Diffuclty of obtaining Cards fellowship?

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How difficult is it to obtain a cards fellowship? I m not talking about a large univ. program with lots of research, but an ordinary program meant for people to go into practice.

The med students I have spoken with said its difficult to obtain a cards or other IM specialties. But i m sure the med students are probably just stressing.

The actual docs I have spoken to say that it is not incredibly difficult if you apply to many places and especially at the lesser known places.

Who is more correct?

 

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How difficult is it to obtain a cards fellowship? I m not talking about a large univ. program with lots of research, but an ordinary program meant for people to go into practice.

The med students I have spoken with said its difficult to obtain a cards or other IM specialties. But i m sure the med students are probably just stressing.

The actual docs I have spoken to say that it is not incredibly difficult if you apply to many places and especially at the lesser known places.

Who is more correct?

It is hard.

OK, it's not hard if you go to HUP/Hopkins/MGH and then apply to cards or GI.

But it's hard if you come from a more average place.

Realize that people who go to the more prestigious medicine programs all tend to be US grads from average to better schools with 220-230+ board scores, not from AUC. That being said, it can be done coming from AUC but only with a really substantial change in the way you study and take tests.

At my school where we have lots of foreign grads in the IM program, EVERYONE wants to go into cards and GI, but they can't all get it obviously. Competition is intense.

Realize that you apply to fellowship pretty early on in your IM residency, in PGY2. So those papers you wrote in medical school may be helpful.

You shouldn't go into internal med if you're not prepared for the possibility of not subspecializing for whatever reason.