2021-2022 Traditional Thoracic Surgery Fellowship Application

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CVEnnui

CVEnnui

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Hi all:
With the application opening around the corner, I wanted to start a thread for the 21-22 CT traditional fellowship for Q and A and interviews.

So far only 58 programs on ERAS - last year there were 75. Do we know when the rest should be up?

Are the interviews virtual this year?
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Looks like they are up to 63 now but yea less than last year for sure. There was a 10% drop in match rate last year.

Looking at TSDA website; they are recommending all interviews be virtual, but their survey from last year stated about 14% are interested in doing in-person, 23% were going to do hybrid, and 27% were undecided (Virtual Interviews | TSDA). So we will see.
 
Only 65 programs this year. Not sure how many spots that turns out to be. :unsure: Seems like Mt Sinai is trying to phase out their traditional pathway. They aren't participating this year .
 
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I think UAB might be phasing out their traditional pathway also in favor of their 4+3 program (at least for this year).
 
It is such a bummer a lot of places are phasing out the traditional pathway. USC/LAC withdrew today...I feel like it will become the new trend
 
Might be a silly question- the NRMP registration is not open correct? we will all just register and update this later? Also excited to apply with all of you this year
 
When do interview offers typically go out?
 
Dokinta said:
Only 65 programs this year. Not sure how many spots that turns out to be. :unsure: Seems like Mt Sinai is trying to phase out their traditional pathway. They aren't participating this year .
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Can confirm, Cedars Sinai not participating this year 2/2 internal candidate. This seems to be a growing trend. Guess it’s going to be a tight year.

Who’s in for T and who going for C, here?

I’m going for C track
 
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winter cabg said:
Can confirm, Cedars Sinai not participating this year 2/2 internal candidate. This seems to be a growing trend. Guess it’s going to be a tight year.

Who’s in for T and who going for C, here?

I’m going for C trac
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Hey everyone! Looking forward to meeting you all (Virtually). I pulled this Excel list from previous year threads so we can start updating the interviews and invites, plus any tidbits you learn about the programs. It will need some updating, but it's a start.

 
AVRrrrgh said:
Hey everyone! Looking forward to meeting you all (Virtually). I pulled this Excel list from previous year threads so we can start updating the interviews and invites, plus any tidbits you learn about the programs. It will need some updating, but it's a start.

Click to expand...

Strong work
 
what happened in VCU? 2/3 fellows gone at the same time? looks bad from the outside.
 
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VCU dates Feb 4-5, Mar 4-5 and Mar 25-26. Zoom only. I'm not sure what happened, but it looks like it might have been a few years ago, they have alumni from every year except 2021 on their website. Anyone else with more info?
 
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One of the other applicants I know said they got an email for rejection of interview. I got the email back confirming my track, and that was the last email I got.
 
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AVRrrrgh said:
VCU dates Feb 4-5, Mar 4-5 and Mar 25-26. Zoom only. I'm not sure what happened, but it looks like it might have been a few years ago, they have alumni from every year except 2021 on their website. Anyone else with more info?
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I spoke with someone who interviewed there last year. They were told that a PGY-8 was fired because of a big ongoing problem with lying (about case attendance, seeing patients/consults, etc.). A PGY-7 left because of a change of heart regarding career and a desire to have a larger family.
 
SociableJimmy said:
I spoke with someone who interviewed there last year. They were told that a PGY-8 was fired because of a big ongoing problem with lying (about case attendance, seeing patients/consults, etc.). A PGY-7 left because of a change of heart regarding career and a desire to have a larger family.
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I completed a Burn Fellowship at VCU 2 years ago and it’s not a bad place at all.
 
Has anyone else had any traffic? ~40% of interviews last year went out in December. This year seems a little too quiet so far. Lol
 
Coming from a general surgery program with okay thoracic exposure but primarily applying to cardiac, what are your thoughts on applicants with minimal cardiac experience? Are they taken seriously and does that put a red flag on their applications?
 
Dr.Scalpel78 said:
Coming from a general surgery program with okay thoracic exposure but primarily applying to cardiac, what are your thoughts on applicants with minimal cardiac experience? Are they taken seriously and does that put a red flag on their applications?
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From what I was told, and you can take it with a grain of salt but it came from the mouth of a cardiac surgeon at NYP Columbia, some programs prefer less experience so they have fewer bad habits to iron out.
 
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The most important factor looked at is what program you came from. Second are LoRs/phone calls, etc and third is ABSITE. This is for most programs anyways. Experience is a variable in CT since there are so many variations in technique. Hence why CT surgeons tend to stay with their PAs. It couldn’t hurt you to have experience in cardiac, but chances are high you will have to learn the way each surgeon performs individually.
 
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Would you guys be interested in starting a WhatsApp group?! Vascular has one going for this year.
 
