adv imaging super-fellowship

[josephf1]

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heard EP was saturated, dont want to eat interventional call, CHF boring,
but like echo, rads
therefore thinking about imaging fellowship
anyone think in private practice there is a point to doing this extra year in ct/mri, potentially 2 years in some places, or is this a waste if i can get level ii echo.nuch.ct in general cards fellowship?
my goal would be to read as much imaging in a group and see as little patients as possible

 

[supp-2]

I think it depends on your general program IMO.

At my program, we could have the flexibility to spend the entire third year doing advanced imaging so by time done can get Level II/III in echo, nuc, CT and MRI. Otherwise, I guess I would do an additional year.

If you want to be the "imaging" guy in a group would think you'll need to add MRI to your list.

Think those spots exist in bigger groups but doubt you'll be able to separate yourself much from general call and some general work (clinic, consults, ect)

 

[dragonfly99]

I think the only way you'll get well trained in imaging modalities other than echo in a 3 year fellowship is if you go to one of those that would allow you to use the entire 3rd year for imaging stuff. To get cMRI into the mix in 3 years I think would be hard. You could definitely not do it at my program, but there might be places where you could.
One problem that I see even with places that have a 1-2 years extra imaging fellowship is that the program pretty much wants the fellow there to do research - so you may end up with good training in one modality (such as nuclear or cMRI) but it appears hard to find imaging fellowships where they will truly train you (clinically) in all these different imaging modalities.

 

[NDESTRUKT]

I understand CT is not a big issue in private practice because reimbursement for cardiac CT is so low. Only academic centers and large hospital systems use it.

You can be CT certified in 2 weeks from a course as well.

 

[BlackNDecker]

Extra training is good and all...but who is going to hire you at an academic center? Radiology?

The fellows I see coming out of advanced imaging fellowships are praying for jobs. I'm not sure imaging will be viable in private practice with the recent cuts (nucs and echos obviously not withstanding).

 

[VIRads]

Extra training is good and all...but who is going to hire you at an academic center? Radiology?

I've actually seen cardiologists on the radiology staff at a few academic programs. So it is possible. Although it was like one cardiologist at two programs out of the thirty radiology programs I was looking at.

 

[shark2000]

heard EP was saturated, dont want to eat interventional call, CHF boring,
but like echo, rads
therefore thinking about imaging fellowship
anyone think in private practice there is a point to doing this extra year in ct/mri, potentially 2 years in some places, or is this a waste if i can get level ii echo.nuch.ct in general cards fellowship?
my goal would be to read as much imaging in a group and see as little patients as possible

Irrelevant of what you do, most of your patients will be CHF and you call it boring. Also you have to take call, unless you work in an academic center with lots of fellows and residents.
Sorry to say, but you had to think about these things before choosing your fellowship.
A cardiologist who does not want to deal with CHF and does not want to take call, is like an orthopedic surgeon who does not want to go to OR.
For the goal you stated you had to go into radiology, though it is another piece of $hit itself.

 

[BlackNDecker]

A cardiologist who does not want to deal with CHF and does not want to take call, is like an orthopedic surgeon who does not want to go to OR.

I LOL'd.

 

[NDESTRUKT]

I agree with the above.

Imaging fellowships, while interesting will provide only minimal advantage in job prospects. Most people who obtained advanced imaging training are still general cardiologists that do CCU, see consults, have clinic and maybe do more transesophageal echos and read nukes/CTs.

Again, most private practices will not need CT or cMRI as they don't reimburse very heavily. Might as well just go into rads or stay in academics if that's your thing.