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anybody have a good idea how many programs you'll need to match this year? is there a target # of programs or spots you are being told you'll need to match?
Hi all. I really need some help because I am going through a difficult period of confusion. I am starting allergy fellowship this year. Prior to choosing allergy, I always wanted to do Heme/Onc and finally decided againht it because I did not feel like I could handle a very busy and stressful lifestyle. I thought the science of immunology was similar and I would enjoy it. However, every day now I regret not applying to heme/onc and am nervous to start allergy fellowship because I feel like I will not be fulfilled. What should I do? I feel like immunology will be very difficult in terms of unfamiliar subject matter and will not have anything to do with the current knowledge that I have an internist. Can those of you in allergy fellowship comment on your experiences. Are you happy in fellowship, do you feel a sense of accomplishment in this speciality, and what is the job market and compensation. I have to support a family, and am stressed that I may end up in a career path that I may not feel satisfied in, and not have good future potential. I really would be thankful for some advice, since I am having second thoughts. I would appreciate input.
Hi all. I really need some help because I am going through a difficult period of confusion. I am starting allergy fellowship this year. Prior to choosing allergy, I always wanted to do Heme/Onc and finally decided againht it because I did not feel like I could handle a very busy and stressful lifestyle. I thought the science of immunology was similar and I would enjoy it. However, every day now I regret not applying to heme/onc and am nervous to start allergy fellowship because I feel like I will not be fulfilled. What should I do? I feel like immunology will be very difficult in terms of unfamiliar subject matter and will not have anything to do with the current knowledge that I have an internist. Can those of you in allergy fellowship comment on your experiences. Are you happy in fellowship, do you feel a sense of accomplishment in this speciality, and what is the job market and compensation. I have to support a family, and am stressed that I may end up in a career path that I may not feel satisfied in, and not have good future potential. I really would be thankful for some advice, since I am having second thoughts. I would appreciate input.
has anyone heard from programs after the interview, or gotten any feedback that a program was going to rank them highly? Do they do that in fellowship like they did for residency?
Thanks so much uncmdphd and microman for your replies. It really means alot, especially going through a period of such confusion. Thank you for your input. I sometimes feel however that it is too late to change my career path and go through the agony of the whole interview process and incertainty again. UNCMDPHD , did the private allergists you met with tell you about their lifestyle..how many patients they see each day, structure of practice etc? Thanks
Thank you uncmdphd!!! I really enjoyed reading your post; I couldn't agree with you more! The "smell of the stool" part was really funny and SO true Haha!!That is actually THE reason I could never pursue GI. It is reassuring to know that others have gone through something similar. I can imagine that it was probably not an easy choice for you to to decide between GI and A/I. I am glad that everything worked out for you. Thats a great suggestion about the research part.
I must say that your posts have been so reassuring that its probably the first time in weeks that I have felt a sense of optimism, since I think I spent an unnecessarily long period of time in the recent past worrying that I had somehow made the "wrong" decision. I felt that I could no longer enjoy medicine because I was constantly doubting myself. Pressure from family didnt help. I am so glad I found this forum, and that I feel reassured that there is much to look forward to. Thanks again.
hi allergy confused... i will try to give my 2 cents as well.. i was pretty confused between rheum and allergy, and at one point thought i would do a combined fellowship... i had this eutopia in my mind that i would be able to tie in all mechanisms of disease under the umbrella of being an immunologist, and thus better treat my patients... the reality of it, as it turns out, is quite different... a couple people i spoke with who were in fellowships in a combined program were having tough times finding good jobs as prospective practices wanted them to chose to see either rheum patients or allergy patients, not both... apparently, the office setup these specialities are quite different... so i didn't want that to be a limiting factor... then came a point where i was like, i can't deal with all this chronic pain stuff... i couldn't be happier with my choice for pursuing allergy....
my personal litmus test is to ask yourself, if you are called at 3am for a consult what type of patient would you love to see with enthusiasm... if that is a cancer patient with neutropenic fever and a cord compression, then your answer is heme/onc... if you don't want to get called at 3am, then your answer is allergy no seriously, i agree completely with uncphdmd, nothing should take priority to your happiness... and being happy on the job is a big part of being happy in life.....
Allergy confused; you should also ask yourself if you want make a difference in pts life span by giving them targeted agent or chemo or an allergy shot which will not make a difference in most cases........Biased opinionnnsssss...lol
agreed, wouldn't you rather give chemo or a targeted agent to a 85 year old with PMH of DM, ESRD on HD, HTN, CHF, PVD and hypothyroidism and new dx of Ca (pick one of your choosing) than see and participate in research focused on pediatric primary immunodeficiencies? i know i would. lol
In hemonc, AllergyConfused May get satisfaction if above mentioned 85 yr old grand-pa get to see his grand-daughters wedding next yr after getting Tarceva pill a day for her EGFR-mutant stage 4 Adenocarcinoma of lung cancer or by taking Rituxin single agent for follicular lymphoma or Gleevec for his CML...On the other hand Allergy-confused will waste his and that young girl's family time by running expensive useless test in lab and then give prednisone 1mg/kg to help her emperically or give a allergy shot to help her immunity which have 5% chance of work...........Lol
Thanks for that review Johnnywalker. Did the Peds fellows feel like they got enough adult experience & vice versa?National Jewish (peds): hardest working clinical program barnone....
Thanks for that review Johnnywalker. Did the Peds fellows feel like they got enough adult experience & vice versa?
Does anyone know if fellowship is like residency match-- meaning they let you know beforehand in an email whether or not you matched? And if so, anyone know when that date is?
Univ of Mississippi
I wanted to let all the applicants know that I went through the match in 2010 and it can be very nerve racking. I was still interviewing in March and April so don't get too nervous if you're not getting anything just yet.