From Senior Attending to Fellow?

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oldmanscott

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I am boarded in internal medicine and have been practicing at a community hospital as a hospitalist for over 10 years. I also have a PhD in neuropharmacology which I've not really done anything with (I was a bit burned out after my MD/PhD program). With my mother having been diagnosed with Lewy body dementia I've recently developed an interest in dementia research. I already have some ideas for research projects, but am unsure how to make the transition. I suppose I could look into joining a teaching hospital that permits research opportunities. Otherwise I could look into a geriatrics fellowship.. heck, it's just one year and hospitalist medicine is 90% geriatrics anyway. It would feel very odd however, being back in the position of student.. particularly when I may be more experienced than my supervisor. Does anyone have experience with transitioning from attending to fellow?

BTW, no loans or debts so that is not an issue and my only dependent is an iguanna.

..not sure where else to post this.

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people do it….one of my co-fellows was a PCP for 10 yrs before returning to fellowship…you have to remember while you may have 10 yrs as a hospitalist, those training you in geriatrics may have that amount of time as a geriatrician…and just because you take care of old people does not mean you are an expert in geriatrics…

but is it the research you are once again interested in? or taking care of those patients?
 
people do it….one of my co-fellows was a PCP for 10 yrs before returning to fellowship…you have to remember while you may have 10 yrs as a hospitalist, those training you in geriatrics may have that amount of time as a geriatrician…and just because you take care of old people does not mean you are an expert in geriatrics…

but is it the research you are once again interested in? or taking care of those patients?
Fortunately they aren't mutually exclusive. :) I plan to keep a foot in clinical medicine but also would like to pursue research.
 
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Fortunately they aren't mutually exclusive. :) I plan to keep a foot in clinical medicine but also would like to pursue research.
no they are not….but if you are looking to do research, it really wouldn't be necessary to go back and do a fellowship….probably more important to do a post-doc….
 
I am boarded in internal medicine and have been practicing at a community hospital as a hospitalist for over 10 years. I also have a PhD in neuropharmacology which I've not really done anything with (I was a bit burned out after my MD/PhD program). With my mother having been diagnosed with Lewy body dementia I've recently developed an interest in dementia research. I already have some ideas for research projects, but am unsure how to make the transition. I suppose I could look into joining a teaching hospital that permits research opportunities. Otherwise I could look into a geriatrics fellowship.. heck, it's just one year and hospitalist medicine is 90% geriatrics anyway. It would feel very odd however, being back in the position of student.. particularly when I may be more experienced than my supervisor. Does anyone have experience with transitioning from attending to fellow?

BTW, no loans or debts so that is not an issue and my only dependent is an iguanna.

..not sure where else to post this.
I don't have personal experience, but I did shadowed a colorectal surgeon in undergrad. I noticed one of his fellows was quite old compared to the others. I asked the fellow if he was a non trad or just recently decided to do a fellowship. He said he was 52 or 54 (I can't remember exactly ) and he had been a general surgeon for the last twenty years or so, and now he was doing a fellowship in colorectal surgery. And the attending I shadowed was like 42 or something. So yeah, it has been done before.
 
1. You don't really need a fellowship to do what you want to do. You will need to know about biostats, study design or basic science research.
2. If you really want to do a fellowship, it is not that tough-- just suck it up and go to it. As a second year attending in a subspecialty fellowship, I have taught a few "back to it after 10 years" fellows-- just mutual respect and learning from each other.
 
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