Heme/Onc audition rotation and fellowship application timeline

[Like]

PGY-I here. Trying to figure out when to obtain an audition rotation at the local university-hospital. I would like to be as experienced as I can be by then but also leave room for the program to get to know me before filling their interview spots. I will be applying during the 2025 fellowship cycle. However, looking at the ERAS 2024 timeline, there are separate July and December fellowship cycles. I presume Heme/Onc falls to the December interview cycle and the July cycle is for some altogether non-IM specialties? Please enlighten me.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Dominus]

All IM subspecialties are July cycle. So if you wanted to start fellowship right after residency you'd be applying in the summer of your PGY-3 year, so summer of 2025 for your case.

 

[DrMetal]

Please enlighten me.

Concentrate on finishing PGY-1 and -2 first. It's a little too early for that. (you can certainly research programs and do some homework about it, but too early to set things up). If you have elective space, do some rotations at your home institution, make sure you like the specialty first.

 

[NotAProgDirector]

Setting up audition rotations as a resident can be complicated. To work as a resident you need to be fully onboarded by a new program - that often requires 1-2 weeks of orientation, EMR training, and other stuff. Plus there's the problem that the two programs need a PLA agreement for GME, and that your home program which will likely be paying your salary loses their CMS funding while you're somewhere else.

If you're at a community program that is in the same system as a Univ program, then these issues may be minimized. And if your program offers rotations at the Univ site, then certainly.

If you're thinking you can just go arrange this yourself like you may have done as a student, you'll discover it can be very complicated at best, and impossible at worst.

 

[DrMetal]

And most programs judge on you on "paper" anyways (letters, written evaluations, board scores, etc). It's the fickle way we insist on evaluating physicians in GME, lest we actually care about your personality and you ability to work nice and efficiently.

So I don't think audition tours really help you all that much. It does give you an opportunity to check out a program. You can likely accomplish that too via your own research, maybe a couple weekend visits on campus.

 

[ROBINHO]

Audition rotations can be helpful if the program is within reach and you ace the rotation. I5 can make you a serious candidate at those programs. But i5 takes a lot to arrange them. Towards the end of your second year will be best timing when you have a solid knowledge