Hem/Onc fellowship application thread 2010-2011!

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nsclc04

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Hi everyone,

I thought it would be a good idea to start a new thread for applicants this year where we can share our experiences and answer questions. There's already a wealth of information about this competitive specialty on this forum (thanks to our seniors!) and would appreciate input from people already matched or in this specialty.
Thanks!
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I'm a first-year fellow and plan to write up a nice comprehensive piece about my fellowship program within a few months. It's been everything that I thought it would be, and clearly was the best educational, lifestyle, and professional career site for me.
 
Hi everyone,

I will be applying in heme/onc this year. Hoping to get some advice as to what programs to apply to.

Here are my stats:
DO applicant
university program for residency in the northeast
USMLE Step 1 - 245, Step 2 - 249, Step 3 - 247
3 publications during residency, one pending..several posters and research awards (no pubs prior to this)
will be working at a genetics lab for the next two years at my residency instituiton, graduated in june
Long term goal to do bench research

Hoping for a program that fosters lab research.

Appreciate any input. Best of luck to everyone and hope to see you all on the interview trail this year.
 
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iso, sounds like you will be a competitive applicant to most programs and that you will have some exciting research projects to talk about during your interviews.

as a sidenote, has anyone started to work on the ERAS website for the application? when clicking on the EFDO online services link under "Documents," i get an error message, "one of the following has occured: your account has timed out or you have not yet been authenticated." not sure what this means, since i have a token and ID.

also, it appears that we have to re-contact our med school for MSPE letters and med school transcripts? has anyone gone through the steps for this?

nasdr
 
Hi everyone, I am also applying this year. I just started working on my ERAS and the dreaded personal statemnt ( draft 3 now yet it still seems very elusive). I don't think you need to recontact medschool for MSPE and transcripts because it seems you can upload them yourself from EDFO ( if you have copies).
 
What do you guys think about programs which only have ONC and no heme? Is it worth the extra money and effort to apply (and interview) at these programs.
 
tyrosine kinase said:
What do you guys think about programs which only have ONC and no heme? Is it worth the extra money and effort to apply (and interview) at these programs.
Click to expand...

Sounds like heaven. I'm Onc boarding only and every time I'm on call and get a heme question, I throw up in my mouth a little and punt it to the attending on call.
 
gutonc said:
Sounds like heaven. I'm Onc boarding only and every time I'm on call and get a heme question, I throw up in my mouth a little and punt it to the attending on call.
Click to expand...

hey gutonc,

doing onc only sounds appealing to me. i assume your only doing an onc fellowhip. whats your take on it so far? any regrets not doing heme as well? whats the job marlket like for onc only? thanks.
 
gutonc said:
Sounds like heaven. I'm Onc boarding only and every time I'm on call and get a heme question, I throw up in my mouth a little and punt it to the attending on call.
Click to expand...

1. What is the value of heme board certification?
2. Do I need it to take care of patients with hematologic malignancies?
Appreciate your input.
 
tyrosine kinase said:
1. What is the value of heme board certification?
Click to expand...

I think you're actually asking a different question. "What is the value of heme training?" If you're going to be a H/O generalist in community practice, you will see a lot of benign heme (10-20% of your practice based on folks I've talked to) so being trained in it will be a bonus. As for your actual question, most people I know who trained in heme aren't actually boarded in heme. Most groups will require you to be boarded in something (heme or onc) but generally not both. The Onc boards are considered to be more straightforward than heme so most people take them.

2. Do I need it to take care of patients with hematologic malignancies?
Appreciate your input.
Click to expand...

No. Heme malignancies is part of Onc training and boards. It is also part of the Heme boards.
 
can you be a "transplanter" with only oncology board?
 
Given that most programs require a minimum of 3 LORs, what is the optimal no. of LORs? Is more better?
If one had 3 good/great letters, is it worth trying to get more letters. For candidates who have been out of residency for a while, is a letter from the PD still a requirement?
 
