Hematology/Oncology 2020-2021 Fellowship Application Cycle

[oncdocMD]

Any malignant programs to stay away from?

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[Slowdive]

Any malignant programs to stay away from?

Somewhere, there is someone with a great pun as an answer for that one.

I myself am not aware of any "malignant" programs, however, I suspect that if you are an MD/PhD (as your status indicates) then you are applying to more academically-focused programs. I think that these programs tend to have more fellows and likely better attention to the career goals of each individual. Also more resources and support staff. Thus, less likely to be malignant.

 

[DrTips]

Hello
Can someone tell me about the osu oncology program

 

[Beacopp665]

Hello
Can someone tell me about the osu oncology program

hey! Current fellow here so I can tell you a bit about the program (though obviously a bit biased as you can imagine)

It’s a solid academic program with 18 months clinical and 18 months research. Stronger in Heme than Onc globally I’d say, but we have a good 50/50 split on what people are interested in. Probably not as great of a place if interested in private practice since no general fellows clinic (I actually prefer this since my clinic is focused in the sub specialty I hope to pursue) but we do have some fellows each year who go that route. You can DM me if any specific questions or anything

 

[DrTips]

hey! Current fellow here so I can tell you a bit about the program (though obviously a bit biased as you can imagine)

It’s a solid academic program with 18 months clinical and 18 months research. Stronger in Heme than Onc globally I’d say, but we have a good 50/50 split on what people are interested in. Probably not as great of a place if interested in private practice since no general fellows clinic (I actually prefer this since my clinic is focused in the sub specialty I hope to pursue) but we do have some fellows each year who go that route. You can DM me if any specific questions or anything

Thank you

 

[KrisShan]

Med student here wondering if anybody has an answer for me on this (couldn't find much). For Heme/onc is it common for most applicants to be/do a chief resident year? I've heard for GI its a soft requirement. Is this the case for H/O?

Not necessarily it is a requirement, I know lot of people who are not chief resident got matched in Hemoncology fellowship

 

[KrisShan]

Anyone here did Dartmouth Hitchcock Hematology & Oncology Interview for this year, If you have done already. Would you mind share your experience please

Thank you

 

[Abawaliz]

Hi guys,
If anyone got an interview at the University of Kentucky and would like to swap the IV date, please contact me privately.
Thanks!

 

[DrTips]

Anyone working at osu-Chs only oncology programs? Need some input thanks

 

[Dr.KitKat]

What can you guys tell me about St Elizabeth's? From searching the forum from past years, there's not much info. Interested in solids. Thanks
@gutonc

 

[gutonc]

What can you guys tell me about St Elizabeth's? From searching the forum from past years, there's not much info. Interested in solids. Thanks
@gutonc

I think it's in the Boston area.

 

[resident.user.2019]

Does it seem like programs are giving out more interviews per spot this year due to virtual interviews? If so by how much? Are some programs inviting like residency interviews where they are interviewing 20-25 people per spot?

From the 2018 Charting the Outcomes Data (https://mk0nrmp3oyqui6wqfm.kinstacdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/2018-Charting-Outcomes-SMS.pdf), the average Matched U.S. MD. grad for Heme/Onc had a rank list length of 7.1 and having 9 or more interviews as an U.S. MD. gave you about 97%+ chance of matching? Do you think these numbers will shift a lot higher this year?

 

[Bowel Movers and Shakers]

This (ERAS Statistics) is absolutely fascinating. It's a spreadsheet of preliminary applicant data. Seems like there really aren't that many more applicants this year (compared to 2018, we see a 2% increase in overall applicants this year). But a few questions remain:

1. Why do these numbers disagree with the charting the match numbers? E.g. this spreadsheet reports 464 USMG applicants in 2019, but charting the match only reports 381. Also 809 total apps in COM vs. 854 in this spreadsheet

2. Why have all these programs been reporting a huge increase in the number of applications they've gotten when this spreadsheet reports the average number of applications received per program only increased marginally? Does this mean that this year is just a particularly qualified year? Or what's going on?

