Official 2018-2019 GI Fellowship Application Cycle

[Name6]

SLU, UTMB, Memphis, UT Houston, UNM

what about these? thank you guys!

1. Loyola
2. Cleveland Clinic-Florida
3. University of Arizona-Tucson

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[Zingaro85]

SLU, UTMB, Memphis, UT Houston, UNM

what about these? thank you guys!

1. Loyola
2. Cleveland Clinic-Florida
3. University of Arizona-Tucson

What if cleveland clinic florida is in the list as well.
Thanks

 

[LoveDoctor3]

henry ford vs oschner?

 

[GastroStar]

Any assistance would be appreciated in ranking. Interested in IBD and academics.

Baylor Houston
Wash U
CCF
UTSW
UT San Antonio

 

[Gastromeister]

Everyone wants advice on their rank lists but no one wants to respond to others.

This thread is on life support.

 

[Name6]

henry ford vs oschner?

Oschner

 

[Name6]

Any assistance would be appreciated in ranking. Interested in IBD and academics.

Baylor Houston
Wash U
CCF
UTSW
UT San Antonio

Wash U
Baylor Houston
UT SW
UT San Antonio
CCF

 

[Lccjblu]

Can someone comment on how liveable the Bay Area is on a fellow salary, specifically around Stanford and UCSF?

Between rent ($3000-$4000) per month, transportation/parking (~$500), and of course food/utilities (another $500), how do you make ends meet? Starting a family seems to add another layer of complexity because that’s another couple thousand dollars for child care costs.

 

[GastriqueGraffin]

Can someone comment on how liveable the Bay Area is on a fellow salary, specifically around Stanford and UCSF?

Between rent ($3000-$4000) per month, transportation/parking (~$500), and of course food/utilities (another $500), how do you make ends meet? Starting a family seems to add another layer of complexity because that’s another couple thousand dollars for child care costs.

If you’re in a committed relationship then your spouse/so should also be working. If not then maybe a roommate situation? Even then expect to live relatively poorly.

 

[Gastromeister]

Friendly reminder:

DON'T FORGET TO CERTIFY YOUR RANK ORDER LIST BY 9:00PM EST ON 11/14/2018

 

[GutBoi]

Good luck everybody! Just two weeks left

 

[aafisahar]

Can someone comment on how liveable the Bay Area is on a fellow salary, specifically around Stanford and UCSF?

Between rent ($3000-$4000) per month, transportation/parking (~$500), and of course food/utilities (another $500), how do you make ends meet? Starting a family seems to add another layer of complexity because that’s another couple thousand dollars for child care costs.

don't live in the bay area.

 

[Gastromeister]

Good luck and godspeed to all.

Your fate has already been algorithmically computed. May it be in your favor.

 

[Shakazolo]

I want to thank everyone who participated in this thread by sharing information and experiences. I really appreciate your help.

 

[ShiShiMD]

Best wishes for all for tomorrow

 

[steelblue89]

Anyone know if it usually comes out a bit early or is it at 12pm on the dot?

 

[cardss2019]

Anyone know if it usually comes out a bit early or is it at 12pm on the dot?

It doesn't matter. Your destiny won't change even if it comes a bit earlier.

 

[steelblue89]

It doesn't matter. Your destiny won't change even if it comes a bit earlier.

Wouldn’t change if match day was a week earlier either, but that’s not the point.

 

[ShiShiMD]

the email is sent a little earlier

Anyone know if it usually comes out a bit early or is it at 12pm on the dot?

 

[aime-kay]

Nerve wrecking!

 

[justanothername]

Matched, results in e-mail. Thanks everyone!

 

[GI_Kala]

So fiance matched to 11 out of 15.... super surprised with the result and also how far down the list it went but a match is a match, so that's a relief at least.

Actually, quality-wise the program was in the top 3 but we weren't happy about the location, so it's still a bit of a bittersweet result.

Thank you everyone for the support over this long process, I hope you all matched somewhere too!

 

[steelblue89]

AMG, matched to #2 out of 6 interviews. Couldn't decide at all between my top 3, so very thankful and relieved. Thank you to everyone for their posts and advice in this thread.

 

[Gastromeister]

Matched!

What a relief. Very happy with the result!

 

[GastriqueGraffin]

Congrats to all who matched and welcome to the wonderful world of GI!

 

[Shakazolo]

Thanks to Allah. I matched. Thank you guys for your help.

 

[Roger899]

Thanks to Allah. I matched. Thank you guys for your help.

