Matching into PCCM w/ a lot of Cards research

[Doctor_Strange]

I'll be doing a Chief Resident position next year. I failed to match into Cards. I plan to dual-apply next year. There's a lot of overlap between both disciplines that appeal to me, but I also want to ensure I match into a fellowship following doing a chief resident position. I have about 20-25 publications (case reports, abstracts, a few manuscripts) that are mostly cardiology-based. I did do a manuscript on robotic bronchoscopy that I was the first author of.

Anyway, I was wondering what the optics of this would look like. The place where I am doing my Chief Residency has an in-house cardiology and pulm crit fellowship (both relatively young).

Thank you

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[NewYorkDoctors]

you will be competitive but will need to give a compelling reason in your personal statement and interviews besides “I am geographically limited and pccm is very similar to cardiology and I want to settle for less .”

That robotic bronch paper would be nice .

Doing something scholarly in overlapping topics like PE or PH would be useful

You’ll also need lor from pulm and or CCM faculty and not cards letters

 

[The kitchen sink]

You’ll match into pccm

But will you be happy in anything besides cards?

You should answer that internally before pursuing pccm as your back-up

I say that bc pccm job / lifestyle / prestige all very different from cards

Good luck

 

[NewYorkDoctors]

I will say if your desire was general cardiology and you just enjoy that heart-kidney-lung dynamic and also want to maintain your IM skills (which is relevant in CCM but also when working up multisystemic diseases in the ILDs) moreso than doing interventional cards and doing cath/procedures or EP and doing rhythm work, then you will enjoy PCCM more. some PCCM doctors get certified in echo (not just the ASE advanced critical care echo but the bona fide full ASE echo certification) if you wanted to do that much work on the side to get the studies in.

If you were thinking about "hmm i wanted to be a general cardiologist get a nuclear stress test machine and print money," well... can't quite do that in pulmonary. though if you see me posts in other threads you'll see how you can get a pulmonary practice assembly line of procedures going. nothing in pulmonary prints money like the nuclear stress test... plus most jobs are tied to the hospital and CCM. Private practice Cardiology is not necessarily tied to the CCU.

 

[Doctor_Strange]

I wanted to bump this for any additional insight 🙂

I will say if your desire was general cardiology and you just enjoy that heart-kidney-lung dynamic and also want to maintain your IM skills (which is relevant in CCM but also when working up multisystemic diseases in the ILDs) moreso than doing interventional cards and doing cath/procedures or EP and doing rhythm work, then you will enjoy PCCM more. some PCCM doctors get certified in echo (not just the ASE advanced critical care echo but the bona fide full ASE echo certification) if you wanted to do that much work on the side to get the studies in.

Yes, this was my thinking. I never wanted to do IC or EP. I thought I could be happy in a career as a general, non-invasive cardiologist. In regards to PCCM, my MICU rotations have been the most fulfilling and enjoyable. I feel like I am always being put to work versus, say, the inpatient medicine service where often I feel like a babysitter and even some other consult services.

I worry that my CV reads "he likes cardiology" and so when I dual apply this year I will either not get many interviews because people will not want to waste a spot on me or that if I obtain an interview I will have to defend or rationalize myself to them (which I am prepared to do honestly).

But will you be happy in anything besides cards?

I can be happy in multiple different sub-specialties. Unlike others who can only see themselves in one kind of sub-specialty or specialty for that matter, I think I could even have been happy as an ER doctor or anesthesiologist. I chose IM because I liked both Cards and PCCM. I decided to go all-in last year on Cards and that backfired miserably. Now, it is time to broaden my horizon and hopefully get lucky with a Chief Resident year under my belt.

 

[NewYorkDoctors]

just be honest. say you didnt match the first time. this is going to be assumed.

then say during your year off or whatever you made new mentors (hopefully so?), did more learning and di dsoe new scholarly activity and you really like PCCM. you liked the hemodynamic stuff cards offers and see that PCCM also does that. but you like the systemic disease and how PCCM has more IM in it than Cardiology does.

that would be a interview line to say


ultimately you need the LoRs and the scholarly activity though

 

[Doctor_Strange]

just be honest. say you didnt match the first time. this is going to be assumed.

then say during your year off or whatever you made new mentors (hopefully so?), did more learning and di dsoe new scholarly activity and you really like PCCM. you liked the hemodynamic stuff cards offers and see that PCCM also does that. but you like the systemic disease and how PCCM has more IM in it than Cardiology does.

that would be a interview line to say


ultimately you need the LoRs and the scholarly activity though

I will be getting updated LORs from the PCCM faculty. I have a few abstracts I intend to submit that are PCCM-related and I submitted a few to CHEST a few months back. So fingers crossed!

 

[Doctor_Strange]

I thought I'd follow this up. I successfully matched into a strong, academic Pulm/Crit program.

I'll admit, it is slightly bittersweet since I applied to cards again and did not match (8 IVs). However, I am content with the outcome and nervously excited for this next step!

 

[Espressso]

I thought I'd follow this up. I successfully matched into a strong, academic Pulm/Crit program.

I'll admit, it is slightly bittersweet since I applied to cards again and did not match (8 IVs). However, I am content with the outcome and nervously excited for this next step!

Welcome to the fun side!