Just throwing these questions out rhetorically. Feel free to take a hypothetical stab at them

 

[Oncolizumab1]

My completely baseless guesses are that you see a slight decrease in matching at your number 1, 2, 3, etc and a marginal increased in unfilled spots (e.g. going from like 3 to 12 or something)

 

[resident.user.2019]

This (ERAS Statistics) is absolutely fascinating. It's a spreadsheet of preliminary applicant data. Seems like there really aren't that many more applicants this year (compared to 2018, we see a 2% increase in overall applicants this year). But a few questions remain:

1. Why do these numbers disagree with the charting the match numbers? E.g. this spreadsheet reports 464 USMG applicants in 2019, but charting the match only reports 381. Also 809 total apps in COM vs. 854 in this spreadsheet


2. Why have all these programs been reporting a huge increase in the number of applications they've gotten when this spreadsheet reports the average number of applications received per program only increased marginally? Does this mean that this year is just a particularly qualified year? Or what's going on?

Just throwing these questions out rhetorically. Feel free to take a hypothetical stab at them

Those ERAS statistics are from last-years (2020) cycle. This year's (2021) is still not out yet.

Charting the Outcomes data only includes applicants who gave permission to use their data, and only includes those who ranked the respective specialty in their #1 rank list spot (as some applicants cross-apply to multiple fellowship subspecialties as a backup), which is why they have less applicants reported.

 

[TheAlchemist007]

My completely baseless guesses are that you see a slight decrease in matching at your number 1, 2, 3, etc and a marginal increased in unfilled spots (e.g. going from like 3 to 12 or something)

Yeah I don't think you are basing that on any data

 

[Publicius]

Feels like a feast or famine situation for interviews. Either you have a ton or you have nothing. Nothing in between. I wonder what your experience has been especially for IMGs. Personally have 2 interviews from a little over 90 applications which is a very low return rate.

 

[Slowdive]

Feels like a feast or famine situation for interviews. Either you have a ton or you have nothing. Nothing in between. I wonder what your experience has been especially for IMGs. Personally have 2 interviews from a little over 90 applications which is a very low return rate.

Make those two count. Hopefully you will get one or two more. An applicant can only match at one place, so if the more competitive candidates are hogging up interviews, perhaps those with relatively fewer ranks will have a higher chance of matching than in previous years.

 

[faelivrin]

Never mind, ended up canceling.

 

[sowanja]

Do we have to assume that all the interviews are given out at this point??

 

[Publicius]

Do we have to assume that all the interviews are given out at this point??

Indeed.

 

[SFarber]

Looks like it. Haven't received anything for a month now.

 

[faelivrin]

Do we have to assume that all the interviews are given out at this point??

Yes, other than cancellations here or there.

 

[SFarber]

Has anybody received rejection letter from Harbor UCLA program? Do they send out those?

 

[HemOnc2021]

Do we have to assume that all the interviews are given out at this point??

No, I have gotten interviews from two programs just this week! I think there are still a few Programs reviewing applications.

 

[tutreteetee]

Hey! Hows the Nebraska program?

 

[hades44]

i got an interview this afternoon! It was via cancellation, but still.

 

[tutreteetee]

@gutonc Your advice would be appreciated. Need help in ranking these programs. I am interested in malignant heme and a future in academics.
1. Mayo AZ
2. Utah
3. Nebraska
4. Karmanos
5. Miami
6. MUSC
7. Montefiore
8. Cincinnati
9. Roswell Park
10. Levine Cancer Institute

Thanks in advance.

 

[heme_doc]

Hi guys,
Does it make a whole lot of difference in terms of doing your fellowship from a community program versus a university program if someone doesn't want to have a research heavy career? I mean in terms of job opportunities, training quality etc.
Just wondering how much weight I should give to this factor while ranking as there are many large community programs that seem decent.

 

[gutonc]

Hi guys,
Does it make a whole lot of difference in terms of doing your fellowship from a community program versus a university program if someone doesn't want to have a research heavy career? I mean in terms of job opportunities, training quality etc.
Just wondering how much weight I should give to this factor while ranking as there are many large community programs that seem decent.

Go somewhere you'll be happy and thrive.

 

[gutonc]

@gutonc Your advice would be appreciated. Need help in ranking these programs. I am interested in malignant heme and a future in academics.
1. Mayo AZ
2. Utah
3. Nebraska
4. Karmanos
5. Miami
6. MUSC
7. Montefiore
8. Cincinnati
9. Roswell Park
10. Levine Cancer Institute

Thanks in advance.

I'd move Mayo down and RPCI up. Utah is the best program by far in your list.

