MFM Fellowship

[BonTemps]

Hi All,

I'm a third year medical student interested in either Ob/Gyn or emergency medicine. One of the primary reasons I want to go into OB is because I really enjoyed working with MFM service and would like to pursue that fellowship after residency. However, I'm currently 28 with a family to support and that would mean I wouldn't finish my training until I'm 36 (not sure what the average age of newly minted MFM fellows is, but 36 seems rather old). What options are available for MFM fellows to supplement their income during fellowship and is it common among programs to allow supplementation? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

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[kavorca]

I am sure the average age is whatever the difference between your age and the rest of your class. I am guessing 33-34 so yeah you probably can't do it at 36.

 

[tantacles]

Moving to Ob/Gyn

 

[trypanosomiasis]

Disclaimer: only a PGY-0 as of now, so take as someone speaking without experience in this.

Some programs, to my knowledge, allow for fellows to moonlight as an OB attending or as a resident chief on L&D to earn extra income (at my medical school this happens with regularity, especially for weekend attending coverage). But overall OB and the various subspecialties are hours-intensive fields which makes moonlighting difficult during training. During fellowship you'll be spending time doing research when not in the hospital, and managing complicated, sometimes ICU-sick OB patients. Some programs also require some amount of dedicated SICU/MICU time as an MFM fellow. As a trainee, you'll still be subject to duty hours limits as well.

In other words, I wouldn't expect to have time to supplement income a lot, but depending on the program you may have some decent opportunities as an acting resident/attending. We have had some "older" fellows at my medical school's MFM fellowship and they seem to get along just fine, though it's not an expensive place to live either.


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[OBGYN2016]

Some of the MFM fellowships allow for moonlighting, others pay you extra for your in-house call. I am starting an MFM fellowship in July and anticipate supplementing my income by about 60k per year with outside moonlighting. Not all programs have these opportunities, however.

As far as age, do what is going to make you happy. I will be in my late 30s by the time I am finished with fellowship.