Don't do fellowship

[Dontdoit1]

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Know what is a terrible idea? Fellowship. It's several more years of thankless slave labor. What do you get for it? You get to move to a city where the cost of living is astronomical, all while getting paid the same as you did as a resident. Meanwhile, your residency classmates are flaunting their humongous houses and day off a week. You, instead, get to spend your weekend making presentations and coming up with research ideas. All while being in a town far from home with no time to make any friends. Don't do it, avoid fellowship at all cost.

 

[HomeSkool]

Know what is a terrible idea? Fellowship. It's several more years of thankless slave labor. What do you get for it? You get to move to a city where the cost of living is astronomical, all while getting paid the same as you did as a resident. Meanwhile, your residency classmates are flaunting their humongous houses and day off a week. You, instead, get to spend your weekend making presentations and coming up with research ideas. All while being in a town far from home with no time to make any friends. Don't do it, avoid fellowship at all cost.

That's an incredibly cynical view. Without fellowship we'd have no cardiologists, gastroenterologists, endocrinologists, etc. The list is very long.

I gather you're a fellow, unhappy with your fellowship, and looking for some catharsis?

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[NotAProgDirector]

Then quit your fellowship and get a primary care or HM job? Nothing is stopping you. Totally serious.

 

[FutureInternist]

Know what is a terrible idea? Fellowship. It's several more years of thankless slave labor. What do you get for it? You get to move to a city where the cost of living is astronomical, all while getting paid the same as you did as a resident. Meanwhile, your residency classmates are flaunting their humongous houses and day off a week. You, instead, get to spend your weekend making presentations and coming up with research ideas. All while being in a town far from home with no time to make any friends. Don't do it, avoid fellowship at all cost.

The earning potential for a specialist, the perhaps "better" schedule of not doing 12 hours/ day, 7 days a week, 2 weeks a month (which gets old as you do), the ability to scale back as you get older (helped by the fact that you made more than hospitalsist/PCPs) may be worth the extra 2-3 years of training.

Additionally, it does not matter what your classmates are doing, driving, living in, eating at etc...just that YOU are happy with the decision you made.

If worst comes to worst, you can always go back to be a hospitalist even after fellowship - although that would definitely seem a waste of time but no sense in throwing good money after bad.

 

[Dontdoit1]

The earning potential for a specialist, the perhaps "better" schedule of not doing 12 hours/ day, 7 days a week, 2 weeks a month (which gets old as you do), the ability to scale back as you get older (helped by the fact that you made more than hospitalsist/PCPs) may be worth the extra 2-3 years of training.

Additionally, it does not matter what your classmates are doing, driving, living in, eating at etc...just that YOU are happy with the decision you made.

If worst comes to worst, you can always go back to be a hospitalist even after fellowship - although that would definitely seem a waste of time but no sense in throwing good money after bad.

In my particular field, the hours will be crappy whether I do fellowship or not, and will involve lots of call.

It's hard to sort out whether you like the work when you're thousands of miles from home, have no friends, and went from a comfortable residency living to being poor as hell with several side-hustle gigs you have to keep up to make ends meet.

 

[rokshana]

In my particular field, the hours will be crappy whether I do fellowship or not, and will involve lots of call.

It's hard to sort out whether you like the work when you're thousands of miles from home, have no friends, and went from a comfortable residency living to being poor as hell with several side-hustle gigs you have to keep up to make ends meet.

then why did you rank this place? its not like those things you mentioned were different when you interviewed and ranked this place.

 

[FutureInternist]

In my particular field, the hours will be crappy whether I do fellowship or not, and will involve lots of call.

It's hard to sort out whether you like the work when you're thousands of miles from home, have no friends, and went from a comfortable residency living to being poor as hell with several side-hustle gigs you have to keep up to make ends meet.

So..... dont do something if you will not be happy. 🙄

Applies to fellowships (as to everything else in life)

Sucks that you are going through this.

Maybe quit now and become a hospitalist.

 

[gutonc]

In my particular field, the hours will be crappy whether I do fellowship or not, and will involve lots of call.

It's hard to sort out whether you like the work when you're thousands of miles from home, have no friends, and went from a comfortable residency living to being poor as hell with several side-hustle gigs you have to keep up to make ends meet.

So nephrology isn't all it's cracked up to be?

 

[Perrotfish]

In my particular field, the hours will be crappy whether I do fellowship or not, and will involve lots of call.

It's hard to sort out whether you like the work when you're thousands of miles from home, have no friends, and went from a comfortable residency living to being poor as hell with several side-hustle gigs you have to keep up to make ends meet.

So are you quitting?

Also there is no residency I can think of where you have to take call to practice. Some subspecialties, but no residencies.

 

[PlutoBoy]

So nephrology isn't all it's cracked up to be?

We have been warned.

 

[Apollyon]

Someone cursing fellowship isn't looking at the long game, or is doing endo (if IM) or adolescent (if peds). In EM, generally, no fellowship will make you more money, and a few (Peds, HPM) will make you less-to-MUCH less money.

 

[Raryn]

Someone cursing fellowship isn't looking at the long game, or is doing endo (if IM) or adolescent (if peds). In EM, generally, no fellowship will make you more money, and a few (Peds, HPM) will make you less-to-MUCH less money.

