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How important is it to do a fellowship training program in anesthesia right now? Many attendings say its the only way to get better jobs, be more competitive, advance, etc....????
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Hard to tell...Depends what you want. The "attendings" in most of the programs, sorry to say it, are "out" of the "real world" of anesthesia, pain medicine and maybe critical care...
Their advice is absolutely valid for academic medicine - anesthesia.
Now - if you have the possibilities to get extra training - it wouldn't hurt at all - even in PP. Now, I am not talking about a better job and competition - it is about skills that will make you a better physician.
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My view on reasons to do a fellowship:
If you are going into academics, do a fellowship away from your home institution. Academics rewards long CV's with varied training. The networking will be invaluable for your future career.
If you are going private, do a fellowship only if there is one area of anesthesia that you really love. It may be the only time in your career where you can spend a year doing nothing but your favorite type of cases. Just be aware that it is costing you at least 200 grand to do the fellowship. This is why I am doing a fellowship and I am having a blast this year, but every morning I wake up aware that the day is costing me over $500.
If you find yourself unhappy in the OR you can do a fellowship in Pain or Critical Care as a quicker way out than doing another residency.
If you are really paranoid, you may find some comfort in doing a fellowship. If medicine goes the way of nursing, we will be rewarded for how many merit badges we have on our resume, not for clinical excellence and understanding.
- pod
If you are going into academics, do a fellowship away from your home institution. Academics rewards long CV's with varied training. The networking will be invaluable for your future career.
If you are going private, do a fellowship only if there is one area of anesthesia that you really love. It may be the only time in your career where you can spend a year doing nothing but your favorite type of cases. Just be aware that it is costing you at least 200 grand to do the fellowship. This is why I am doing a fellowship and I am having a blast this year, but every morning I wake up aware that the day is costing me over $500.
If you find yourself unhappy in the OR you can do a fellowship in Pain or Critical Care as a quicker way out than doing another residency.
If you are really paranoid, you may find some comfort in doing a fellowship. If medicine goes the way of nursing, we will be rewarded for how many merit badges we have on our resume, not for clinical excellence and understanding.
- pod
