Fellowship prospects: 3yr vs 4yr program grads

[Chris Knight]

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Is there a difference in competitiveness of a fellowship candidate coming from a 4yr vs 3yr residency program? what barriers might be barring the 3yr grad, if any? what is necessary to close the gap? research, interest, connections? Muchas gracias.

 

[southerndoc]

I don't think there's any disadvantage of coming from a three year program.

 

[beanbean]

There are a couple of people in my program applying for ultrasound fellowships this year and they have found a few 4yr programs do not accept 3yr graduates as they will then be supervising PGY4s as fellows. The programs don't like the idea of a PGY4 attending/fellow supervising a PGY4 resident. Other programs work it out so that the fellows are supervising the PGY 1-3s and not the PGY4s so it doesn't matter.

If you are thinking of doing a fellowship in a specific field look around at some of the requirements at vasious programs. I don't think a 3yr program will restrict you. Most EM programs are 3 yrs send off many graduates into fellowships.

 

[DeadCactus]

There are a couple of people in my program applying for ultrasound fellowships this year and they have found a few 4yr programs do not accept 3yr graduates as they will then be supervising PGY4s as fellows. The programs don't like the idea of a PGY4 attending/fellow supervising a PGY4 resident. Other programs work it out so that the fellows are supervising the PGY 1-3s and not the PGY4s so it doesn't matter.

If you are thinking of doing a fellowship in a specific field look around at some of the requirements at vasious programs. I don't think a 3yr program will restrict you. Most EM programs are 3 yrs send off many graduates into fellowships.

Out of curiosity, would you simply spending a year working before applying to a fellowship allow you to apply to fellowships at four-year programs?

 

[Arcan57]

Our shop was a 4 year, and we've had at least one fellow that was a new PGY3 grad. It seemed like it would be ackward, but she mostly worked minor care or community shifts.

 

[beanbean]

I would assume you could work for a year and then reapply, but I think most people just look for a program that accepts PGY3 grads. I think it might be difficult mentally and financially to go from working as an attending to being a fellow.

 

[Hamhock]

Our program is on the other side of things:
We only accept four-year grads for our felllowships.
We don't have any three-year grads, but I would have to ask each of the directors if they would accept a 3 + 1 year experiece (I would assume yes, but we just don't have/haven't had any).
HH

 

[dlung]

Bottom line is mostly won't affect where you can do fellowship training, but that it will affect where you can work. ie, as a 3yr grad, I doubt you'd ever be allowed to work shifts where you're supervising residents with more experience than you.

My alma mater accepted 3yr grads as fellows, but they couldn't work shifts at our teaching hospitals, but instead worked at other hospitals staffed by the physician group, but not residents. From personal experience, all the fresh 3yr grads I worked with at our community hospital were very capable and very smart, but it did feel a little odd sometimes presenting patients to someone who sometimes had less clinical experience than me when I was a senior resident. Not necessarily bad, just odd.