ID - Only academics need apply?

[Rogue_Leader]

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I'm doing my interview for IM residency and at one of them, I'm interviewing with the chief of ID, probably because I wrote a bit about how much I like ID during med school. We get to talking about what my future goals are in ID. I talk about how much I like the clinical aspects of ID and that while I like research, I didn't see myself becoming an academic researcher in the future. He proceeded to tell me that most ID programs aren't interested in people who want to do clinical ID and are looking more for researchers. He continued that obviously not everybody who does an ID fellowship goes onto academic research tracks and some eventually end up doing clinical work and epidemiology, but recruitment for ID fellows is definitely slanted towards more hard core research types. Is this generally true across the field?

 

[gutonc]

He proceeded to tell me that most ID programs aren't interested in people who want to do clinical ID and are looking more for researchers. He continued that obviously not everybody who does an ID fellowship goes onto academic research tracks and some eventually end up doing clinical work and epidemiology, but recruitment for ID fellows is definitely slanted towards more hard core research types. Is this generally true across the field?

No, this is true across fields in IM. Every university-based IM fellowship program will blow smoke up your a$$ about how they only train academicians and aren't sure how it is that people escape into the wilds of private practice. I'm actually academics bound and still found this really annoying when I interviewed for Onc last year. A few programs were honest about it but in general, academics is the party line. Just play the game and you'll be fine.

 

[timebomb]

typically ID academics are extremely gung-ho about academics...and even private practice ID specialists are more academic than their counterparts. it sorta goes with the field and the type of people who tend to like it