CT anesthesia fellowship for international candidate?

[Sliu238]

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Hi,
I am asking for a friend currently located in Australia re: how best to apply for CT anesthesia fellowship in North America? Is this even possible?

His main goal is to get the best possible education in echocardiography rather than experience with transplants, LVADs etc. His reasons for this are a) my home hospital in Melbourne does mainly CABG, valve, and occasionally aortic surgery b) He wants to become an expert at echo so that he can teach it.

He states plenty of Australian trainees go to Toronto (which he has applied to one place with no reply) and occasionally to the USA although the USMLE tends to be a deterrent.

Thanks

 

[Justice4all]

Try Utah for an observer ship if interested just for echo

 

[Remxed]

One of my co-fellows is from Australia. It's not impossible but he did say it's uncommon. And I do believe he did have to take the USMLEs though.

 

[vector2]

Hi,
I am asking for a friend currently located in Australia re: how best to apply for CT anesthesia fellowship in North America? Is this even possible?

His main goal is to get the best possible education in echocardiography rather than experience with transplants, LVADs etc. His reasons for this are a) my home hospital in Melbourne does mainly CABG, valve, and occasionally aortic surgery b) He wants to become an expert at echo so that he can teach it.

He states plenty of Australian trainees go to Toronto (which he has applied to one place with no reply) and occasionally to the USA although the USMLE tends to be a deterrent.

Thanks

How do the cardiac anesthetists in Australia learn TEE?

 

[rvcsummer]

I'd check out Table 7 in this article in JCVA: DEFINE_ME
(edit: bit of an odd hyperlink thing happened, it's safe. You could also follow this doi DOI:https://doi.org/10.1053/j.jvca.2018.12.0)

It shows that from 2013-2016, just 2 candidates were granted exemptions for having non-US residencies, and no candidates were exempted on the basis of being 'exceptionally qualified'. Those two people could have been Canadian-trained (ie already eligible) and applying for exceptions for other reasons.

I'm unsure where to find the data for 2017-2022 and could not find it on the sfmatch website.

Has anyone heard of people with non-US residencies doing ACGME-accredited ACTA fellowships?

Given the abysmal success rates, barriers to entry (USMLE, ECFMG, etc.), and availability of elite cardiac anaesthesia fellowships in Canada (eg TGH) and the UK (eg Papworth), most of those interested in ACTA fellowships from my network (in Australia) haven't bothered pursuing fellowship in the US.

 

[AnotherGasMan]

I'd check out Table 7 in this article in JCVA: DEFINE_ME
(edit: bit of an odd hyperlink thing happened, it's safe. You could also follow this doi DOI:https://doi.org/10.1053/j.jvca.2018.12.0)

It shows that from 2013-2016, just 2 candidates were granted exemptions for having non-US residencies, and no candidates were exempted on the basis of being 'exceptionally qualified'. Those two people could have been Canadian-trained (ie already eligible) and applying for exceptions for other reasons.

I'm unsure where to find the data for 2017-2022 and could not find it on the sfmatch website.

Has anyone heard of people with non-US residencies doing ACGME-accredited ACTA fellowships?

Given the abysmal success rates, barriers to entry (USMLE, ECFMG, etc.), and availability of elite cardiac anaesthesia fellowships in Canada (eg TGH) and the UK (eg Papworth), most of those interested in ACTA fellowships from my network (in Australia) haven't bothered pursuing fellowship in the US.

This is pretty much the case.
I've heard of someone from the UK/Ireland doing an ACGME "mellowship" (part fellowship part attending) in cardiothoracic anesthesia after completing their CTA fellowship in their home country and gaining their RCOA.

There are non ACGME CTA fellowships around. Find them on the SCA Non-Accredited Fellowship Programs | Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists

My suggestions would be to firstly do a CTA fellowship in Australia, get FANZCA, then look for options in the USA to transition to attending/fellow roles. This pathway does exist. There are some states that don't require USMLE and many that do.

 

[nimbus]

Try Utah for an observer ship if interested just for echo

They also have a non ACGME perioperative echo fellowship apart from their ACTA fellowship. That may fill the needs of OP’s friend.