Changing your mind in Cards Fellowship

[DoxtaHuxtable]

If all of your research is in one area of Cardiology (e.g. heart failure) and you are selected to the same fellowship program where you did the research because they think you will continue in that field is it easy to change later on?

For example, if you are expected to do heart failure research and pursue that career path (the reason they accepted you in the first place) how can one get a spot in interventional or EP later on? It is so competative in those fields that my feeling is that if you do not let your intentions known from the onset you will not be given a spot.

What is the best way and when is the absolute latest time to let a fellowship program know that you have changed your mind in order to have a real chance in interventional? Are most programs accepting of fellows changing their minds or do they generally discourage it?

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[DR]

If all of your research is in one area of Cardiology (e.g. heart failure) and you are selected to the same fellowship program where you did the research because they think you will continue in that field is it easy to change later on?

For example, if you are expected to do heart failure research and pursue that career path (the reason they accepted you in the first place) how can one get a spot in interventional or EP later on? It is so competative in those fields that my feeling is that if you do not let your intentions known from the onset you will not be given a spot.

What is the best way and when is the absolute latest time to let a fellowship program know that you have changed your mind in order to have a real chance in interventional? Are most programs accepting of fellows changing their minds or do they generally discourage it?

From what I have seen, they don't penalize people for changing their mind. Honestly, they've been there and they know that...just like everything else, you can't know what you want to do until you're in the thick of it (ie. in the fellowship). How can you know what area of cards you really want when you haven't even worked as a general cards doc yet? So, I think they know that, and they're not stupid...they know that nothing is set in stone until papers are signed, and that people will change their minds up until the moment they get a spot. I would not mention any change of heart until the moment applying for interventional is closer in time. This is for a couple of reasons: First, you don't want to say something, and then 2 years into your fellowship you realize you in fact don't want interventional, and second, you should always keep all your options open...the more you specify your intentions, the more doors you close.

 

[DoxtaHuxtable]

Here is part two of the question.

What is the advantages and disadvantages of going to a fellowship program with a large number of fellows (8-10) versus a smaller number (4-5 fellows)?

Wouldn't it be easier to get what you want at a smaller program?

 

[DR]

Here is part two of the question.

What is the advantages and disadvantages of going to a fellowship program with a large number of fellows (8-10) versus a smaller number (4-5 fellows)?

Wouldn't it be easier to get what you want at a smaller program?

The advantage of a larger program is that you've got a better shot at getting in...meaning, if a place has only 2 spots, and they take one from within (common), then you're competing for one spot among the hundreds who applied.