Echo boards utility for future EP

[cardsfell]

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I wanted to see people's thoughts about which cardiology boards are a good idea to take if going into a subspecialty. I'm starting EP fellowship this summer and was thinking to take echo and general cards boards but wondering if most EP fellows these days take echo boards or not/if it's worth it for the job market.

 

[aafisahar]

Do it to help learn echo and general cardiology. I learned a lot studying for echo boards and IMO that was worth it by itself. Sure, 60% of it is superfluous garbage, but there is a lot of general cardiology in echo boards as well.

Most EP jobs will have you cover the general call pool and you may end up at a place where they want you to read some echos, mostly on your own patients. It never hurts to have extra credentials. Getting credentialed after fellowship is onerous, so save yourself the headache now.

 

[timpview]

I wanted to see people's thoughts about which cardiology boards are a good idea to take if going into a subspecialty. I'm starting EP fellowship this summer and was thinking to take echo and general cards boards but wondering if most EP fellows these days take echo boards or not/if it's worth it for the job market.

I wouldn’t do it if I were you. Save your time/money imo.

 

[docimg]

Getting to know a little more during the best learning phase of one's life has never hurt anyone! There are many not so good echo readers in practice. You have to come prepared as the best advocate for your patients. If I were you, not even a question I would do it! Agree with comment above it helps learn general cardiology and will even make you feel better prepared for your general boards.

 

[cards67]

Do it. Every fellow I know has done echo boards, including EP. Few EP attendings I know actually read echos. But it's better to have it and not use it vs the opposite, especially early career or your first job.

 

[asoutherner]

Take echo boards. Its not an echo test. Its a cardiology test. It will force you to study echo and be better than you otherwise would be if you just read echos in your fellowship.

 

[vector2]

FWIW as an anesthesiologist, I was chatting with one of our new EPs in the cathlab the other day and he expressed to me that he wished he would've taken echo boards just because at our hospital you typically need to be boarded to do any TEE. Which means he can't even do his own TEEs for cardioversions, etc.

 

[qmcat]

Its usefulness depends on whether you end up doing pure EP or hybrid general cards and EP once you're done with training. Pure EP jobs are still out there but not very common. Most job postings are for EP with some mix of general cards, either 50/50 or 75/25 or primarily EP with gen cards call at night or on the weekend. It'll probably make you more marketable and make you a better cardiologist, but ymmv depending on which practice model you end up in.

 

[TheNextLevel]

Do it. With a 50% reduction in ablation reimbursement coming between this year and next, you are likely to be doing a mix of general cardiology in the future.