IM specialties/fellowships for DOs

[arc5005]

Multi-part question: thanks in advance to all those who contribute!

1. DO FRIENDLY IM FELLOWSHIP SPECIALTIES:
Just curious if anyone has a list of which sub-specialties/fellowships after an IM residency are easily do-able (DO-friendly) vs. competitive (in the middle/might change with merger) vs. very-difficult (Not DO-friendly) with an osteopathic education.

• Allergy and Immunology (immune system)
• Cardiovascular Disease (heart and vascular system)
  • Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Cardiology
  • Interventional Cardiology
  • Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology
• Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism (diabetes and other glandular and metabolic disorders)
• Gastroenterology (gastrointestinal system, liver, and gall bladder)
  • Transplant Hepatology
• Hematology (blood)
• Infectious Disease (bacterial, viral, fungal, and parasitic infections)
• Nephrology (kidneys)
• Oncology (cancer)
• Pulmonary Disease (lungs and respiratory system)
• Rheumatology (joints and musculoskeletal system)

Are there sub-specialties i'm leaving out?

2. APPLYING TO IM RESIDENCIES/FELLOWSHIPS:
Also do most of these fellowships require you to apply for IM first as a 4th year, and then require you to then apply to the fellowships during your last year of residency? Are there programs where you apply to a IM residency + a sub-specific fellowship during your 4th year?

3. IM RESIDENCY WITHOUT FELLOWSHIP:
Do many DO's who go into IM w/ no fellowship become hospitalists?
Can IMs without a sub-specialty/fellowship do other things other than hospitalists?

4. IM AS PCP:
Also why is IM often also considered primary care?
Are there many IMs who do Primary care?

Thanks! I'm not even really leaning towards IM at the moment, but i'm just curious, since so many match lists I've seen have large percentages of the classes going into IM.

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[cliquesh]

In general, the most competitive fellowships are GI, hem/onc and cardiology. In 2011, 33% of DOs applying for GI matched and 66% matched hem/onc and cardiology. The other fellowship match rates were 66% or higher. Based on that information I would say GI is hard and the rest are moderate to easy. I THINK people in IM apply for fellowship in their pgy2 year. I think around 60% of people in IM do fellowships.

 

[ATPsynthase123]

I'm curious of this as well.

From what I know, the ones DOs have a fairly easy time in is Infectious Disease, Immunology, Nephrology, and critical care? Basically the non-competitive ones.

And IM is considered primary care because it is what most general hospital docs are. Like The ones you see on the wards or hospitalists.

Basically to be a hospitalist all you need to do is complete a IM residency

Without a fellowship you can be a general internist or hospitalist. There is no shortage of jobs for a general internist.


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[ATPsynthase123]

In general, the most competitive fellowships are GI, hem/onc and cardiology. In 2011, 33% of DOs applying for GI matched and 66% matched hem/onc and cardiology. The other fellowship match rates were 66% or higher. Based on that information I would say GI is hard and the rest are moderate to easy. I THINK people in IM apply for fellowship in their pgy2 year. I think around 60% of people in IM do fellowships.

Where does critical care rank in that list?


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[cliquesh]

Where does critical care rank in that list?


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Easy to moderate. That's what I'm doing from the anesthesia side and I got interviews everywhere I applied.

I guess I should say I am in a decent residency and my board scores are high (>250), so my experience may not be typical.

 

[arc5005]

In general, the most competitive fellowships are GI, hem/onc and cardiology. In 2011, 33% of DOs applying for GI matched and 66% matched hem/onc and cardiology. The other fellowship match rates were 66% or higher. Based on that information I would say GI is hard and the rest are moderate to easy. I THINK people in IM apply for fellowship in their pgy2 year. I think around 60% of people in IM do fellowships.

So what happens when you are residency trained and do not match into a fellowship, or say the sub-specialty you want? Can you apply to multiple fellowships, say GI is your main interest, but due to competitiveness you may have a back-up sub-specialty in mind? Do you end-up re-applying to different fellowships? Can you re-apply the following year?

