About being chief resident

[DermDudeMD]

Happy new year!

My question is about benefit of being a chief resident. Some smaller programs seem to make all of their senior residents "chief" and larger programs selects a few to be chief. All I know about Chiefs so far is what I've learned during IM internship, but these people finish residency and seem to be pursuing competitive fellowships (cards, gi, pulm/crit).

What are the advantages of being chief if you do not intend on pursuing an academic career? What is the responsibility of the chief? Is the responsibility the same even if you have no choice to be chief (i.e. Program size is small).

Thanks

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[asmallchild]

Happy new year!

My question is about benefit of being a chief resident. Some smaller programs seem to make all of their senior residents "chief" and larger programs selects a few to be chief. All I know about Chiefs so far is what I've learned during IM internship, but these people finish residency and seem to be pursuing competitive fellowships (cards, gi, pulm/crit).

What are the advantages of being chief if you do not intend on pursuing an academic career? What is the responsibility of the chief? Is the responsibility the same even if you have no choice to be chief (i.e. Program size is small).

Thanks

This may differ from program to program but I was under the impression that a chief year in IM required an additional year AFTER training was complete.

In my program, the chief was simply selected amongst one of the graduating residents and was responsible for scheduling and acting as the liaison between faculty and residents (a job that can be quite lonely depending on the relationship between faculty and residents). Depending on the size of the program, this can be too much for one person to handle all year and can be split equally timewise between all of the graduating residents. It's a nice feather in your cap to put on your CV but I'm not sure it adds too much if you are looking for a job in the private sector

 

[DermDudeMD]

This may differ from program to program but I was under the impression that a chief year in IM required an additional year AFTER training was complete.

In my program, the chief was simply selected amongst one of the graduating residents and was responsible for scheduling and acting as the liaison between faculty and residents (a job that can be quite lonely depending on the relationship between faculty and residents). Depending on the size of the program, this can be too much for one person to handle all year and can be split equally timewise between all of the graduating residents. It's a nice feather in your cap to put on your CV but I'm not sure it adds too much if you are looking for a job in the private sector

Thanks for the reply. Are there any perks as far as conferences go? Do chiefs get to go to all of them? What about pay? Bump in salary like IM chiefs?

 

[asmallchild]

Thanks for the reply. Are there any perks as far as conferences go? Do chiefs get to go to all of them? What about pay? Bump in salary like IM chiefs?

I'm sure it varies from program to program. Our chief got a stipend for 1 additional conference and a little year end bonus. I'd check with the outgoing chief to see if that is worthwhile in terms of what you pay in time. Depending on how onerous the time commitments are, it may not be worth it since you have to factor in studying for boards and/or fellowship interviews and/or job search time commitments during your final year.

 

[DoctorDermis]

Our institution picks chief(s) from upcoming 3rd years. No pay increase.

PROS:
- more control over scheduling
- paid conference
- ?maybe help a little on CV for fellowships?
- can help create a smoother year

CONS:
- on the hook for txts / pages / calls from attendings, residents, etc
- putting out fires all the time
- time away from family / studying / hobbies to handle chief responsibilities
- often can feel quite thankless & may induce telogen effluvium
- no real significant benefits career wise in the long run that i can think of (unless it helps for fellowships, getting a 1st job, etc)

 

[DermDudeMD]

Our institution picks chief(s) from upcoming 3rd years. No pay increase.

PROS:
- more control over scheduling
- paid conference
- ?maybe help a little on CV for fellowships?
- can help create a smoother year

CONS:
- on the hook for txts / pages / calls from attendings, residents, etc
- putting out fires all the time
- time away from family / studying / hobbies to handle chief responsibilities
- often can feel quite thankless & may induce telogen effluvium
- no real significant benefits career wise in the long run that i can think of (unless it helps for fellowships, getting a 1st job, etc)

So what kinds of things make someone look good for a first job (outside of academia)? My understanding is ITE/boards don't really matter. Also, if you want to practice in a geographic area far away from your program, how do you find jobs? Do you cold call offices and ask if they are hiring or is it pretty much a requirement to use a recruiter?

 

[sore eye asses]

So what kinds of things make someone look good for a first job (outside of academia)? My understanding is ITE/boards don't really matter. Also, if you want to practice in a geographic area far away from your program, how do you find jobs? Do you cold call offices and ask if they are hiring or is it pretty much a requirement to use a recruiter?

What you need:
-A pulse
(Not being an ass is an added bonus)

-Derm, like all things in life, is who you know. So, who do you know in that geographic area? Call them and ask them what jobs are out there.

 

[dermie1985]

Some programs essentially make all the PGY-4's "chief" residents (especially small programs), so it can often just be extra busy work for the residents to help run the residency program (i.e. not very prestigious). At other programs, it seemed more like a stepping stone for those wanting a faculty position at their residency institution to essentially suck-up/prove yourself as a competent team player. I am eyeing chief resident spot at my program but it's more for the 5-6k annual stipend so I can pay back these loans a bit quicker

It does seem like a lot of extra busy work though for not much benefit. if you're on the academic track though it certainly can't hurt. I doubt private practices care. but maybe others can comments on that.