Is going to a top tier IM program sufficient to guarantee matching into a heme/onc fellowship?

[TexasMed22]

---

Members don't see this ad.

I'm starting intern year at a higher tier IM program (Penn Mayo Michigan Duke etc), and I'm trying to gauge how much weight the prestige of my program will carry when it times for fellowship application season. I am not interested in matching at a fellowship at a top academic program (more interested in a mid tier program in a nice city instead), and want to go into community/private practice after, so I was curious if I can just ignore the rat race at this point and instead focus on gaining clinical skills and enjoying my personal life for the next 3 years?

Or do I need to treat this like med school again and publish a bunch of meaningless research, volunteer in my nonexistent free time, and ass kiss in the clinic for the next 3 years?

 

[gutonc]

I'm starting intern year at a higher tier IM program (Penn Mayo Michigan Duke etc), and I'm trying to gauge how much weight the prestige of my program will carry when it times for fellowship application season. I am not interested in matching at a fellowship at a top academic program (more interested in a mid tier program in a nice city instead), and want to go into community/private practice after, so I was curious if I can just ignore the rat race at this point and instead focus on gaining clinical skills and enjoying my personal life for the next 3 years?

Or do I need to treat this like med school again and publish a bunch of meaningless research, volunteer in my nonexistent free time, and ass kiss in the clinic for the next 3 years?

You're still going to have to play the game a little bit. You're going to need the support of your PD and a few faculty to get good LORs for fellowship. And if you're in a gunner factory, you're going to need to look good compared to your peers, not some platonic median. And since gunners gonna gun, you'll need to be a similar level.

The good news is that you can focus your efforts on something you care about (hem/onc) and then be completely average at everything else.

 

[Adjet]

As long as you find good LoR writers and no red flags on your LoRs/PD letter, you can for the most part ride on your program reputation to match into heme/onc. Don't worry about volunteering, but having an abstract/poster is not a bad idea just to cover your bases.

 

[cards67]

There's no guarantees. I had co-residents in my upper tier program not match for one reason or another in various specialties, and they did research. While you probably could match somewhere if you apply broadly enough, why take the chance and not put yourself into the best position to succeed? You might change your mind about a top program. Getting into a program in a nice city might be more competitive than you realize. You don't necessarily have to publish and I think most programs know it's not realistic to publish a "bunch" during residency. But at least do something. Just having something on paper to talk about on interview day to show you're engaged and care can go a long way. Showing up on interview day with nothing on your resume and nothing to talk about will just look foolish. And you don't have to ass kiss anyone, just do a good job.

 

[gutonc]

There's no guarantees. I had co-residents in my upper tier program not match for one reason or another in various specialties, and they did research. While you probably could match somewhere if you apply broadly enough, why take the chance and not put yourself into the best position to succeed? You might change your mind about a top program. Getting into a program in a nice city might be more competitive than you realize. You don't necessarily have to publish and I think most programs know it's not realistic to publish a "bunch" during residency. But at least do something. Just having something on paper to talk about on interview day to show you're engaged and care can go a long way. Showing up on interview day with nothing on your resume and nothing to talk about will just look foolish. And you don't have to ass kiss anyone, just do a good job.

A corollary to this is that lower tier fellowship programs than your home program are going to wonder why you're applying there and assume it's as a backup.