Getting into Cardiology

[Teejay]

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Hello Everyone, Just have a quick question. Do basic science grades matter in getting into a cardiology program after internal medicine.

 

[josephf1]

I doubt grades matter any more at that level, but I do have questions about getting cards too
* Do step 3 scores matter
* Do you need to take IM boards or do you take that PGY 3?
* What is adequate research? How do you have time to do it in residency?
* Do you have to take time off residency to do research? Who can affrord that?
* Does a good community hospital with a cards program for IM make as much sense as a University program if in the end you just want to be a clinician and not an academic?

 

[P Diddy]

I doubt grades matter any more at that level, but I do have questions about getting cards too
* Do step 3 scores matter
* Do you need to take IM boards or do you take that PGY 3?
* What is adequate research? How do you have time to do it in residency?
* Do you have to take time off residency to do research? Who can affrord that?
* Does a good community hospital with a cards program for IM make as much sense as a University program if in the end you just want to be a clinician and not an academic?

1. i don't think anyone looks at your medical school grades per se but they may glance at your overall medical school performance/awards (ie summa cum laude)

2. no one mentioned my step 3 scores (220) but they may matter for FMGs in terms of computer screening

3. you take IM boards after PGY3, typically after you apply for cards.

4. please see previous posts by myself and others regarding 'adequate research'

5. you do not need to take time off from residency to do research unless you're interested in an academic career or are a poor overall candidate.

6. going to a community hospital with an in house cards fellowship that prefers its own residents (ie Kaiser LA) is a great, relatively low stress way to obtain a cardiology fellowship if you want to practice privately.

p diddy

 

[Death]

I don't understand the reason for fmg/img bias at the level of fellowship applications .I mean if some fmg does his IM residency from a good place like a university program of considerable stature and then seeks a card or whatever fellowship after that, why must he still be persecuted for being a foreign grad?I mean after a good IM residency an img is at par with any US grad applying for the fellowships , then why the bias?

 

[P Diddy]

I don't understand the reason for fmg/img bias at the level of fellowship applications .I mean if some fmg does his IM residency from a good place like a university program of considerable stature and then seeks a card or whatever fellowship after that, why must he still be persecuted for being a foreign grad?I mean after a good IM residency an img is at par with any US grad applying for the fellowships , then why the bias?

tribalism.

p diddy

 

[josephf1]

I see research is important, but what does 'research' really mean?
Sitting in a lab for a year injecting mice with B blockers and sticking them on a treadmill?
Here in med school, research for a med student meant teaming up with an attending who is writing a paper and calling a bunch of patients and filling out post op surverys over the phone with them, and you can get your name on a publication.
My question is how does a non science minded Med student who just wants clinical cards get research projects, what are they expected to be or do? after all, we are not PHDs or lab people for the most part.
Also, with 80+ hr weeks in residency, when do you have time to do this stuff? Any free time I have in IM I would like to spend running or trying to find some hot chicks that are not 80 yo, BMI 35, IDDM, IHD, HTN, Parkinsonian, etc.

 

[jayjay1978]

I don't understand the reason for fmg/img bias at the level of fellowship applications .I mean if some fmg does his IM residency from a good place like a university program of considerable stature and then seeks a card or whatever fellowship after that, why must he still be persecuted for being a foreign grad?I mean after a good IM residency an img is at par with any US grad applying for the fellowships , then why the bias?

Reason is mostly financial.

Fellowship salaries are paid for by training grants for the most part. The training grants only cover permanent residents/citizens. As such, if you are on any kind of visa, then the program that chooses you as a fellow will be paying ~50,000x3 years=$150,000 out of pocket.

This is for the most part why it's hard for people with visas (most FMG's) to get into cards.

It's doable, but regardless FMG's start with a big disadvantage right off the bat. Those with visas in particular.

 

[BUW]

How many total cards applicants are there per year?

How many total number of spots nationally?

Are they all in the match?

 

[Teejay]

How many total cards applicants are there per year?

How many total number of spots nationally?

Are they all in the match?

I think they have >1100 applicants for 750 spots. From this poll, about 70% of the spots go to US grads and the rest to FMGs.

 

[Shah_Patel_PT]

I think they have >1100 applicants for 750 spots. From this poll, about 70% of the spots go to US grads and the rest to FMGs.

I dont know the number of spots...

But 70-75% of the spots are matched by US medical graduates.

 

[Lucid Dreaming]

So at places like Kaiser LA, they seriously give the fellowships to their residents? Is this just rumor or true?

 

[aumed22]

I heard a rumor that you must do 2+ years of research after your IM residency to be competitive for a Cards fellowship. Is there any truth to that?

 

[ProgCoordinator]

I do not recommend taking time between residency and fellowship just to pad your CV with research. Unless you land some remarkable research. It's one thing if you score a grant during residency and have to take a year before fellowship. Otherwise it's obvious that you're padding. If you want a cardio fellowship at a university-based hospital you should work on research as early as possible. The timeline will prove how serious you are about academic pursuits.

Two cents from my little corner of the world.

 

[Shah_Patel_PT]

I do not recommend taking time between residency and fellowship just to pad your CV with research. Unless you land some remarkable research. It's one thing if you score a grant during residency and have to take a year before fellowship. Otherwise it's obvious that you're padding. If you want a cardio fellowship at a university-based hospital you should work on research as early as possible. The timeline will prove how serious you are about academic pursuits.

Two cents from my little corner of the world.

When you say early....do you mean during the middle of your intern year?

 

[ProgCoordinator]

If it's possible. Yes. Absolutely.

 

[Shah_Patel_PT]

If it's possible. Yes. Absolutely.

Ok, thanks! Will try to do that...

 

[tibor75]

Reason is mostly financial.

Fellowship salaries are paid for by training grants for the most part. The training grants only cover permanent residents/citizens. As such, if you are on any kind of visa, then the program that chooses you as a fellow will be paying ~50,000x3 years=$150,000 out of pocket.

This is for the most part why it's hard for people with visas (most FMG's) to get into cards.

It's doable, but regardless FMG's start with a big disadvantage right off the bat. Those with visas in particular.

Also, a J-1 has to work in a disadvantaged area to remain in the US (well, in most cases). A program looks at their fellows to populate their faculty in a few years. Of course, most go into private practice, but in several programs at least a few or 1-2 remain as faculty. If you take a J-1, unless you can put him in your VA, he's gone after fellowship.

 

[joejabjab]

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