2nd year Internal Resident here........I hear from 3rd year Residents that it was very tough for GI Fellowship.
Can anyone elaborate on this?

 

[GutBoi]

2nd year Internal Resident here........I hear from 3rd year Residents that it was very tough for GI Fellowship.
Can anyone elaborate on this?

It seemed extremely competitive to me but then again it was just my experience. Will have to wait for the official match numbers to come out to know for sure. Luckily I matched #1 but really was sweating match day quite a bit. Felt like I could have ended up anywhere on my list or not matched at all if I was unlucky.

 

[GutBoi]

So fiance matched to 11 out of 15.... super surprised with the result and also how far down the list it went but a match is a match, so that's a relief at least.

Actually, quality-wise the program was in the top 3 but we weren't happy about the location, so it's still a bit of a bittersweet result.

Thank you everyone for the support over this long process, I hope you all matched somewhere too!

Sounds like you still ended up at a great place which is fantastic. The people make the location

 

[aime-kay]

Matched!!!

 

[cardss2019]

The NRMP numbers are listed under options and reports. Prelim numbers show:
Cardiology: 71.9 % matched, 27.3 % unmatched
Gastroenterology: 64.4 % matches, 35 % unmatched
Heme onc: 75.7 % matched, 21 % unmatched
Infectious disease: 94.7 % matched, 5.3 % unmatched
Nephrology: 95.1 % matched, 4.9 % unmatched
Pulm crit: 72 % match, 24.6 % unmatched
Rheum: 65 % match, 33 % unmatched

 

[Elixir6]

2nd year Internal Resident here........I hear from 3rd year Residents that it was very tough for GI Fellowship.
Can anyone elaborate on this?

There are a lot of factors. Most important is your pedigree. Those persons privledged to go to the best colleges" go to the top prestige med school which leads to the amazing residency etc.... There is lots of regional bias and whether programs think you'll be likely to come there. Many places won't interview you if you seem "too good" to match there even if you really want to go somewhere for location. Then there is your references and research and who knows who makes a big difference. Lastly, what your goals are: hepatology, transplant, community, academic etc...

So the guy from an Ivy league is going to fall a$$ backwards into a good program, the mid tier people will have to work their butts off, and the community program resident has a major up hill battle. Those statistics lump all those candidates together and they are very different.

My large program had like 10 people apply and we all got in at an academic program which was the goal for all of them.

My advice is to get a really good advisor for research who will give you guidance, work hard as hell in the hospital and doing research out, and remember your home program is the most likely place you'll end up.

 

[Elixir6]

For the record I matched at my #2 which amazingly is a top 5 or top 10 program depending on who you ask. Funny because my #1 choice is considered by many to be lower ranked than where I actually matched (though I had my reasons for ranking that way). I'm very fortunate.

 

[ApeDoKillApe]

2nd year Internal Resident here........I hear from 3rd year Residents that it was very tough for GI Fellowship.
Can anyone elaborate on this?

Difficult, but not impossible if you work hard enough. As Elixir6 pointed out, it highly depends on your residency program. If you are from top-tier programs, it's not so difficult to match. I am not saying that it's easy to match wherever you want neither. But if you are an IMG from no-tier community program, your chance is much lower.

Why is it so difficult?

• Too many strong candidates from the top-tier programs. A high percentage of people do not get what they want (top 3-5) because each place has not many spots. Some programs do not interview all internal candidates.
• Many programs prefer to interview candidates that are stronger than their internal candidates.
• Many have a filter based on USMLE scores (e.g., 240 both steps), visa, number of publications, location, and residency programs.
• There are approximately 30-50 candidates having done an advanced GI-related fellowship (e.g., hepatology, IBD, motility, nutrition etc). Statistically, most of these people eventually matched. So, the available seats are even smaller.
• I estimated that there are more than 150 chief residents applied per annum BTW, the impact of being a chief resident help based on the tier you are in too (the higher tier gives you a much better chance).

Still, I also happen to know an IMG from community program that nobody knows, no chief year, no advanced fellowship, and no in-house GI fellowship who matched into a top-tier GI program. If you are in the bottom of the pyramid, you probably need to have more than 10 publications in PubMed during the residency (case reports carry the lowest weight), a few strong LoRs from the well-known professor (this one is hard given the earlier assumption), successful elective rotation at that program, or a deep connection with the faculty in the GI fellowship programs. You don't need all of these things. The more, the better.

 

[#Future.MD.12]

For those of you who matched, how much research/publications did you have?

