Help ranking vascular neurology fellowship

[GhostOfCharcott]

Looking for some help in ranking these vascular neurology programs

Things I am looking for
- program with good name/prestige.
- Great gateway into NIR fellowship
- Fair working hours(balanced volume with education)
- less toxic environment
- No geographic preference

Yale, Cornell, UCSF, Upenn, Duke, NIH,BIDMC, Emory, UCSD, UofWashington, Cleveland, UPMC, Vanderbilt, UMaryland, Cedar-Sinai, Mayo(Fl), UTSW, Mt.Siani, Rutgers, Rush, George washington

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[CnsCrit]

Are you saying you actually interviewed at all these places? If so, you've...over-interviewed by a long shot.

Regardless, I think you have to figure out what's important to you. Your criteria are really vague with the exception of NIR pathway. Since thats your career goal, I would figure out which of those programs provide the best pathway to an in-house fellowship, I bet only a few of them actually do. Look for neurology-run IR divisions, or divisions with a track record of taking neuro fellows. I don't think there are a lot of posters here with that kind of specific knowledge, your best bet is to talk to connections and mentors in your program. With IR you need to be pretty strategic.

Good luck, you just need to do some soul searching.

 

[GhostOfCharcott]

Are you saying you actually interviewed at all these places? If so, you've...over-interviewed by a long shot.

Regardless, I think you have to figure out what's important to you. Your criteria are really vague with the exception of NIR pathway. Since thats your career goal, I would figure out which of those programs provide the best pathway to an in-house fellowship, I bet only a few of them actually do. Look for neurology-run IR divisions, or divisions with a track record of taking neuro fellows. I don't think there are a lot of posters here with that kind of specific knowledge, your best bet is to talk to connections and mentors in your program. With IR you need to be pretty strategic.

Good luck, you just need to do some soul searching.

Thank you for the great feedback.

I guess what I wanted to know was which programs would you put in the top 5 and perhaps which would be a top choice. Say if you take away the NIR prospects.

I actually interviewed at close to 30, was a mistake. Leaves you more conflicted with your choices. Would advise future applicants to be much conservative with their interviews.

 

[Aldertonghen]

Could be wrong I think among these the places with highest thrombectomy volume that also takes in neurology fellows for NIR are Emory, UPMC, Cleveland, although there are many on this list like UCSF that I have very little idea about as none of my seniors matched into it. Some places like BIDMC really have low thrombectomy volumes, and others like UTSW are high but don’t prefer neurology fellows for NIR in general. Duke is excellent for neuromodulation in stroke, but NIR is strictly controlled by neurosurgery. Curious but based on your requirements, UMiami would’ve been a great choice not on your list- Yavagal their NeuroIR chair is neurology, their stroke program is busy when you’re on call, but work hours are otherwise good. It was my first choice during residency for this reason. I made a list of neurology friendly NIR programs (had to talk to many many residents to get inside scoop) on this site a year ago or so, could check that if that helps

 

[Aldertonghen]

If I may ask, could you tell me how you went about building a profile (pubs, posters, contacts, recs, away electives etc) to interview at so many top tier places?

 

[GhostOfCharcott]

If I may ask, could you tell me how you went about building a profile (pubs, posters, contacts, recs, away electives etc) to interview at so many top tier places?

I am from a mid-tier program. Never had a single publication prior to residency, however is involved in ongoing research( 4 projects). No outside contacts however really strong LORs from my faculty. Despite what people tell you about RITE scores, it is low key highly crucial if you scored above 95 percentile. I would advise to take RITE exam more seriously during your PGY-2. Have done no away electives.

 

[CnsCrit]

What makes you think RITE score made a big difference? The vast majority residents aren't reporting their score as it's rarely required and most aren't spending much time studying. If you have great letters, have shown interest in the field through research, and interviewed well thats what's moved the needle the most.

 

[Aldertonghen]

I am from a mid-tier program. Never had a single publication prior to residency, however is involved in ongoing research( 4 projects). No outside contacts however really strong LORs from my faculty. Despite what people tell you about RITE scores, it is low key highly crucial if you scored above 95 percentile. I would advise to take RITE exam more seriously during your PGY-2. Have done no away electives.

I see. Did you have any posters/abstracts at meetings, and any published articles prior to application? Either way, thank you for your insight! My senior who’s applying in stroke also said they’re looking into RITE scores this year due to the bump in stroke applicants (I think he said there were 194 applicants and only 187 spots, but I may be wrong on this)- which made it more competitive than neurocrit.

 

[GhostOfCharcott]

I see. Did you have any posters/abstracts at meetings, and any published articles prior to application? Either way, thank you for your insight! My senior who’s applying in stroke also said they’re looking into RITE scores this year due to the bump in stroke applicants (I think he said there were 194 applicants and only 187 spots, but I may be wrong on this)- which made it more competitive than neurocrit.

I do have 3 abstracts/posters at conferences, no published research but ongoing ones at time of application. With the recent tele-stroke boom, NIR prospects and excessive stroke Neurologist demand, it has become unusually competitive than prior years. My home program has seen 75% increase in application this yr. It may very well be, me overrating impact of RITE scores but anything that helps you to stand out.

 

[Aldertonghen]

I do have 3 abstracts/posters at conferences, no published research but ongoing ones at time of application. With the recent tele-stroke boom, NIR prospects and excessive stroke Neurologist demand, it has become unusually competitive than prior years. My home program has seen 75% increase in application this yr. It may very well be, me overrating impact of RITE scores but anything that helps you to stand out.

I see. Are you also applying to NIR this year as well? Or would you be applying to NIR next year/ a few years down the line? Do you specifically need NIR related research (eg thrombectomy related, not just stroke related) to match?