 

[WildflAuer]

How important is it to train at an NCI-designated CC? I'm shocked that some of my favorites weren't (but were well known/respected university programs).

 

[gutonc]

How important is it to train at an NCI-designated CC? I'm shocked that some of my favorites weren't (but were well known/respected university programs).

Completely unnecessary.

The CCC designation has little to nothing to do with the quality of the training or availability of sub-specialties. It has a lot to do with patient support services like survivorship, SW, comprehensive rehab, etc.

 

[ShuperNewbie]

Hey everyone. Is anyone willing to trade Fox Chase interview days? I’m currently scheduled for next week (10/9)

 

[batndz]

How would you rank the following. Want to do academic:

MSKCC
OHSU
Rutgers
Jefferson
VCU
UVA
Montefiore
Brown
UConn
GW
Stony Brook
Northwell

 

[gutonc]

How would you rank the following. Want to do academic:

MSKCC
OHSU
Rutgers
Jefferson
VCU
UVA
Montefiore
Brown
UConn
GW
Stony Brook
Northwell

More or less like that. I think 2-7 could be in almost any order and it would be reasonable strictly from a "program strength and opportunities" perspective. So if this is how you liked them, go for it.

 

[elle13]

Got CCF interview today.

 

[Dr. Buc]

Me too

 

[doctorforall12]

Is there anyone here with sub 225 Step 1 scores who got more than 4 or 5 invites? I’m a third year med student btw!

 

[Syndicate]

Is there anyone here with sub 225 Step 1 scores who got more than 4 or 5 invites? I’m a third year med student btw!

My step 1 score was 230 but I scored only in the bottom 10th percentile for step 2 and step 3. I ended up getting over 10 interviews, all at big academic centers and a couple of top places too. I personally think that the 3 most important things for fellowship application are 1) USMD or other 2) reputation of residency program 3) reputation of medical school.

Everything else is cherry on point (research, letters, steps). I had minimal research and my scores weren’t the best. N=1

 

[TheAlchemist007]

My step 1 score was 230 but I scored only in the bottom 10th percentile for step 2 and step 3. I ended up getting over 10 interviews, all at big academic centers and a couple of top places too. I personally think that the 3 most important things for fellowship application are 1) USMD or other 2) reputation of residency program 3) reputation of medical school.

Everything else is cherry on point (research, letters, steps). I had minimal research and my scores weren’t the best. N=1

That's pretty accurate assessment

 

[SFarber]

My step 1 score was 230 but I scored only in the bottom 10th percentile for step 2 and step 3. I ended up getting over 10 interviews, all at big academic centers and a couple of top places too. I personally think that the 3 most important things for fellowship application are 1) USMD or other 2) reputation of residency program 3) reputation of medical school.

Everything else is cherry on point (research, letters, steps). I had minimal research and my scores weren’t the best. N=1

Also agree with this, especially the US grad part. I know US grads with scores lower than mine, no research/papers, no additional honors or experiences who applied to 3 times less programs and got 3 times more interviews. I think scores may help a lot if they are very high. It kinda catches attention.

 

[Ramo711]

Observations of the virtual interview year so far for future lurkers:

• Programs kept the same number of interview slots as prior years
• Applicants applied more broadly than ever given the ease of virtual interviews (financially and in terms of time commitment
• Speculation: As typical applicants garnered less interviews (harder to get an interview) it should be easier to match as programs go lower down their rank list than usual due to high applicant overlap

Pros of the zoom cycle:

• More weight on paper applications (Factors such as US MD, residency name, research pubs matter more)
• Less bias from superficial factors that affect in-person interviews such as being short or chubby
• Easier for introverts to participate in group question sessions or panel interviews
• Easier on the wallet

Cons of the zoom cycle:

• People who are charming in-person lose their edge a bit
• Deciding on a program without seeing the city or facilities can be tricky
• Typical virtual downsides like lagging in interviews or loss of connection
• Harder for programs to rule out the "serial killer" applicants
• Timezone differences resulting in Westcoasters waking up at 4am for East coast interviews

 

[CD19]

My step 1 score was 230 but I scored only in the bottom 10th percentile for step 2 and step 3. I ended up getting over 10 interviews, all at big academic centers and a couple of top places too. I personally think that the 3 most important things for fellowship application are 1) USMD or other 2) reputation of residency program 3) reputation of medical school.