 

[hepatitisCyoulater]

All of this goes to show you how tough and unpredictable the GI match can be. I am an AMG chief resident at a major university program and I matched at my 4th ranked place (out of 12). I was fortunate enough to get to interviews at some pretty incredible and top-tier places, but with that came the reality of going up against the best and the brightest at those top places. Some of these places ended up taking all internal candidates, one of these programs took all internals who were all MD/Phds. There is also a strong regional component to fellowship, and fellowships are more likely to take you if they think that you will stick around in the area (i.e. not use them as a stepping stone. If they are going to put in all this time to train you, they want something out of it). At these interviews, the incredible caliber of applicants that apply for GI each year was very apparent. I still matched at an outstanding place that was one of my favorites (academic, big research center) and I cant wait to get started.

If I could give some advice to those applying next year, or who might be earlier in their career, I would focus on the QUALITY of your research instead of the quantity. After going through this process, I can tell you that application screeners and interviewers want to talk about QUALITY, FIRST-AUTHORED GI/HEP RESEARCH. Don't waste your time on case reports, regional IM meetings, or even published case reports. They only reflect a moment in time, and don't comment on your passion for the field. Having 10 ACG abstracts that are all case reports won't do you any good. I also think that being a first-author is very important, and that carried me far. Publications are not created equal, and publishing in a crappy journal does not get you very far. Another thing, the chief resident title really really helps. I got some interviews I probably didnt deserve to get because of it. Lastly, and I think this is the biggest cardinal sin of the quality but unmatched applicant, you HAVE to apply broadly. This is way too competitive of a game to get picky if you dont have to. I know some really good applicants at top 10-top 20 residency programs that didnt match because they limited themselves when applying, or didnt rank enough places.

Congrats on those who got good news last week. If you didn't, keep grinding, it'll work out for you one day. If you are truly passionate about the field, it will show.

 

[Shakazolo]

For those of you who matched, how much research/publications did you have?

I am IMG, average USMLE scores, average university program for residency.
I did MPH and worked as GI hospitalist in academic institution for 2 years.
5 years after residency
5 original research publications, 2 of them first author. one of them had impact factor above 7
more than 10 posters and oral presentations.

Thanks Allah, I matched.

 

[HelpPleaseMD]

congrats to all who matched. welcome to GI.

 

[inadec]

Congrats to everyone who matched.
Have the program been in touch with you guys yet? Have had no official communication as of now (however I do realize it's still early after Match day)

 

[Gastromeister]

Congrats to everyone who matched.
Have the program been in touch with you guys yet? Have had no official communication as of now (however I do realize it's still early after Match day)

I received a congratulatory/welcoming email shortly afterwards from the program director.

Programs vary greatly on how they handle this. I wouldn't worry too much to be honest. Unless you have a pressing matter I would be passive about this.

 

[PatelSinghHemal1985]

I matched this year. I did 13 interviews. Overall, I felt the top 5 programs I rank highest were very similar among them.
Many people asked questions in this forum about which program was superior to other, and all data came basically from anecdotal experience.
I wonder if we can collect in a excel doc data from programs to compare them more objectively, as a resource for future applicants and users of this forum.

My suggestions are:
-Number of faculty: as only stronger institutions can recruit and maintain faculty in all GI subspecialties.
-Number of fellows
-NIH funding $$$: NIH Awards by Location and Organization - NIH Research Portfolio Online Reporting Tools (RePORT) It is very easy to export table to excel and filter to find institutions.
-T32 fellow: yes/no, as only stronger institutions can support T32 positions.

I guess we can start with what it seems to be the top tier (30 programs are around the best 15%):
*I am missing 2 programs to be completed by the forum.

West
1. Stanford
2. UCLA
3. UCSF
4. UCSD
5. U wash
Midwest
1. Mayo MN
2. Northwestern
3. U Chicago
4. Michigan
5. Cleveland clinic
6. UPMC
7. Wash U
South
1. Duke
2. UNC
3. Vanderbilt
4. Emory
5. UTSW
6. Baylor (Houston)
Northeast
1. Hopkins
2. U Penn
3. Columbia
4. Cornell
5. Mount Sinai
6. NYU
7. Yale
8. MGH
9. Brigham
10. BIDMC

I hope this can be a good collective effort.

 

[Elixir6]

I matched this year. I did 13 interviews. Overall, I felt the top 5 programs I rank highest were very similar among them.
Many people asked questions in this forum about which program was superior to other, and all data came basically from anecdotal experience.
I wonder if we can collect in a excel doc data from programs to compare them more objectively, as a resource for future applicants and users of this forum.