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i submitted only 3 LORs but an additional LOR wont hurt. Submit a 4th one especially if coming from a research mentor who may or maynot be a MD.

If you have been out of residency program for a while, NOT submitting a LOR from PD is fine HOWEVER, if its the same PD still at your program, and he remembers you well and is willing to write u a good letter then GO FOR IT.
 
reply to isoniazid

good idea to apply widely

interview is the most important part of the process, enthusiasm and interest should shine thru during interviews

most programs want to hear that you are interested in research and academics, so if ur career plans are along these lines, it would be another point at institutions that are so driven
 
I don't know if the enthusiasm and interest in academics and research at the time of interview matters.... I didn't match last year and one of the comments that I got from a program director of a big university program was that I was too aggressive (His interpretation of my enthusiasm and willingness to do research)......

So, I don't know what really matters .......
 
It is important to stress on what you want from the program and what your career goal are without being overtly aggressive about it.. its a fine line to tread.. your aggression can be seen as over-confidence by some..

so an imp peice of advice a senior physician gave me was -- to not be too damn specific about what you want to do.. going into heme/onc you wont express a whole-herated interest in an academic career studying immunology of GVHD.. not many places would take you..

have interests..but be flexible about what fellowship will throw at you.. fellowship PD should sens that..

He should WANT TO TRAIN YOU ..

dont look like you are damn trained for lyf already ..or many you ll jus SELF_TRAIN !
 
Hi everyone:

I'm also gonna apply for Hem/Onc fellowship this year.
Here is my background:
US PhD in cancer biology, 3 years bench research postdoctoral training in MD Anderson Cancer Center
Current PGY-2 in a community hospital in Northeast
USMLE step 1 99%, Step 2 94%, Step 3 83%
Publication: 7 journal publication in cancer research, 5-6 conference abstracts.
Long term goal: academic physician scientist

Best of luck to everyone here.
input appreciated~~
 
Cancer 83, this is excellent advice. Thanks for sharing that. Puriece, your stats are impressive, you sound like a very strong candidate. I am sure you will get excellent interviews. Good luck !
 
Hi folks, I am applying this year, looking forward to following along.
 
Hi all,

I am applying this yr too. Trying to decide how many programs to apply to. If folks could post how many y'all are planning it could be helpful.

(Did not realize there was a user name similar to mine)
 
I have a situation which has been stressing me out. A couple months ago i was arrested for what turns out to be a minor misdemeanor. I don't want to get into the details, but it does not involve drugs or anything bad. That being said I have been working hard on trying to get it off of my record and hope it will just be dismissed, however with the application season going on it has been stressing me out. Anyone have any idea what this means for my chances at matching? I know ERAS only asks if one has been convicted of a felony.

I graduated from a US medical school with an MD degree, scored 97% and 99% on Step I and II, am a resident at an university program, currently have 5 first author abstracts presented at national conferences, 1 journal article accepted for publication and 1 that has been submitted.

Please let me know what you all think.
 
You need to discuss this with your attorney. The primary issue will not be ERAS, or programs, it will be whether or not you can get licensed in State X. The answer is probably yes (assuming it's not a "sex with a minor" charge). Even alcohol and drug (use/possession, not distribution) convictions aren't usually a problem assuming you jump through the "diversion" hoops every state sets up.

Now, ignore my advice, and all other advice you get in this thread and go talk to your attorney about it.
 
onc15 said:
i submitted only 3 LORs but an additional LOR wont hurt. Submit a 4th one especially if coming from a research mentor who may or maynot be a MD.

If you have been out of residency program for a while, NOT submitting a LOR from PD is fine HOWEVER, if its the same PD still at your program, and he remembers you well and is willing to write u a good letter then GO FOR IT.
Click to expand...

I have been a hospitalist for 6 years, now doing a Geriatric fellowship. I am interested in Heme/Onc and am currently doing research at my university. What are my chances of getting a fellowship, is my best bet the university I am currently doing fellowship in? Also can I get away with getting my PD letter, that guy probably has no clue who I am now anyways.
Will greatly appreciate any help as what to do to make my CV better.
 