Why would an endocrinologist be cursing fellowship any more than a nephrologist, rheumatologist, geriatrician, etc?

 

[anonperson]

Know what is a terrible idea? Fellowship. It's several more years of thankless slave labor. What do you get for it? You get to move to a city where the cost of living is astronomical, all while getting paid the same as you did as a resident. Meanwhile, your residency classmates are flaunting their humongous houses and day off a week. You, instead, get to spend your weekend making presentations and coming up with research ideas. All while being in a town far from home with no time to make any friends. Don't do it, avoid fellowship at all cost.

You can always quit and just take a job in general medicine. That is the trump card you hold over your fellowship. Give them the finger (figuratively) and then live a happy life making some money out in the community.

I know fellowships don't pay that much but if you are living alone, even in NYC or LA, you should be able to afford a reasonable life without having to suffer.

And as far as lifestyle outside of training. You can always refuse call when looking for jobs etc and tailor the job to how you want it to be. May not be able to be as picky regarding location but jobs are out there. Physicians are valuable and health systems cannot run without us.

 

[Apollyon]

Why would an endocrinologist be cursing fellowship any more than a nephrologist, rheumatologist, geriatrician, etc?

Endo makes less than general IM (or, in the past several years, did). Likewise, adolescent makes less than general peds.

So, someone cursing fellowship either isn't looking ahead, to small sacrifice today, for greater reward tomorrow, or is doing a fellowship that won't earn more money.

 

[Dontdoit1]

So nephrology isn't all it's cracked up to be?

Not a medicine subspecialty. But regardless, having trouble thinking this is a good decision at this moment in time.

 

[rokshana]

Endo makes less than general IM (or, in the past several years, did). Likewise, adolescent makes less than general peds.

So, someone cursing fellowship either isn't looking ahead, to small sacrifice today, for greater reward tomorrow, or is doing a fellowship that won't earn more money.

Beg to differ...obviously biased but it's not like you don't know going in that endo doesn't make a lot of money in comparison to being a Hospitalist or even being a pcp but most Endos I know didn't pick endo because of money...and while annoyed by the same things everyone else is annoyed about in medicine, most are very happy that they are doing endocrine...and btw I make about the same doing endo as I did as a Hospitalist ( but I got lucky)...no offense but I can't imagine being a pcp for twice the money!

 

[Apollyon]

Beg to differ...obviously biased but it's like you don't know going in that endo doesn't make a lot of money in comparison to being a Hospitalist or even being a pcp but most Endos I know didn't pick endo because of money...and while annoyed by the same things everyone else is annoyed on medicine, most are very happy that they are doing endocrine...and btw I make about the same doing endo as I did as a Hospitalist ( but I got lucky)...no offense but I can't imagine being a pcp for twice the money!

I certainly wasn't hating on endo (although, on re-reading, I can see why). My point wasn't as clear as I'd thought. In my mind, I was thinking the people cursing fellowship weren't thinking the long game, whereas my references to adolescent and endo were void of the same shortsightedness.

And I'm not a PCP, so I'm not offended (and, in fact, I emphasize this to pts in the ED - that "I suck at primary care"; doesn't seem to have much effect, though!).

 

[Chalo1986]

Someone cursing fellowship isn't looking at the long game, or is doing endo (if IM) or adolescent (if peds). In EM, generally, no fellowship will make you more money, and a few (Peds, HPM) will make you less-to-MUCH less money.

I happen to LOVE what I do, I’m happy with the specialty I chose.
I don’t see the point of these sort of threads. Are we supposed to all feel the same and agree with the OP just because he chose poorly? Life is too short to spend your time thinking about and judging other people’s choices.

 

[Apollyon]

I happen to LOVE what I do, I’m happy with the specialty I chose.
I don’t see the point of these sort of threads. Are we supposed to all feel the same and agree with the OP just because he chose poorly? Life is too short to spend your time thinking about and judging other people’s choices.

Some people are venting. Some need advice. Some are just not happy.

If you love what you, you'll never work a day in your life. Take that and go.

 

[hamstergang]

Fellowship was a wonderful decision for me. I like the work better, very easily found a job, and get paid at least the same if not more than if I didn't do it. So... everyone should do fellowship?

 

[mcworbust]

nvm

 

[mvenus929]

Endo makes less than general IM (or, in the past several years, did). Likewise, adolescent makes less than general peds.

I personally would've chosen ID over adolescent. They don't make any money unless they are heavily involved in something else.

Not a medicine subspecialty. But regardless, having trouble thinking this is a good decision at this moment in time.

Eh? Since when was nephrology not a medicine subspecialty?

Unless you meant that you're not in a medicine subspecialty. Which would make more sense, but phrasing is weird.

 

[rokshana]

I personally would've chosen ID over adolescent. They don't make any money unless they are heavily involved in something else.



Eh? Since when was nephrology not a medicine subspecialty?

Unless you meant that you're not in a medicine subspecialty. Which would make more sense, but phrasing is weird.

he is not in a medical subspecialty.

 

[gutonc]

This thread is such a dumpster fire that I'm just going to close it now.

Do fellowship...or not.
Go to med school...or not.