Call schedule during fellowship

[drmdt75]

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I am starting my Hematology Oncology fellowship in July. I am going to live about one and half hour away by train from my fellowship location. I was wondering if this is possible. Also what is the call schedule like? Will I have to live closer when I am on call? Thank you.

 

[rokshana]

good grief! why would you live so far away?
you need to check with your program…many places will want you live within a certain distance (usually 30 mins)

 

[gutonc]

1. That commuting set up is a terrible idea. But you're an adult, you're allowed to make terrible decisions.
2. Every program is different but mine (with home call) required fellows to be able to get into the hospital in 30 minutes. On call fellow had to come in for new acute leukemics and bleeding/clotting disasters. Some of us skated through fellowship only having to do this once or twice. A co-fellow of mine recently calculated that he had to come in nearly half of his call nights over 3 years. So yes, you will likely have to stay closer when you're on call.

 

[Lazarius]

follow up question: is it common for big programs to have an in-house night float system for fellows ??? I just figured out that UPMC and Myoclinic have that. Why would you need a hem/onc fellow to stay all night and every night in the hospital for? is it the lack of a hospitalist service for the BMT unit?

 

[gutonc]

My program had a moonlighter. Others have hospitalists or residents in-house at night covering the service. But that doesn't necessarily mitigate the need for the fellow to come in a 3am for some things.

 

[Lazarius]

My program had a moonlighter. Others have hospitalists or residents in-house at night covering the service. But that doesn't necessarily mitigate the need for the fellow to come in a 3am for some things.

I definitely understand the need for the fellow to come in at 3 am for acute leukemias or benign hem catastrophes. What I find strange is having a "night float" rotation for first year fellows where you just stay at night in the hospital 8 pm - 8 am and cover different hospitals around you. I'm doing this a lot as a resident but I don't want to do it again as a fellow. I know this might sound crazy but I will definitely keep this in mind when I do my rank list.

 

[Niviancer]

I think at UPMC it is a scheduled "pull" coverage that you can trade away if you wish but you get paid for it (somewhere 800 bucks?). That is my memory from the interview but it isn't a routine call thing and only happens like once a month or so.