Everything else is cherry on point (research, letters, steps). I had minimal research and my scores weren’t the best. N=1

I agree that AMG is number one factor for sure. Scores and research matter a lot though. I am an IMG from a not known university in my third year as a hospitalist. I volunteer on my off week to do lab research and my step 1 and 2 are above 260s. Did residency in a medium community hospital.
I have 14 interviews including Yale Moffitt and baylor with out connections. For those who do hospitalist...it is vital to show that you are very involved in research. Also my hospitalist job is in the hemonc floor

 

[Publicius]

I agree that AMG is number one factor for sure. Scores and research matter a lot though. I am an IMG from a not known university in my third year as a hospitalist. I volunteer on my off week to do lab research and my step 1 and 2 are above 260s. Did residency in a medium community hospital.
I have 14 interviews including Yale Moffitt and baylor with out connections. For those who do hospitalist...it is vital to show that you are very involved in research. Also my hospitalist job is in the hemonc floor

Are you a U.S. IMG i.e American who went to a Caribbean medical school or a typical IMG? Because there are people with a ton of research who don't have half a many interviews.

 

[SFarber]

I agree that AMG is number one factor for sure. Scores and research matter a lot though. I am an IMG from a not known university in my third year as a hospitalist. I volunteer on my off week to do lab research and my step 1 and 2 are above 260s. Did residency in a medium community hospital.
I have 14 interviews including Yale Moffitt and baylor with out connections. For those who do hospitalist...it is vital to show that you are very involved in research. Also my hospitalist job is in the hemonc floor

In my personal opinion 260+ scores are the main factor. I think very high and borderline low scores catch attention while numbers in between dont do much. Especially programs like Moffitt may have increased their score cutoff to filter out people and make selection process manageable. But again, these are all speculations.

 

[Syndicate]

In my personal opinion 260+ scores are the main factor. I think very high and borderline low scores catch attention while numbers in between dont do much. Especially programs like Moffitt may have increased their score cutoff to filter out people and make selection process manageable. But again, these are all speculations.

I somewhat agree. Although my step 2 and 3 scores would be considered borderline low, if not outright low, I got several interviews to top 10 programs. I still think reputation of residency and reputation of medical school matters a lot more than scores. Reputation of residency also directly translates into quality of LORs in a sense because more prestigious residency = better known letter writers/influencers in the heme/onc field.

A quick glance at the current fellows at many of the top programs show almost all of their fellows come from prestigious residencies and medical schools. A quick glance at the current fellows at some mid-tier programs show a mix of AMGs and DO/IMG/FMG.

Again, my observations/experiences are just my own..

 

[CD19]

Are you a U.S. IMG i.e American who went to a Caribbean medical school or a typical IMG? Because there are people with a ton of research who don't have half a many interviews.

NO. regular IMG not from Carribean. I do have a green card though. I think doing basic science research helped a lot. Although I only had one publication out of it but it was the main topic on my interviews and they seemed to like that part....

 

[SFarber]

NO. regular IMG not from Carribean. I do have a green card though. I think doing basic science research helped a lot. Although I only had one publication out of it but it was the main topic on my interviews and they seemed to like that part....

Yeah, especially MD/PhD faculty loves to talk about bench research if you have that experience. From my experience those conversions are very natural as both parties get excited about the topics.

I guess the bottom line is that the selection process varies significantly from program to program. You may lack something in your application but if a particular program doesnt care much about that factor, they'll call you.

 

[Bowel Movers and Shakers]

Hey everyone. Friendly reminder here that the vast majority of us will probably end up in private practice (regardless of what you say right now). And there's a clear reason behind this also. I've been talking with a couple friends who are graduating up right now and looking for jobs (academic vs. PP) and the pay difference is ABSURD. Like it's just. plain. ridiculous. Like, making less than a hospitalist vs. more than 99% of most americans ridiculous. So it's no wonder why so many people choose to go into PP. As such, the name brand of the institution you're looking at matters much less than you'd think, and it's important to focus on factors like where you/your family would be happy, and the eventual place you'd want to practice (I can't tell you how many people told me "I wouldn't have found a job in *area xyz* if I didn't do fellowship here in the community"). SO many jobs after fellowship graduation are more about who you know and NOT where you go. (Also this isn't me trying to influence anyone's ROL. I'll be fine regardless of where I go lol).

2 cents.