Seeking Advice on Cardiology

[JLarry8900]

Hi, I'm a med student nearing the end of my third year, and I'm trying to decide what specialty to pursue. I think I've dwindled it down to Cardiology or Anesthesia. Honestly, I think I'm more interested in going for Cardio, but there are a few things that are making me hesitant. I go to a top 5 med school, but I scored a 224 on Step 1, and I only have a research project in Anesthesia, but it didn't amount to any pubs, unfortunately. My main reservation is that I want to practice in either Indiana, Chicagoland area, or around Milwaukee, and I want to do my residency and fellowship in these areas. I've heard, however, that Cardio fellowships can be hard to come by, and that the job market isn't that strong. A piece of me is terrified at the idea of not getting a fellowship, or getting one that will force me to move far away from my loved ones again for 3 years. I'm also not interested in interventional Cards. So, I guess my questions are, how competitive is a Cards fellowship, particularly within the Chicagoland area (it has the most programs of the places I mentioned), and have I set myself up badly in med school, and should I even be pursuing Cards with my concerns about job placement and potentially not getting a fellowship or one that's far away. Thanks for any advice.

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[ROBINHO]

If you get into any of the strong internal medicine residencies in Chicago and you work very hard, at the minimum you could match in your "home" fellowship program.
For an American medical graduate....at this stage getting into a strong residency program gives you a headstart

 

[JLarry8900]

If you get into any of the strong internal medicine residencies in Chicago and you work very hard, at the minimum you could match in your "home" fellowship program.
For an American medical graduate....at this stage getting into a strong residency program gives you a headstart

I don't know if I can get into a "strong" Chicago program with a 224.

 

[notbobtrustme]

I don't know if I can get into a "strong" Chicago program with a 224.

some programs will wet themselves over you because you go to a top 5 school (cough nwu cough). A 224 + top 5 closes exactly zero doors to you, especially in Chicago.

 

[CHF4thewin]

Going from med student to resident, the slate gets cleared. Fellowship directors generally won't care what you did in medical school good or bad. Residency directors however do. I wouldn't sweat going to a residency program in chicago as the be all end all. Just do really well wherever you ago (pick a place that does a ton of research and if not, take an extra year or 2 to accumulate some) and make sure you make it clear on your fellowship application that you are from the area and want to come back. The most important thing is research.

 

[IMreshopeful]

The anesthesia job market is also not all roses. IMO I'd rather not go into a specialty where my job can be usurped by a CRNA in numerous states

Also it's again amazing how many "top" med school grads don't realize just how much of a (questionably unfair) advantage they have over people who went to other medical schools.