 

[cliquesh]

So what happens when you are residency trained and do not match into a fellowship, or say the sub-specialty you want? Can you apply to multiple fellowships, say GI is your main interest, but due to competitiveness you may have a back-up sub-specialty in mind? Do you end-up re-applying to different fellowships? Can you re-apply the following year?

Yes to all of your questions. You also can just get a job, hah.

 

[ATPsynthase123]

Easy to moderate. That's what I'm doing from the anesthesia side and I got interviews everywhere I applied.

I guess I should say I am in a decent residency and my board scores are high (>250), so my experience may not be typical.

No that makes sense. Right now I've got my eye on general IM, ID, or Crit


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[lnguyen1412]

I'm interested in Infectious Diseases fellowship. So I just gonna drop this post here and read everyone comments.

 

[ATPsynthase123]

I'm interested in Infectious Diseases fellowship. So I just gonna drop this post here and read everyone comments.

From what @madjack told me, ID is one of the least competitive IM fellowships.


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[YayPudding]

I've asked elsewhere, but any info/stats on neurology and neurosurg residencies and neuro fellowships like neurocritical care, neurophysiology and the like would be awesome

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

I've asked elsewhere, but any info/stats on neurology and neurosurg residencies and neuro fellowships like neurocritical care, neurophysiology and the like would be awesome

Some of these aren't even close the same specialty.... neurology is fairly easy to get, neurosurgery is essentially impossible. (Percentage of DOs each year who match NS is less than .01)

 

[Jinxapotato]

I'm interested in Infectious Diseases fellowship. So I just gonna drop this post here and read everyone comments.

Just talked to one of our teachers, she's an IM doc who did fellowship in ID. She advised against it as she says you basically slave away for a year, then take the pay cut as ID is paid less than hospitalist IM. Ofc that's just her experience.

 

[Jinxapotato]

I've asked elsewhere, but any info/stats on neurology and neurosurg residencies and neuro fellowships like neurocritical care, neurophysiology and the like would be awesome

neurology is easy, although you have to deal with the fact that you can't do much for most people you see. Neurosurgery is pretty much impossible like the poster above suggested...

 

[67552931811]

I'm interested in Infectious Diseases fellowship. So I just gonna drop this post here and read everyone comments.

From what @madjack told me, ID is one of the least competitive IM fellowships.


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If you have a pulse and completed a residency somewhere in the US you will be fine for ID. It doesn't get close to filling. Like not even close.

http://www.nrmp.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Results-and-Data-SMS-2016_Final.pdf

 

[67552931811]

No that makes sense. Right now I've got my eye on general IM, ID, or Crit


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Straight CC isn't hard to get. Much easier than Pulm-CC from what I have gathered. There isn't straight CC fellowship data (unless someone has a hidden gem I know nothing about). But, most docs like to transition to pulm clinic as they get older/ sick of the unit (no pun intended) so pulm-cc is a more advised route.

 

[Jinxapotato]

Straight CC isn't hard to get. Much easier than Pulm-CC from what I have gathered. There isn't straight CC fellowship data (unless someone has a hidden gem I know nothing about). But, most docs like to transition to pulm clinic as they get older/ sick of the unit (no pun intended) so pulm-cc is a more advised route.

I heard that CC/pulm is moderately competitive to get as well?

 

[ATPsynthase123]

Straight CC isn't hard to get. Much easier than Pulm-CC from what I have gathered. There isn't straight CC fellowship data (unless someone has a hidden gem I know nothing about). But, most docs like to transition to pulm clinic as they get older/ sick of the unit (no pun intended) so pulm-cc is a more advised route.

I would say it's open to DOs so long as you are willing to do Pulm-CC fellowship in a less desireable area and are able to get an academic residency


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[Fluffy123]

Could always pull a Dr. House and become certified in pathology with fellowships in ID and nephrology