Official 2015-2016 Hematology/Oncology Fellowship Application Cycle

[TheBigCat]

BIDMC! Thanks everyone.

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[doctorplatelet]

For those who didn't match. . Consider an experimental therapeutics fellowship at Cleveland clinic. Great mentors and great exposure!

Cheers hope it helps

 

[BrownianMotion]

Umm, is this thread gonna die now? Can we have like an Asco meet up in 2017 or something for sdn? Haha

 

[sachida]

ASCO is crazy big.. I enjoyed it this year ...just chilling and taking it all I'll...no pressure

 

[gutonc]

ASCO is crazy big.. I enjoyed it this year ...just chilling and taking it all I'll...no pressure

I quit going to the Annual meeting when I was still a fellow. Too huge, too busy, to disjointed. It's cool once or twice but the smaller meetings are actually useful. I typically hit ASCO GI and one of the Best of ASCO meetings and call it good. Much cheaper too.

 

[hermionegranger]

Congrats to everyone! Anyone know this year's match statistics? How many applied? How many spots were available? I heard so many rumors on the interview trail that this was the most competitive year to date....but who knows if that was actually true.

 

[gutonc]

Congrats to everyone! Anyone know this year's match statistics? How many applied? How many spots were available? I heard so many rumors on the interview trail that this was the most competitive year to date....but who knows if that was actually true.

Somebody does, but not me.

There's a post over in the Rheum subforum quoting a 20% unmatched rate for Hem/Onc this year. No idea how accurate that is but no reason to doubt it.

 

[sachida]

If one logs in to nrmp website on left which says my report and it lists all details.
513 of 521 spots filled for heme/onc
55.4% US graduate
9.7% US foreign graduate
4.1% osteopathic
30.6% foreign graduates

Total applicant preferring this speciality 652, 505 of them matched to it. 15 matches in other and 132 did not match

 

[onc-ing]

going to MOFFIT thanks for your help guys!

 

[jackets5]

Wake Forest

 

[sagas_jm]

Got a rejection from Sloan Kettering 3 days after the match! Excellent timing MSKCC...

 

[BrownianMotion]

I had some type of attachment to this thread and used to visit it regularly and now it's like dead. I still check it regularly with my slight simmer of hope for activity

 

[majahops]

I had some type of attachment to this thread and used to visit it regularly and now it's like dead. I still check it regularly with my slight simmer of hope for activity

Haha youre so right. Whats wrong with us.

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[BrownianMotion]

Haha youre so right. Whats wrong with us.

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It's withdrawal man, it's like I need my sdn

 

[doctorplatelet]

we're oncologists we like keeping our threads alive !!!!

 

[majahops]

we're oncologists we like keeping our threads alive !!!!

But the performance status of this thread is rapidly worsening. We're just going to hold further comments "until it can get a little stronger."

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[Humble101]

Its better if it stays alive!
So what have you done since the match? Did you contact the programs where you matched? sent thank you emails? did you thank or sent something to LOR writers?

 

[gutonc]

Its better if it stays alive!
So what have you done since the match? Did you contact the programs where you matched? sent thank you emails? did you thank or sent something to LOR writers?

Why would you send thank you letters now? I mean, they're useless at any point in this process, but why now? You matched, they're stuck with you. Maybe send a f*** you letter instead. Will definitely make July more interesting.

 

[Pertuzumab]

Any ideas on gifts for letter writers?

 

[sachida]

Gifts? I think thank you note is more than enough. They would rather cherish us keeping them posted on our professional progress

 

[Pertuzumab]

I know. But if I'm writing thank you notes to people I only met for 10 minutes, I'd rather do something different for mentors that I respect who played a major role in my career development..

 

[doctorplatelet]

I know. But if I'm writing thank you notes to people I only met for 10 minutes, I'd rather do something different for mentors that I respect who played a major role in my career development..

agree, i was thinking flowers and thank you card delivered to home...

 

[sachida]

Reminds me of my PhD days when a candidate sent flowers to his mentor and her husband got pissed off..gave him lot of grief for two years...be careful..just kidding..

 

[majahops]

Why would you send thank you letters now? I mean, they're useless at any point in this process, but why now? You matched, they're stuck with you. Maybe send a f*** you letter instead. Will definitely make July more interesting.

I freaking love you. You are just the right amount of sick. Not too much, just enough.

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[doctorplatelet]

Reminds me of my PhD days when a candidate sent flowers to his mentor and her husband got pissed off..gave him lot of grief for two years...be careful..just kidding..

haha... well.. if my mentor were a hot young thing that would certainly cross my mind .. .... unfortunately its the opposite..

 

[doctorplatelet]

theres a hammer on sale at amazon with "thanks for fixing my life" written on it..... maybe!

 

[sachida]

Yep! I gave my mentor a shirt which read: let me drop everything I am doing and answer your question

 

[BrownianMotion]

Glad this thread is alive again! Ecog of 1

 

[doctorplatelet]

email survey from UC asking about interview day and things to make it better.... !
(go SDN 2016 heme onc thread... we still have about 3 pages to go before we beat last year.. no?)

 

[Vidared]

Not sure what the best place is to ask this question but I decided to ask it here since it didn't seem worth creating a thread for it. I'm a resident at a low-mid tier university with fairly low volume cancer center. I do have many ideas but the small patient sample size makes most of my ideas unworkable. I've therefore ended up relying on meta-analyses to pursue my interests in research. I've done fairly well with 3 of them being presented at meetings as an oral, a poster discussion and an award winning poster in the last 3 months. I will have at least 2 of them written and published with me as first author by the time I apply a few months from now and will most likely have a few more abstracts (more meta-analyses).

I was wondering if my complete lack of a retrospective chart review study (the form of research that is most commonly seen) would make me look like a one-trick pony and put off some of the more research-strong fellowship programs that I aspire to go. Does anyone have a comment to offer?

 

[doctorplatelet]

Not sure what the best place is to ask this question but I decided to ask it here since it didn't seem worth creating a thread for it. I'm a resident at a low-mid tier university with fairly low volume cancer center. I do have many ideas but the small patient sample size makes most of my ideas unworkable. I've therefore ended up relying on meta-analyses to pursue my interests in research. I've done fairly well with 3 of them being presented at meetings as an oral, a poster discussion and an award winning poster in the last 3 months. I will have at least 2 of them written and published with me as first author by the time I apply a few months from now and will most likely have a few more abstracts (more meta-analyses).

I was wondering if my complete lack of a retrospective chart review study (the form of research that is most commonly seen) would make me look like a one-trick pony and put off some of the more research-strong fellowship programs that I aspire to go. Does anyone have a comment to offer?

A lot of the ponys in the race dont know any tricks! So thats a point in your favor. Doing a meta-analysis is not easy and if you have been doing those well, it is worth a lot. And when they call you for an interview you can certainly mention why you did those. Its much better than writing review articles ( which i despise and having to do so many of ).

 

[majahops]

Not sure what the best place is to ask this question but I decided to ask it here since it didn't seem worth creating a thread for it. I'm a resident at a low-mid tier university with fairly low volume cancer center. I do have many ideas but the small patient sample size makes most of my ideas unworkable. I've therefore ended up relying on meta-analyses to pursue my interests in research. I've done fairly well with 3 of them being presented at meetings as an oral, a poster discussion and an award winning poster in the last 3 months. I will have at least 2 of them written and published with me as first author by the time I apply a few months from now and will most likely have a few more abstracts (more meta-analyses).

I was wondering if my complete lack of a retrospective chart review study (the form of research that is most commonly seen) would make me look like a one-trick pony and put off some of the more research-strong fellowship programs that I aspire to go. Does anyone have a comment to offer?

If youve done meta analyses, thats baller. More baller than retrospective reviews, definitely.

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[sachida]

good part of my fellowship will be spent commuting. In interest of best utilizing this time, I am hoping to amass reasonable amount of lectures on mp3 or video formats. Does anyone have suggestions?

 

[doctorplatelet]

the MD anderson review is awesome .... if you can get your hands on it

 

[doctorplatelet]

by the way.. has everyone received contract paperwork from your programs? I just got a congrats mail a while ago and then thats it! Also, wonder if any east coast people are headed to CA.. i need a california license and this could take a while....

 

[gutonc]

by the way.. has everyone received contract paperwork from your programs? I just got a congrats mail a while ago and then thats it! Also, wonder if any east coast people are headed to CA.. i need a california license and this could take a while....

I assume you've started on it already. Or contacted the PC to inquire about the process.

 

[gutonc]

good part of my fellowship will be spent commuting. In interest of best utilizing this time, I am hoping to amass reasonable amount of lectures on mp3 or video formats. Does anyone have suggestions?

The GW review course is supposedly the dogs bollocks and used to come on CD (I assume they have some other sort of options now). I don't know if there are any good Hem/Onc podcasts out there. I can't be bothered to listen to them.

 

[majahops]

The GW review course is supposedly the dogs bollocks and used to come on CD (I assume they have some other sort of options now). I don't know if there are any good Hem/Onc podcasts out there. I can't be bothered to listen to them.

I like the Peerview press podcasts.

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[Humble101]

by the way.. has everyone received contract paperwork from your programs? I just got a congrats mail a while ago and then thats it! Also, wonder if any east coast people are headed to CA.. i need a california license and this could take a while....

I got emails congratulating me from 2 faculty members as well as the program secretary, who informed me that i will be receiving the welcome packet in January. I also received a card from the current first year fellow with his contact information for any questions - I thinks that's sweet!

 

[BrownianMotion]

For you guys that are gonna be taking ABIM, should we email the program and ask them which dates are okay? I didn't want to bother them with an extra email as I figured it wouldn't really matter which day I should sign up for ABIM? Just being neurotic and checking for your guys opinions, haha

 

[gutonc]

For you guys that are gonna be taking ABIM, should we email the program and ask them which dates are okay? I didn't want to bother them with an extra email as I figured it wouldn't really matter which day I should sign up for ABIM? Just being neurotic and checking for your guys opinions, haha

Schedule it and then tell them ASAP. If you ask, the answer will be "sometime in 2017".

 

[BrownianMotion]

Schedule it and then tell them ASAP. If you ask, the answer will be "sometime in 2017".

Thanks

 

[todo]

Welcome. This is the best class we've had, possibly ever. Certainly better than my year.

or so says their beefed up cv's, and above avg board scores...you could have a group disasters waiting to greet you

 

[gutonc]

or so says their beefed up cv's, and above avg board scores...you could have a group disasters waiting to greet you

I never actually see them so...whatever.

I know one of them though and he's a phenomenal clinician.

 

[castor]

Hey Guys what do you think would be good reading resource to brush up knowledge on Heme Onc before starting fellowship in July?? Something which is both readable and helpful during fellowship?
NCCI guidlines are way to complicated.

 

[HOIV]

Hey Guys what do you think would be good reading resource to brush up knowledge on Heme Onc before starting fellowship in July?? Something which is both readable and helpful during fellowship?
NCCI guidlines are way to complicated.

Welcome to fellowship...

If you think guidelines are complicated, you're in for a world of hurt. I would enjoy your third year or whatever it is you are doing now because at least where I train fellowship is heavily front loaded with both call and wards. You are going to have a tough time in the beginning no matter what. The field and fellowship are too broad to pick up and read a book cover to cover. Best of luck

 

[sachida]

Baptism by fire..looking forward to it..lol

 

[majahops]

Welcome to fellowship...

If you think guidelines are complicated, you're in for a world of hurt. I would enjoy your third year or whatever it is you are doing now because at least where I train fellowship is heavily front loaded with both call and wards. You are going to have a tough time in the beginning no matter what. The field and fellowship are too broad to pick up and read a book cover to cover. Best of luck

For complicated reasons, many of which I assume are financial in nature, the hematology oncology inpatient service at my hospital is manned by physicians assistants and attendings only. This means that I have had no experience directly caring for patients with common hematologic or oncologic disorders, from the very basic (eg neutropenic fever, ITP) to the more advanced (eg TTP, acquired factor 8 inhibitor). Do you know of a decent primer that covers the basics of management of common hematologic and oncologic issues for an incoming fellow with my limited experience? I realize that this is a problem, particularly the neutropenic fever part, which should just be bread and butter for internal medicine residents. I have made a lot of waves in my program about this shortcoming in our curriculum, but I would prefer that that wasn't the subject of responses to this post, because that will only magnify my frustration and will be of no help to me. I realize that I will likely become competent in the management of many of these issues rather quickly once fellowship starts, but I'd really like to decrease the slope of the learning curve to the extent I may be able to (even if it's only from 85° to 83°). Besides, I'm reading about heme onc most of the time, so it may as well be filling deficiencies in things I should ALREADY know, instead of in my knowledge about the next generation ALK inhibitors with better brain penetration. Thanks so much for your consideration and input.

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[gutonc]

Red UpToDate sections on:
- Onc emergencies - cord compression, Tumor lysis syndrome, SVC syndrome, brain mets with neuro decompensation, etc.
- Basics of the diagnosis and managemement of major tumor types (lung, prostate, breast, colorectal)

Know how to appropriately work up suspected malignancy.

Find somebody (heme or path) to go over smears with you.

Do that again.

And again.

Realize that virtually everything is not the emergency that the team requesting the consult thinks that it is. (And figure out a good way to make them think you believe that it is, without actually doing more than is strictly necessary.)

Tissue is the issue.

 

[IMapplicant2016]

I'm a current MS4 applying via the PSTP track for IM residency and Hem/Onc fellowship. I feel like I've got a decent grasp on what makes a good residency program, but I feel pretty lost in judging fellowship programs. My top contenders at this point are UAB vs. Emory vs. MUSC. My PhD is in basic/translational solid tumor research, but I'm looking to move into clinical research, especially drug trails and customized therapeutics based on tumor genetics. It's also important to me to get good clinical education as well.

Could I go wrong with any of the above fellowship programs? Any of these particularly strong in clinical trails? I checked their respective websites, but they seemed mostly comparable. Does it really matter if a program has a cancer institute vs. a CCC? Any other important metric I should be using to judge fellowship programs?