Have a friend who is having a hard time finding a job after Heme/Onc fellowship. How difficult is it to get a slot? She is looking in the SouthEast and having a tough time.
Chances of landing a job after Heme/Onc fellowship
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H/O tends to be somewhat competitive. It's worth casting a wide net and not limiting onself to a geographical area. The specialty is also pretty research heavy, so getting involved in your home program's research opportunities and having a good idea what your research interests are/will be is also helpful. Other than that, it's the usual stuff: make contacts, ask people to make phone calls, and if all else fails, take a year off, practice peds and get some experience, then reapply if it's really what you want to do.
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I think the OP was asking about finding a job as an attending after already completing a fellowship. But yes, H/O has gotten to be almost as competitive as cardiology in recent years--about 20% of applicants this year failed to match.
Honestly, even once you complete a fellowship, my understanding is that the job market is pretty competitive. As an example, at one of my interviews this year, a graduating fellow said that there was literally one job opening in the entire state of Florida (which is where she was aiming to return), and they interviewed 2 from a applicant pool of >50. Another place I went, one of the graduating fellows was going to have to go back to general pediatrics because they could not find a job in the major city that they were geographically tied to.
I'm not saying you should look for another specialty--you should absolutely do what you are passionate about! But if you decide to do heme/onc, be aware that you probably need to be geographically flexible, both in terms of fellowship and final practice location. I will also echo what Stich said about becoming involved in research as soon as you are sure heme/onc is what you want to do with your life, as not only will it make you a more competitive fellowship applicant, but a longer, more productive history of research will also make you more competitive for sources of funding when you are applying for grants to fund your first attending gig.
Honestly, even once you complete a fellowship, my understanding is that the job market is pretty competitive. As an example, at one of my interviews this year, a graduating fellow said that there was literally one job opening in the entire state of Florida (which is where she was aiming to return), and they interviewed 2 from a applicant pool of >50. Another place I went, one of the graduating fellows was going to have to go back to general pediatrics because they could not find a job in the major city that they were geographically tied to.
I'm not saying you should look for another specialty--you should absolutely do what you are passionate about! But if you decide to do heme/onc, be aware that you probably need to be geographically flexible, both in terms of fellowship and final practice location. I will also echo what Stich said about becoming involved in research as soon as you are sure heme/onc is what you want to do with your life, as not only will it make you a more competitive fellowship applicant, but a longer, more productive history of research will also make you more competitive for sources of funding when you are applying for grants to fund your first attending gig.
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Mr. Spock's post is a roundabout way of stating the market is bad news for Heme/Onc fellows. Go to this website: http://www.mdsearch.com/
You will see if you run an advanced search that there are over 20 jobs for pulmonary fellows and none for Heme/Onc. Bad news.
You will see if you run an advanced search that there are over 20 jobs for pulmonary fellows and none for Heme/Onc. Bad news.
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You're absolutely right; I misread the question. Thanks for pointing it out.
This may be true, but also keep in mind that many job spots are not advertised. Aside from using contacts you know, it's not uncommon to email division heads, or have your program director call that person directly. Some places may be tenatively looking for someone rather than actively recruiting. If you're looking for academic jobs, you usually need to fill some niche in the division and the department. In critical care, I'm the ECMO and quality guy. For heme/onc, I assume this will mean you're the clot/bleeding disorder person or the neuro oncology specialist, or the basic science person. Specific academic divisions will often be looking for a specific type of expertise rather than 'just' a pedi oncologist. You need to be able to sell yourself as someone the division needs, and have a clear idea what you will bring to the institution.
There are more private practice jobs out there, with Pediatrix being a big employer, but those types of jobs are more likely to be advertised. There are also very good community academic hospitals that function more like private practice. They will have residencies, may do some research but aren't the big ivory towers with the constant demand to publish. I suspect these are pretty competitive.
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On my heme/onc interview trail this was a common discussion. Jobs for basic oncology people were harder to find. Coag and BMT seem to have better outlooks. I'm willing to take the risk as I like hematology more. Also some programs were decreasing number of fellows to try to insure jobs available.