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doc_st said:
Would you guys be interested in starting a WhatsApp group?! Vascular has one going for this yearthat’s how the applicants shared info last year, I think we could stay up to date a lot quicker that way
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That’s how the applicants shared info last year, seems to be the most efficient approach. We should DM each other w/info
 
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MCW invitation! Dates 1/12, 1/31, 2/16, 2/28
 
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SociableJimmy said:
I spoke with someone who interviewed there last year. They were told that a PGY-8 was fired because of a big ongoing problem with lying (about case attendance, seeing patients/consults, etc.). A PGY-7 left because of a change of heart regarding career and a desire to have a larger family.
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Change of "heart"? Nice, lol
 
Dr.Scalpel78 said:
Coming from a general surgery program with okay thoracic exposure but primarily applying to cardiac, what are your thoughts on applicants with minimal cardiac experience? Are they taken seriously and does that put a red flag on their applications?
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Agree with doc_st. Here is a study with that data (although a bit older): How important are American Board of Surgery In-Training Examination scores when applying for fellowships? - PubMed
Also, I previously looked this up and it seemed that while the average number of overall cardiothoracic cases nationwide was about 40 cases, the average number of cardiac cases was in the single digits. This may obviously be skewed and differ slightly for residents applying to CT surgery -but I still think the overall cardiac experience is actually lower than you'd expect.
Lastly, there is also a national survey soon to be published which will show the experience in cardiac and thoracic operations for residents who successfully match in CT. May not help for this match but will be interesting data and good for future applicants -stay tuned
Bottom line: If you have at least thoracic experience, I probably wouldn't sweat it.
 
Dr.Scalpel78 said:
Coming from a general surgery program with okay thoracic exposure but primarily applying to cardiac, what are your thoughts on applicants with minimal cardiac experience? Are they taken seriously and does that put a red flag on their applications?
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I had minimal cardiac experience going into CT fellowship outside of trauma and a month of elective time. But I did thoracic surgery every year and felt reasonably comfortable in the chest when I started fellowship.

The fellows at my program always started in thoracic for 3 months. But I did a dissection my first weekend and was responsible for cardiac consults and the ICU patients from the get go. The learning curve was steep and it felt like baptism by fire, but I learned quickly and the PAs I worked with were an immense help.

Based on my experience conducting interviews for both traditional and integrated programs, one of the biggest red flags I see with applicants is not articulating why they are interested in CTS and not having a clear vision for their immediate and long-term goals in training and eventual practice. We're not holding you to those plans, but you should have some idea why you've chosen this path to help us decide if you're a good fit for the program.
 
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doc_st said:
Ok I started a group in WhatsApp.
DM me or…

‎Open this link to join my WhatsApp Group: 2021-2022 CT Surgery Clan
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I would really like to join your WhatsApp group if this group is still have a space to join, I am saying this because when I click on this link, link doesn't open and I think it is full of members or the link is corrupted can you please check this link for me...thanks...
 
wilsonhopper said:
I would really like to join your WhatsApp group if this group is still have a space to join, I am saying this because when I click on this link, link doesn't open and I think it is full of members or the link is corrupted can you please check this link for me...thanks...
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Were you able to join? If not, doc_st or I may be able to add you
 
Hi! Is anyone in need of interview date switches? I am looking for the following dates and would appreciate any help!

Emory: I would like 3/19 and have 2/26
Hopkins: I would like 4/9 and have 2/26
 
Would be careful with the notes in that spreadsheet. Many of the comments are either very subjective or based on old experiences/rumors (both good and bad). Do your own research, or talk to people that are currently at those programs.
 
CTFellowMD said:
Would be careful with the notes in that spreadsheet. Many of the comments are either very subjective or based on old experiences/rumors (both good and bad). Do your own research, or talk to people that are currently at those programs.
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Agree w this. We tried to address it a few weeks ago as well. It still looks like it contains outdated info (esp on the 3rd sheet). We will continue to encourage folks to edit based on first-hand experience. Anyways, thanks for accentuating this point. I will pass it along in the WhatsApp group
 
Hi everyone. I reached out on the WhatsApp group but there are residents who are only on this thread and not on the WhatsApp group.
I have interview at Hopkins on March 26 and got one at UChicago for the same date. Does anyone have Hopkins on 2/26 or 4/9 who is willing to swap with me?
Both programs are good, and want to interview in both places. Please let me know
 
ctapplicant2021 said:
Hi! Is anyone in need of interview date switches? I am looking for the following dates and would appreciate any help!

Emory: I would like 3/19 and have 2/26
Hopkins: I would like 4/9 and have 2/26
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Were you able to switch you Hopkins one? I have 3/26 and looking to swap it with any of the other dates 3/26 or 4/9
 
The match rate for traditional thoracic surgery fellowships decreased from 97.5% in 2012 to 59.1% in 2021, reflecting an increase in applications. We queried whether characteristics of applicants and matriculants to traditional thoracic surgery fellowships changed during this time period. rzstatus.com
 
Finally, CT surgery is incredibly competitive, particularly if you want to get into an integrated residency or get into a strong general surgery residency to position you well for a CT fellowship. And who better to learn from and be mentored by than CT surgeons themselves. statuslibrary1.com
 
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