I was wondering if 55 is too old to apply for a Child Abuse Peds Fellowship?

[Jane2020]

I have been a pediatrician for about 20 years and have always been interested in a Child Abuse Fellowship. My husband's job has required moving to a new state every 2-3 years , so I never pursued the possibility of applying for a fellowship. He will be retiring in a year when I am in my mid 50's. I think I could handle the hours and call, but realistically, is there any chance of being accepted into a program? I have worked as a Locums in very rural areas for most of my professional life, due to our moving so often. As such, I have done more initial child abuse evaluations that I ever thought I would get to do, prior to the child being referred to the closest speciality team. I've attended conferences, seminars, workshops, etc to try to ensure I have the knowledge and skills to do the best job I can for a general pediatrician. Am I too old to apply?

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[oldbearprofessor]

There is a tremendous shortage of child abuse fellowship trained physicians and there are adequate available fellowship spots. Go for it.

 

[Jane2020]

Thank you for your encouragement. Working in rural areas, Indian Health Service, etc. it has sometimes been difficult to find a Child Abuse team close enough for the family to get to or transportation has been a problem. I would love to feel like I had adequate training to offer the child and family, but was concerned that once a fellowship program realized my age there would be no chance of getting into a program. This gives me some hope and I will look into it.

 

[SurfingDoctor]

Fellowships want to train people who they will be proud of and who contribute to the field. You sound passionate and you want to help an underserved community from the looks of it. I don't think your age will be of any impact.

 

[Jane2020]

Thank you for your input.

 

[Jane2020]

To forum moderators-I've received helpful responses from 2 attendings son this forum and am fine if you would like to close this thread

 

[oldbearprofessor]

There is no need to close threads. Even though you have gotten two responses, others may search it out and be interested in further responses. Also, keep your eye out for another forum contributor who is in the field to weigh in when they have a chance.

 

[Jane2020]

That's a good point. Hopefully others will get some benefit from my question as well.

 

[Stitch]

I'm married to a child abuse pediatrician. She says go for it if it's what you want to do. Currently half of fellowships go unfilled and there's a dearth of child abuse pediatricians in general. So the job market is good. Just be prepared that you'll be a fellow again. Aside from having to run things by an attending, you'll also have to jump through the ABP research hoops for three years (as well as take a pay cut, though you might be able to moon light some). The transition can be difficult since you've been an attending for some time, but more people are needed in the field.

 

[Jane2020]

Please tell your wife I appreciate the input. I know being a fellow would feel like a step down initially, but would be grateful for the information the attendings provide. I'm going to look at it as helping me to improve my care, similar to when I call peds specialist now if I have a sicker patient I have hospitalized and need help regarding diagnosis ideas or treatment. I had read that child abuse Fellowships are having a difficult time filling their slots, but thought that my age would knock me out of the competition. It's been encouraging to find this is not necessarily true. I will probably make an appointment with the closest Fellowship to where I live to discuss the possibility, what I might need to do to over the next year to become a competitive candidate, etc.

 

[Jane2020]

Thanks to all of you, Oldbear Professor, Surfing Doctor and Stitch. I've decided to look into applying.

 

[northernpsy]

I always find it interesting to read stories of docs making career changes after being in practice for a while. Hope it works out. Let us know how it goes.

 

[JMMH]

Heck I know of a person who started medical school in their 50s. It's never too late for anything!

 

[katied12]

I just wanted another thank you to everyone who answered; OP is my mother (she found out about SDN through me, as I have been exploring various graduate options), and she's been interested in learning more about child abuse for a while. Given how passionate I know her to be about the topic, I'm so grateful she's gotten so many positive responses. She's a fantastic pediatrician, and I'm excited for her to explore opportunity, so thanks again everyone.

PS - Good luck mom you know I'll be cheering you on.