Chest fellowship for private practice?

[twoslic3]

Currently a resident at a large academic center and kind of torn in terms of what to do for fellowship.

Of all the specialties that I rotated through, I personally found cardiac imaging to be the most interesting. However, I also really don't like doing research and find reading studies much more rewarding. Thus I'm leaning towards private practice/small community hospital for an eventual job.

All of my mentors/attending say I can go PP with a chest fellowship, but that seems very contrary to the discussions on the forums and what I saw in real life. Just wanted to get an outside perspective. Would I be essentially locked out of PP if I pursued a chest/CVI fellowship? If so, would it be more wise to do a combined chest/body fellowship or just a neuro/msk fellowship that everyone seems to be recommending.

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[Gadofosveset]

Sure you can... just do mammo as your minifellowship and market yourself as a mammography-ready rad who can take general call.

 

[Rad2013]

If the cardiac aspect is important to you, particularly higher end studies like MR, try to find a group where radiology has that turf rather than cardiology.

 

[Rad2013]

Chest/body fellowship would be good for PP.

I don’t think I would do neuro/msk unless you know you’re going to a smaller PP that values versatility over Neuro-CAQ status. Larger hospitals with neurology and neurosurgery groups often want CAQ neuroradiologists reading the studies they order.

MSK is great. But at most groups, MSK rads also find themselves doing a good deal of general work. Whereas neuro can often find themselves doing almost all neuro.

 

[Tiger100]

Chest/body fellowship would be good for PP.

I don’t think I would do neuro/msk unless you know you’re going to a smaller PP that values versatility over Neuro-CAQ status. Larger hospitals with neurology and neurosurgery groups often want CAQ neuroradiologists reading the studies they order.

MSK is great. But at most groups, MSK rads also find themselves doing a good deal of general work. Whereas neuro can often find themselves doing almost all neuro.

Not true in many places.

 

[2brads]

Chest fellowship isn't that valuable to most private practices. In fact, I can't think of a single one that wants that right now. Most PP don't do enough high level cardiac imaging to make up an FTE. If you want a lot of high-res ILD and cancer screening CT's dumped on you, then do chest. Breast and IR are always desired. Peds is hot right now. MSK and neuro are cyclical. Body is steady, but never at the top.

 

[Radology]

I’d advise against chest if private practice is your goal.

particularly the cardiac aspect, that just is very uncommon outside of academics

 

[CyrusHabs7695]

I’d advise against chest if private practice is your goal.

particularly the cardiac aspect, that just is very uncommon outside of academics

What are the top ones for PP?

 

[2brads]

What are the top ones for PP?

Breast and IR are always hot. Right now peds and MSK are also desirable, but these tend to cycle.

 

[Radology]

1. Breast. Literally can get any job, anywhere. Name it, it’s yours.

2. IR. Decent demand, but for private practice need to be flexible about reading diagnostic or not doing all high end.

3. Body/neuro/msk.

4. Chest/nucs/peds. Avoid Unless you’re doing academics

 

[CyrusHabs7695]

1. Breast. Literally can get any job, anywhere. Name it, it’s yours.

2. IR. Decent demand, but for private practice need to be flexible about reading diagnostic or not doing all high end.

3. Body/neuro/msk.

4. Chest/nucs/peds. Avoid Unless you’re doing academics

Breast and IR are always hot. Right now peds and MSK are also desirable, but these tend to cycle.

Excluding IR, is the pay & overall lifestyle drastically different between these fields when it comes to PP? Im sure there are a ton of variables, but is there a general consensus that 'X' makes the most, 'Y' doesn't make as much but has better hours, etc.

 

[2brads]

No difference in pay between sub specialties in pp.

 

[guytakingboards]

A co-resident i know is in a group with 100 rads, zero of which are chest/thoracic trained.

 

[Radology]

Some mammo jobs are no calls, no weekends

probably the only lifestyle difference among them

 

[2brads]

A lot of those mammo only jobs are employed (not partner track).

 

[Neopolymath]

A lot of those mammo only jobs are employed (not partner track).

I have encountered people that did breast fellowship and are partners with all the typical PP call responsibilities. They read most things and don't have the typical mammo schedule. They pull their weight for lack of a better term (no insult to those that take mammo only jobs).

Is this a common opportunity in suburban PP? I am interested in mammo but not if it pigeonholes me into employed mammo-only jobs that prevent partnership or reading from the rest of the lists.

Are all the people I have seen in mammo only jobs there because they wanted that cush life or did some of them actually want to do more but couldn't find a job doing that?

Thanks.

 

[2brads]

Most PP want people willing to read everything. People who do mammo only, want to do mammo only either because of the schedule or because they are no longer comfortable with general radiology.

 

[Tiger100]

I have encountered people that did breast fellowship and are partners with all the typical PP call responsibilities. They read most things and don't have the typical mammo schedule. They pull their weight for lack of a better term (no insult to those that take mammo only jobs).

Is this a common opportunity in suburban PP? I am interested in mammo but not if it pigeonholes me into employed mammo-only jobs that prevent partnership or reading from the rest of the lists.

Are all the people I have seen in mammo only jobs there because they wanted that cush life or did some of them actually want to do more but couldn't find a job doing that?

Thanks.

You are asking many questions.

1- In summary, they take employed only job because THEY themselves choose to do so and not the other way. If you want to get a partnership job, you need to be part of the evening and weekend call pool.

2- Most mammo rads prefer to do mammo only. I don't know why but that has been my experience.

3- If you do mammo fellowship, be ready to do a lot of mammo after you are done, unlike MSK or Nucs. Most groups even in the case of partnership jobs, will expect you to do 60-70% mammo plus some general radiology and CALL. High end Neuro, high end MSK and high end Body imaging will be read by their respective subspecialty trained rads, since radiology is becoming more and more subspecialized. So if you do mammo fellowship, you will most likely read Body CT, US, Head CTs, Probably Head CTAs, chest CT and likely some brain and spine MRI. But don't expect to read MSK MR or Skull base MR or Prostate MR unless you go to a smaller town or rural areas where you will do everything.