Hematology certification after medical Oncology

[hitbykamikaze]

For whatever situation, once you finish medical Oncology initially, Is there a way that one can be hematology certified also. Along the lines of doing a bone marrow transplant fellowship( since benign hem is what would be left). Or else, is there any other way?

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[gutonc]

Yes, you can go back and do a full hematology fellowship (2 years) if you can find one. The real question is why you would want to do that.

 

[hitbykamikaze]

After I searched a few threads , I came across one which said that jobs in PP would be hard if one is single board certified.

 

[gutonc]

After I searched a few threads , I came across one which said that jobs in PP would be hard if one is single board certified.

I have one, as do 2 of my 11 other partners (onc only boarded). I see about 20% benign heme (which makes me want to poke my eyes out with a Jamshidi but it makes the boat payments). 85% of benign heme involves getting more labs and then doing nothing. The next 10% is steroids and/or rituximab. The remaining 5% gets sent to the local benign heme subspecialist at the university. Easy peasy.

That said, outside of the research pathway and some "top" programs (which will make you stick around for a 3rd or 4th year anyway), most programs are 3 year hem and onc anyway.

 

[hitbykamikaze]

I have one, as do 2 of my 11 other partners (onc only boarded). I see about 20% benign heme (which makes me want to poke my eyes out with a Jamshidi but it makes the boat payments). 85% of benign heme involves getting more labs and then doing nothing. The next 10% is steroids and/or rituximab. The remaining 5% gets sent to the local benign heme subspecialist at the university. Easy peasy.

That said, outside of the research pathway and some "top" programs (which will make you stick around for a 3rd or 4th year anyway), most programs are 3 year hem and onc anyway.

So, I am assuming that being Onc board would not hurt job prospects then. The reason I ask you is that I got in to medical Oncology fellowship. Oncology is what I am interested in and love to do. There is the lingering suspicon though whether I would run into any issues with jobs in PP.

Do you think a transplant fellowship would help in enhancing the prospects in PP (especially covering weekend coverage with other hem/onc docs in group practice, letting me join a hem/nc practice?)

And as a second question, once a transplanter - Is it always going to be transplant for the rest of their lives?

I really like the interaction patient-physician interaction in the clinic.I would prefer to do it over transplant though.

 

[RustBeltOnc]

hitbykamikaze --

Single board in med onc will to some extent limit your opportunities post fellowship, but you will still find a job. The issue is, hospital systems are increasingly requiring various credentials for employment, privileges, etc.

Gutonc is 100 % correct in that even if you are not boarded in hem, you will be expected to do it. In most parts of the country, PCPs, Ob Gyns, etc and others know "hem onc" as one thing --- your predecessors did hem and onc, gleefully gobbled up anemia consults and if you don't, you will be perceived as a bad egg.

Transplant fellowship will not help you in community practice. Transplant fellows go into community practice all the time, never to transplant again.

 

[hitbykamikaze]

@RustBeltOnc. Thanks for the info.It's much clearer now.