Why would someone take a 80% salary cut for 3 years to make the same salary now? Can anyone explain why someone would give up 26 weeks of no work as a hospitalist to become a fellow? It doesnt make sense. Is this person a troll?
147church said:
I have been a hospitalist for 6 years, now doing a Geriatric fellowship. I am interested in Heme/Onc and am currently doing research at my university. What are my chances of getting a fellowship, is my best bet the university I am currently doing fellowship in? Also can I get away with getting my PD letter, that guy probably has no clue who I am now anyways.
Will greatly appreciate any help as what to do to make my CV better.
Click to expand...
 
NaughtyGirl said:
Why would someone take a 80% salary cut for 3 years to make the same salary now? Can anyone explain why someone would give up 26 weeks of no work as a hospitalist to become a fellow? It doesnt make sense. Is this person a troll?
Click to expand...

Are you a troll?

Plenty of people do this and there are myriad good reasons why someone would want to do this. The primary (and really the only important) reason is that they don't really like hospitalist medicine and want to be an oncologist. No point doing something you hate, no matter how good the money is.
 
:)
 
Last edited:
Hey everyone,

I'm a recent fellowship grad in practice and just randomly came across the site again. It was helpful for me years ago. So I thought I'd leave a few words of advice.

For those of you who are considering doing onc only as opposed to heme-onc, make sure you know what kind of career you are looking for.

If you plan on staying in academics, and focusing on specific areas of oncology, then it is perfectly reasonable to do an onc only fellowship. If you know what you want, go for it.

But if you're not sure about academics vs. practice yet, I would recommend considering a heme-onc program. The fact of the matter is that most practices outside of the academic world (and many within it) require its physicians (at some point or another) to practice everything from solid tumor oncology to benign heme.

If you decide to enter a practice, and you don't have proper heme training, it will make things hard for you. Conversely, if you are well trained in heme, it is a great way to build a practice. Heme consultations and referrals are a plenty. And often times in a community based practice, if you can prove you are a good hematologist, your referral base for both heme and onc cases just takes off.

Just some things I'd consider before making a decision. Good luck to all of you.
 
Regarding the question of LoRs, I wanted to share my two cents.
As long as you have atleast one letter of recommendation from a HemeOnc attending, you should be good. Rather than getting all letters from Oncologists when some letters may be pretty generic, it would be better to get great letters from attendings in any field- Internal medicine, any other medical subspecialty or research mentor.
Ofcourse, PD letter is a must for the application.
As for me, I am getting 2 letters from HemeOnc attendings, 1 PD letter and 1 from an Int Med attending.
 
I am an IMG current resident with GC from an avg Univ program.
Excellent scores on all 3 steps, good LoRs and a few case reports, one study ongoing, multiple poster (1 at ASH) presentations.
Planning to apply to about 80 programs. I know its a lot but I am just worried because this process (match) appears to be so random sometimes.
A little too much? Thoughts appreciated.
 
Hi guys,
does a palliative care fellowship increases your chances of getting an oncology fellowship. Any comments?
 
All score in 80s. Oooold IMG, MD and PhD, Research and publications from a top US university. Currently doing residency in communi hospital.
 
Quotes like this makes me want to vomit~

1. Not everything in the world is about money!!

2. Having been a hospitalist for a year myself, the job was not for me.
--No continuity of care
--Dumping ground for surgeons
--Largely replaceable (there are thousands of new graduates that can do your job every year)
--Lack of future income potential (limited by the amount of patients u can see)
--Frustration making a diagnosis and referring to a specialist
--Professional respect as a general practitioner

3. Even if money making was the only goal in your life, in general hematologist/oncologist income is about 1.5-3 times higher than a hospitalist 10 years out of practice, depending on location.

