Community Prog-->Cardiology

[myocyte]

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If an IMG goes to a community hospital that is affiliated with a good University (top 10 in IM), but continues to do research throughout PGY-1 and PGY-2...does he still have a decent shot at cards?

Basically I want to know if 5-7 cardiology publications can overshadow the fact that you are from a community program? I only ask because time and time again people have said a University hospital is the best way to go for cards.

 

[barmay]

A good friend of mine graduated from St. George's Medical school in the carribeans, is now a resident in an internal medicine residency program in a community hospital program (not well known nationaly) and got accepted last year for a cards position, in the same hospital, for a position that starts this year. The only thing he had on you was probably US citizenship, which I don't know whether or not will make a difference anyways. It seems like alot of the cards staff are immigrants themselves

So, all I can tell you is from what I've heard, its tough, but still possible.

 

[dragonfly99]

Not impossible, but I do think that some people, particularly FMG's, think that having some research publications somehow will make a cards spot automatic. Or they think that it will make up for everything else lacking in their applications. It doesn't. Particularly if a bunch of your publications are posters at some local or regional meetings, or little articles in some state medical journal. I'm not saying it is bad to do those things, but you need to show the programs that you can take care of sick ICU patients, and that you can hang with the type of residents who are working in those top university programs. I think you should go to the best, most demanding residency program you can get. If that is a "top 10 university affiliated" hospital, fine. I'm not sure what that means. I think one of the best ways to guess how you'll do in the cardiology match is to see how past applicants from that residency program have done...there are some community hospital residencies where their residents do fairly well. There are a lot of community hospitals that just don't match many people into things like GI and cards.

If the hospital where you are planning to train keeps several people/year for its own cardiology fellowship, that might be an option for you. You should always look and see whether they have in-house fellowship programs.

 

[myocyte]

I think you should go to the best, most demanding residency program you can get. If that is a "top 10 university affiliated" hospital, fine. I'm not sure what that means.

What I mean is: the hospital is community program but it is 1 of the 3 hospitals in a University system. Think of it as how Harbor is to UCLA, that sort of thing. The particular University program is a top tier prog in IM. I don't know if this makes a difference in any way, but the place is staffed by faculty from that University and I've heard they are great in teaching residents.

 

[ROBINHO]

And the residents before u...how have they done in matching for Cardiology?
Maybe that is the best guess IMO
Good Luck bro...just go for it

 

[myocyte]

And the residents before u...how have they done in matching for Cardiology?
Maybe that is the best guess IMO
Good Luck bro...just go for it

They have a decent record of fellowship matches, but many of them have a background at top 5 medical schools, so don't know if that plays a role in their fellowship selection.

 

[dragonfly99]

Going to a well known med school can be somewhat helpful in getting into certain fellowships, but where you do residency tends to be more important.