too competitive to do this? Obviously, things could change between then and now and I could be committed 1000% to primary care. However, I don't want to close all my doors if I can help it.
Thanks in advance.

Yes, it's possible. Once you've served your obligation you can do whatever you want. I matched in pulm-crit and started fellowship after my service commitment was up. I know others that have done similar things. My spouse did a rheum fellowship.

Most people don't do it because they don't want to back to training i.e, working awful hours for little money, they may have settled down with families, or want to stay at their FQHC job.

If you want to do fellowship, you'll need to do IM, Peds, or Med-Peds rather than FM. You should also try to match at a competitive residency program and do research while there because research is usually not available at a FQHC. You'll probably want to do your NHSC service somewhere where you still doing inpatient medicine (i.e. IHS) if you want to match in GI, PUlm-crit, Cards, although this is not as important for rheum, endo etc.

It's completely possible but you need to be proactive and plan ahead. Obviously easier for less competitive specialties than competitive ones.

 

[Muslim_Med_Student_2021]

Yes, it's possible. Once you've served your obligation you can do whatever you want. I matched in pulm-crit and started fellowship after my service commitment was up. I know others that have done similar things. My spouse did a rheum fellowship.

Most people don't do it because they don't want to back to training i.e, working awful hours for little money, they may have settled down with families, or want to stay at their FQHC job.

If you want to do fellowship, you'll need to do IM, Peds, or Med-Peds rather than FM. You should also try to match at a competitive residency program and do research while there because research is usually not available at a FQHC. You'll probably want to do your NHSC service somewhere where you still doing inpatient medicine (i.e. IHS) if you want to match in GI, PUlm-crit, Cards, although this is not as important for rheum, endo etc.

It's completely possible but you need to be proactive and plan ahead. Obviously easier for less competitive specialties than competitive ones.

Hi, can you tell me how you found a site that allowed you to continue practicing inpatient medicine? Are opportunities for inpatient medicine plenty or rare at NHSC sites? What proportion should I expect to be outpatient vs inpatient? Thanks!

 

[Rusino]

Hi, can you tell me how you found a site that allowed you to continue practicing inpatient medicine? Are opportunities for inpatient medicine plenty or rare at NHSC sites? What proportion should I expect to be outpatient vs inpatient? Thanks!

If you go to a rural enough area, you can easily end up doing outpatient, inpatient, deliveries, and ED. Do FM and sky is the limit.

 

[Muslim_Med_Student_2021]

If you go to a rural enough area, you can easily end up doing outpatient, inpatient, deliveries, and ED. Do FM and sky is the limit.

I am doing Internal Medicine - Pediatrics (Med Peds) because I wanted to leave my fellowship options open after fulfilling my service requirement. (also I dislike OB/Surgery so Med-Peds was a better fit).