My suggestions are:
-Number of faculty: as only stronger institutions can recruit and maintain faculty in all GI subspecialties.
-Number of fellows
-NIH funding $$$: NIH Awards by Location and Organization - NIH Research Portfolio Online Reporting Tools (RePORT) It is very easy to export table to excel and filter to find institutions.
-T32 fellow: yes/no, as only stronger institutions can support T32 positions.

I guess we can start with what it seems to be the top tier (30 programs are around the best 15%):
*I am missing 2 programs to be completed by the forum.

West
1. Stanford
2. UCLA
3. UCSF
4. UCSD
5. U wash
Midwest
1. Mayo MN
2. Northwestern
3. U Chicago
4. Michigan
5. Cleveland clinic
6. UPMC
7. Wash U
South
1. Duke
2. UNC
3. Vanderbilt
4. Emory
5. UTSW
6. Baylor (Houston)
Northeast
1. Hopkins
2. U Penn
3. Columbia
4. Cornell
5. Mount Sinai
6. NYU
7. Yale
8. MGH
9. Brigham
10. BIDMC

I hope this can be a good collective effort.

While a noble effort, I think such rankings would not be useful despite the objective criteria you suggest. They correlate no doubt with prestige, but I'm not sure it correlates with how well a fellow is trained (which different people will have different views on what makes for good training) and it will certainly detract from people making choices based on how well a program suits their goals/needs.

For academic GI in the ivory towers, prestige will be quite important, but I don't think the ranking method you suggest will be far off from the anecdotal rankings people make up from their gut feelings.

Just my two cents.

 

[Gastromeister]

While a noble effort, I think such rankings would not be useful despite the objective criteria you suggest. They correlate no doubt with prestige, but I'm not sure it correlates with how well a fellow is trained (which different people will have different views on what makes for fogo training) and it will certainly detract from people making choices based on how well a program suits their goals/needs.

For academic GI in the ivory towers prestige will be quite important but I don't think the ranking method you suggest will be far off from the anecdotal rankings people make up from their gut feelings.

Just my two cents.

agreed

 

[rd31]

I matched this year. I did 13 interviews. Overall, I felt the top 5 programs I rank highest were very similar among them.
Many people asked questions in this forum about which program was superior to other, and all data came basically from anecdotal experience.
I wonder if we can collect in a excel doc data from programs to compare them more objectively, as a resource for future applicants and users of this forum.

My suggestions are:
-Number of faculty: as only stronger institutions can recruit and maintain faculty in all GI subspecialties.
-Number of fellows
-NIH funding $$$: NIH Awards by Location and Organization - NIH Research Portfolio Online Reporting Tools (RePORT) It is very easy to export table to excel and filter to find institutions.
-T32 fellow: yes/no, as only stronger institutions can support T32 positions.

I guess we can start with what it seems to be the top tier (30 programs are around the best 15%):
*I am missing 2 programs to be completed by the forum.

West
1. Stanford
2. UCLA
3. UCSF
4. UCSD
5. U wash
Midwest
1. Mayo MN
2. Northwestern
3. U Chicago
4. Michigan
5. Cleveland clinic
6. UPMC
7. Wash U
South
1. Duke
2. UNC
3. Vanderbilt
4. Emory
5. UTSW
6. Baylor (Houston)
Northeast
1. Hopkins
2. U Penn
3. Columbia
4. Cornell
5. Mount Sinai
6. NYU
7. Yale
8. MGH
9. Brigham
10. BIDMC

I hope this can be a good collective effort.

I don't see how the raw number of fellows has any relevance to anything. Is a program that has 6 fellows automatically better than one that has 4 or 5, assuming all other things equal? Programs with fewer fellows typically don't need as much coverage or have many different hospitals to serve. In many cases, this can be a good thing.

 

[physicianado]

Hi guys, I am a 4th year DO student currently finalizing my Rank Order list for Internal Medicine residency through the ACGME match. I have below average Step scores, but I planning to make for it through research.

Should I try to match into a program that has clearly taken their own residents into their in-house GI fellowship - like Texas Tech El Paso (4 out of 6 GI fellows are their own) and Einstein Philadelphia (5 out of 9 GI fellows are their own).

Or should I try to match into a program that may have a better overall reputation like Ochsner in Louisiana or Carilion Virginia Tech in Roanoke?

The other programs I interviewed at are Methodist-Dallas, Arizona-Phoenix and Jersey Shore, Palmetto Health in South Carolina and tens of other community programs

Any input would be appreciated.

 

[Lccjblu]

Hi guys, I am a 4th year DO student currently finalizing my Rank Order list for Internal Medicine residency through the ACGME match. I have below average Step scores, but I planning to make for it through research.

