H&N Fellowships Question

[buonassezia]

Hi ENTs!
Sorry for crashing this forum. I'm going into IM this year and trying to select a residency that both fits my career goals, and will potentially allow my spouse, a current ENT resident with interest in H&N, to join me come fellowship time*.

Some of my favorite programs so far also align with centers that offer H&N fellowships, but I have no idea how 'hard' v feasible these are to match into, and he is too swamped to figure this out at the moment. Any insight, particularly into UPMC, Wisconsin, NYC programs?

What application components does one need to be a strong applicant for these particular positions? (I have a very vague sense, but any specifics would be helpful, e.g. 'oh, nobody gets those positions without 10 publications showing a strong niche interest in the specialty,' or 'it all depends on who you know/inservice scores/performance evals/faculty comments/where you are doing residency,' etc.)

Alternately, if he goes the non-fellowship route, are there opportunities for general ENT practice in the vicinity of these major academic centers? Or are these (strong specialty training programs/universities, and general ENT opportunities) usually mutually-exclusive?

Thanks so much!

(*long story, already long distance for training)

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[OtoHNS]

(Caveat: I'm in private practice so take this with a grain of salt. However, I don't think there are any academicians on here other than Neutropeniaboy, and he is not H&N).

Generally, H&N fellowships are considered one of the least competitive, if not the least competitive ENT fellowship. The top 5 places will be somewhat tough to get into, but I believe there are always unfilled spots that sometimes get taken by IMGs or foreign docs. If he gets some H&N research published, gets good letters, and expresses an interest in being an academic H&N surgeon, he should be a competitive candidate for any program in the country.

Of the options you listed, NYC is very likely the best bet.

1. There is more than one H&N fellowship in the city.
2. There are lots of academic centers and private practices -> likely multiple different job opportunities once he is done with fellowship. You don't want him joining you for his fellowship year and then having to move 1000 miles away for a job.

 

[buonassezia]

Thanks so much! Extremely helpful advice