Is a last minute application switch from onc to rheum possible?

[Bowel Movers and Shakers]

Hey everyone,

Little background on me. USMD, above average steps, upper tier IM residency on the east coast, now hospitalist at the same institution. I came into residency thinking I wanted to go into onc, did research in onc during residency w/ 2 first authors (including one that inspired an interview from a fairly well known onc publication) and a scattering of middle author papers during med school. The thing is, now I'm seriously thinking about going into rheum. Would this be possible and if so how would I approach this? Seeing how I've already taken two years off after residency I really don't want to take another year to do focused rheum research, especially with my significant other graduating school soon and setting up to go to work in Philly. I have some fantastic medicine letters of rec lined up and letters from Onc big(ish) wigs but my relationship with rheumatologists doesn't really go beyond a few electives and passing consults I've done during residency.

I feel like I'd be fairly happy either in onc or rheum but I'm realizing now that rheum more likely affords the lifestyle and patient population that I've begun to realize that I gravitate towards now that I've got 6mo as an attending under my belt. I'd ultimately like to end up in private practice. If you all were in the same situation, would you stick with onc or switch last minute to rheum and go talk with the rheum PD?

Thanks in advance and sorry for the long question.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[mszzeta]

Whether to switch to rheum or not should ONLY depends on how much you love rheum over onc. These two specialties share some similarities (good lifestyle, little procedure, new fancy drugs) but also significant difference (rheum salary much lower. But onc with more sad patient stories. Rheum sometimes with really interesting cases but probably not that much in private practice)

Rheum is much easier to match and I should be a walk for you if you plan to apply in the coming season in 7/2020. You can start to talk to your rheum faculty in your hospital to see if you can start any project. It dose not have to be a big one.

 

[deleted392989]

Hey everyone,

Little background on me. USMD, above average steps, upper tier IM residency on the east coast, now hospitalist at the same institution. I came into residency thinking I wanted to go into onc, did research in onc during residency w/ 2 first authors (including one that inspired an interview from a fairly well known onc publication) and a scattering of middle author papers during med school. The thing is, now I'm seriously thinking about going into rheum. Would this be possible and if so how would I approach this? Seeing how I've already taken two years off after residency I really don't want to take another year to do focused rheum research, especially with my significant other graduating school soon and setting up to go to work in Philly. I have some fantastic medicine letters of rec lined up and letters from Onc big(ish) wigs but my relationship with rheumatologists doesn't really go beyond a few electives and passing consults I've done during residency.

I feel like I'd be fairly happy either in onc or rheum but I'm realizing now that rheum more likely affords the lifestyle and patient population that I've begun to realize that I gravitate towards now that I've got 6mo as an attending under my belt. I'd ultimately like to end up in private practice. If you all were in the same situation, would you stick with onc or switch last minute to rheum and go talk with the rheum PD?

Thanks in advance and sorry for the long question.

Is it possible to make the transition to rheumatology? Yes. You have some work ahead of you though.

1. Establish connections with rheumatology wherever you are now. You need 1 LOR from a rheumatologist... this may be difficult to get since you've been out of residency for a bit but not impossible.
2. Research and academic credentials - don't worry about it. Research in the rheumatology field is a plus but not necessary... but it will definitely help you get the LOR mentioned in #1 too.
3. Be able to explain why you are making the transition from heme/onc to rheumatology. It needs to be about rheumatology itself, not the lifestyle and workload. I think you know this already though

I would say 1/3 of the candidates who interviewed are working as hospitalists for 1-2 years. I think you only need to focus on getting the LORs and planting some seeds in your program's rheumatology department. Rheumatology is a small world where the top people know each other well.

 

[Aspyn]

If you think you'd be happy with either rheum or oncology, you already have a leg up with oncology given your consistent research and connections. In addition, oncology definitely has the potential for a lot more passive income when compared to rheum (average salary is also much higher). Oncology lifestyle is definitely better too--diagnosis is also always objective in heme/onc, whereas rheum can be a mystery. Rheum is getting more competitive too and there are much less positions available than for heme/onc.. so if you would actually be happy in either speciality, I feel like you've already done a lot of the hard work to have a good onc application

 

[Bowel Movers and Shakers]

Hey all. Thanks so much for your input. Def some stuff to think about and consider when I finally figure out what to apply into in the near future

 

[mdjo]

Definitely should be possible to match in rheum, especially if you're not picky in fellowship location. I'll echo other posters in recommending choosing your specialty based on interest on not strictly on salary, lifestyle, or competitiveness. If you think rheum is for you, talk to your local rheum PD for advice on next steps!