Hello, I sent a message in the group 5-6 months ago and I mentioned I'm heme Onc fellow (Now I'm second year) and I was considering dropping out from the fellowship, now after spending 1.5 years in a very clinical heavy program (we will do service till mid third year) and for many reasons I think this is not the subspecialty that I want to practice rest of my life. My PD told me if I decide to come out he will help me. The only thing that makes me nervous is I want to have the chance to apply for less competitive fellowships in the future, I even thought to do 1 year geriatric or palliative to show I'm able to finish what I start. Heme Onc was just the first and only wrong decision I made for my career. I appreciate if anyone who has experience tell me how this quitting will affect my chance to apply for a one year fellowship, I don't mind working couple years as hospitalist and apply later. Is quitting from fellowship really ruins my career forever.
consequences of dropping out of fellowship
- Thread starter Isla-MD
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You are 1.5 years in, you will be eligible for single board in Med Onc in 6 months. Have you discussed this option with your PD.
Hey, I have had similar thoughts too about dropping fellowship and currently 2nd year fellow too. If you don’t mind, what’s the reason you want to drop out? I’m having difficult time with managing patients and learning and keeping up with the material quite honestly and don’t enjoy it as much as I did before. You can message me too.
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I would pursue the single board route again in a polite way. Look at acgme requirements and how much you are missing for it. It's pretty easy to satisfy the requirements - MSKCC fellows finish all requirements in the first year basically.
Ok
What changed then?
I really don't think there are any support nor good outcomes of these type of tussles since there are significant power and authority differential between, so to say, the "defendant and plaintiff". The only meaningful outcome that i have witnessed being a sudden internet celebrity and a platform to magnify voice, in the case of Eugene Gu vs Vanderbilt. Discrimination exists and its real and if you are facing discriminations now, then its safe to say you have likely faced subtle or overt discriminations during college, med school or residency and reached to this point in spite of it.
My advice is to keep your head-down, be humble and finish training in good terms then fight discriminations with all of your might when you become independent of institutional forces.
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Are you quitting? Or getting fired?
Is your PD a man or a woman (or in transition between January 20th and today)?
It's clear that there's more to this story than you're telling us. Which is typical, and fine. But if you want real, helpful, information, you're going to need to be more forthcoming. If you can't/won't, then the generic advice you've gotten so far is all you're going to get I'm afraid.
Agree that we need more information.
From the limited amount you've told us, I can only speculate that your PD has deemed you (whether fairly or not) to be a "bad egg" and he/she (nice catch, gutonc) would rather have you leave peacefully than deal with trying to kick you out / hold you back.
If this is the case, it might be helpful to take a step back and do a thought exercise:
(1) Imagine a "TERRIBLE FELLOW" out there. This person is bad - doesn't do good work, is unreliable, is difficult to work with, has a toxic personality, doesn't care, etc. Just imagine this TERRIBLE FELLOW exists and is someone you absolutely would not want to hire to be part of your team (either as a graduated attending or a fellow in a different program)
(2) How does a potential employer prevent themselves from ending up with a "Terrible Fellow"?
As a first pass, they're going to go to sources that they find reliable -- program directors who are staking their reputation and their institution's reputation on their recommendations, chairs of departments, people who THEY know and trust who also know the applicant, etc.
(3) How is YOUR application going to look different from that of a hypothetical "Terrible Fellow"?
Without the support of your PD, it is very very hard. "My PD hates me and won't write me a letter of rec" usually isn't well received.
And so, I also agree with the following advice 100%:
From the limited amount you've told us, I can only speculate that your PD has deemed you (whether fairly or not) to be a "bad egg" and he/she (nice catch, gutonc) would rather have you leave peacefully than deal with trying to kick you out / hold you back.
If this is the case, it might be helpful to take a step back and do a thought exercise:
(1) Imagine a "TERRIBLE FELLOW" out there. This person is bad - doesn't do good work, is unreliable, is difficult to work with, has a toxic personality, doesn't care, etc. Just imagine this TERRIBLE FELLOW exists and is someone you absolutely would not want to hire to be part of your team (either as a graduated attending or a fellow in a different program)
(2) How does a potential employer prevent themselves from ending up with a "Terrible Fellow"?
As a first pass, they're going to go to sources that they find reliable -- program directors who are staking their reputation and their institution's reputation on their recommendations, chairs of departments, people who THEY know and trust who also know the applicant, etc.
(3) How is YOUR application going to look different from that of a hypothetical "Terrible Fellow"?
Without the support of your PD, it is very very hard. "My PD hates me and won't write me a letter of rec" usually isn't well received.
And so, I also agree with the following advice 100%:
