Too late in the game to apply for heme/onc?

[butterfinger]

I am a PGY-2 in a top 10 IM program. I had been planning on going into GI but have recently had a change of heart and would like to pursue heme/onc now. My current research project is in GI. I plan on applying for fellowship this cycle, and to make things more difficult, I will be couples matching with another resident who is applying to cardiology. Am I too late in the game to be competitive for a great heme/onc spot? I am not interested in places like Dana Farber, MD Anderson, MSK, etc.

I was fortunate enough to work with a prominent hematologist and should be able to get a letter. However, my other letter will be from my research mentor who is a gastroenterologist...

Any suggestions are appreciated. Thanks.

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[visari]

I am a PGY-2 in a top 10 IM program. I had been planning on going into GI but have recently had a change of heart and would like to pursue heme/onc now. My current research project is in GI. I plan on applying for fellowship this cycle, and to make things more difficult, I will be couples matching with another resident who is applying to cardiology. Am I too late in the game to be competitive for a great heme/onc spot? I am not interested in places like Dana Farber, MD Anderson, MSK, etc.

I was fortunate enough to work with a prominent hematologist and should be able to get a letter. However, my other letter will be from my research mentor who is a gastroenterologist...

Any suggestions are appreciated. Thanks.

I am assuming you have done no oncology research whatsoever (not even a case report) in med school or residency. If that's the case, you might have a hard time selling your application to the big academic programs. That being said, coming from a top 10 IM program I don't believe you'll have a hard time getting interviews and matching, but it might not be the caliber of programs you would want to go to. And by this, I don't just mean MSKCC or MDACC or Farber .... most of the top 20-25 programs would want to see something on your app other than "I was born to be an oncologist". you may have the best shot at your own program if you know the people.

What's so bad about doing a year of hospitalist or PCP while doing some sort of research and applying the following cycle to have a better match?

 

[DrVanNostran]

I am a PGY-2 in a top 10 IM program. I had been planning on going into GI but have recently had a change of heart and would like to pursue heme/onc now. My current research project is in GI. I plan on applying for fellowship this cycle, and to make things more difficult, I will be couples matching with another resident who is applying to cardiology. Am I too late in the game to be competitive for a great heme/onc spot? I am not interested in places like Dana Farber, MD Anderson, MSK, etc.

I was fortunate enough to work with a prominent hematologist and should be able to get a letter. However, my other letter will be from my research mentor who is a gastroenterologist...

Any suggestions are appreciated. Thanks.

Long time no see Butterfinger.

I don't think you will have a hard time given your background. It's only March, so I think starting a project would be good enough so you have something to talk about. Given where you are coming from, any program is likely in your reach. Is there anyway you can swing any of your GI research to the colorectal cancer route?

 

[butterfinger]

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