--Some of the faculty at my cancer center drives toyota instead of bentley, but can say they invented GCSF or invented leukemia treatment, which to me is worth more than 1 million dollars more in the bank account... To call someone a troll when he/she is trying to achieve their goal through hard work is purely class-less... just my two cents~

NaughtyGirl said:
Why would someone take a 80% salary cut for 3 years to make the same salary now? Can anyone explain why someone would give up 26 weeks of no work as a hospitalist to become a fellow? It doesnt make sense. Is this person a troll?
Click to expand...
 
Does a fellowship in palliative care help and in what kind of programs. My scores are average. none to maybe a couple maximum of publications in the next 3 months. Thanks
 
Anyone have any experience with DO's matching Heme/Onc?

I have taken USMLE 1/2, should I take USMLE 3 also? or will COMLEX 3 suffice?

Any idea on fellowship programs that have taken DOs in the past?

Thanks
 
Hi All,

I am trying to transmit USMLE transcripts to programs. Other than checking the boxes in the myERAS tabs under USMLE transcripts, do I have to do anything else? Like pay ECFMG/USMLE? I do not exactly remember what I did for my residency applications. Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks!
 
Hey everyone! I'm applying this year as well. Good luck to everyone. Lets keep this board active throughout the interview season!
 
Hi Everyone,

We need to pick up speed on this forum , I had a day off so I went and I read all the posts from last year's interview thread. There is a wealth of information on it so y'all go read it. It sounds like some programs start interviewing in February with peak being later march early April? Am I right?
I am trying to figure out my schedule in advance and would like to hear your thoughts.

Thanks
 
threecoins said:
Hi Everyone,

We need to pick up speed on this forum , I had a day off so I went and I read all the posts from last year's interview thread. There is a wealth of information on it so y'all go read it. It sounds like some programs start interviewing in February with peak being later march early April? Am I right?
I am trying to figure out my schedule in advance and would like to hear your thoughts.

Thanks
Click to expand...

It's been 3 years since I did it, but all but one of my interviews were in Feb. Most of them could have been done in Mar or April but I had Feb open so scheduled them all then. I would say that if you had to choose one month for interviews, March would probably be the best since most invites are out by then but you'll be OK picking any time from Feb - Apr. If you could take a week completely off in each of those months you'd be golden.
 
Hi all,

when is it "relatively" late to apply ? Does it have to be Dec 1st necessarily..

I hope it is not like residency match where thousand applications pour in on 1st day and then programs start denying later applications... Any thoughts in Hem onc fellowship applications...

I am still getting some papers in order for application as it has been busy last few rotation months..

Let us all help each other out , ask your questions here, will post answers if I know. and

We all shall be actively discussing our experiences from time to time and
let us minimize being all lurkers here. It is a great site and discussion thread.:)

I really appreciate senior residents and current fellows responses..
 
healthreform said:
Hi all,

when is it "relatively" late to apply ? Does it have to be Dec 1st necessarily..

I hope it is not like residency match where thousand applications pour in on 1st day and then programs start denying later applications... Any thoughts in Hem onc fellowship applications...

I am still getting some papers in order for application as it has been busy last few rotation months..

Let us all help each other out , ask your questions here, will post answers if I know. and

We all shall be actively discussing our experiences from time to time and
let us minimize being all lurkers here. It is a great site and discussion thread.:)

I really appreciate senior residents and current fellows responses..
Click to expand...

I am also a current applicant, but I have heard from most others that applying at any point in December is fine (?possibly even early January). Many programs start reviewing applications after the holidays. I am not sure about the "rolling" interviews, but I would imagine the earlier the better. I think at this point it mainly depends on the strength of application as opposed to the application submission date.
 
I have been given the same impression about december 1 being the perfect date to apply by. But I think its ridiculous as the programs would go for the better candidates than someone applying on december 1. Having said that I would still try to apply as soon as I can.
 
Hey guys - has anyone heard anything back from programs yet? Submitted my app a while ago and have yet to hear...
 
Applying this year,
FMG, on H1,
Research background with a few basic research publications
And completed another fellowship.

Good to be on the forum with everyone else!
 
congrats birthday party, you should throw a party today :) Good luck to everyone else. I am still keeping my fingers crossed!
 
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