Should I try to match into a program that has clearly taken their own residents into their in-house GI fellowship - like Texas Tech El Paso (4 out of 6 GI fellows are their own) and Einstein Philadelphia (5 out of 9 GI fellows are their own).

Or should I try to match into a program that may have a better overall reputation like Ochsner in Louisiana or Carilion Virginia Tech in Roanoke?

The other programs I interviewed at are Methodist-Dallas, Arizona-Phoenix and Jersey Shore, Palmetto Health in South Carolina and tens of other community programs

Any input would be appreciated.

Go to one that has an in house GI fellowship.

 

[physicianado]

Go to one that has an in house GI fellowship.

Thank you for the insight, although my question is more to do with whether I should goto a internal medicine program (with in-house GI fellowship) that is known to take their own residents (for example Texas Tech El Paso or Einstein Philly) OR

an internal medicine program with in-house GI fellowship that is NOT known to take their own, but is overall a slightly more reputed program (for example Ochsner in Louisiana and Carilion Virgina tech)

All the above-mentioned programs have in-house GI fellowship, but Ochsner and Carilion may be ranked better on Doximity rankings compared to El Paso or Einstein. Am I limiting myself to only El Paso’s GI program by going there? Maybe if I went to Ochsner instead it would open up more doors for me due to its higher reputation?

 

[hepatitisCyoulater]

Thank you for the insight, although my question is more to do with whether I should goto a internal medicine program (with in-house GI fellowship) that is known to take their own residents (for example Texas Tech El Paso or Einstein Philly) OR

an internal medicine program with in-house GI fellowship that is NOT known to take their own, but is overall a slightly more reputed program (for example Ochsner in Louisiana and Carilion Virgina tech)

All the above-mentioned programs have in-house GI fellowship, but Ochsner and Carilion may be ranked better on Doximity rankings compared to El Paso or Einstein. Am I limiting myself to only El Paso’s GI program by going there? Maybe if I went to Ochsner instead it would open up more doors for me due to its higher reputation?

I think your head is in the right place, but just be aware that programs that "tend to take their own residents" is a hard label to place. Most programs fluctuate with how many residents they take from their own program, I think it all depends on the quality of their internal applicants. There are programs that take 3-4 from their own program one year and 0 the next. It is also very hard to decipher WHY that is. For example, did they take 4 from their own program because they were great applicants who all wanted to stay, or because they are not a good GI fellowship and were worried about not filling.

Although Doximity rankings are mostly garbage, my advice to you would be to go somewhere that you can get quality GI/Hepatology research that also has an in-house fellowship. This will matter to not only your own in-house fellowship program, but others that you apply to. You dont want to put all of your eggs in one basket by going to a lesser-known residency simply because their fellowship takes their own residents. Fellowship programs care where you went to residency; this can be a major boost or major disadvantage depending on what program you go to. A place like Ochsner and their robust Hepatology transplant center would be a great place to have a letter from, and would carry more weight than a letter from another spot.

If your goal is to overcome low step scores with research (this is achievable by the way), then your goal for residency would be to go to the best research spot you can. If you are a good applicant, the rest should take care of itself.

 

[physicianado]

I think your head is in the right place, but just be aware that programs that "tend to take their own residents" is a hard label to place. Most programs fluctuate with how many residents they take from their own program, I think it all depends on the quality of their internal applicants. There are programs that take 3-4 from their own program one year and 0 the next. It is also very hard to decipher WHY that is. For example, did they take 4 from their own program because they were great applicants who all wanted to stay, or because they are not a good GI fellowship and were worried about not filling.

Although Doximity rankings are mostly garbage, my advice to you would be to go somewhere that you can get quality GI/Hepatology research that also has an in-house fellowship. This will matter to not only your own in-house fellowship program, but others that you apply to. You dont want to put all of your eggs in one basket by going to a lesser-known residency simply because their fellowship takes their own residents. Fellowship programs care where you went to residency; this can be a major boost or major disadvantage depending on what program you go to. A place like Ochsner and their robust Hepatology transplant center would be a great place to have a letter from, and would carry more weight than a letter from another spot.

If your goal is to overcome low step scores with research (this is achievable by the way), then your goal for residency would be to go to the best research spot you can. If you are a good applicant, the rest should take care of itself.

Really Good advice that pretty much sums it all up, thank you for that valuable insight and good luck to your future endeavors!

 

[atticusfinchicus]

I know that people look back on these forums so I wanted to just write to give some encouragement. I applied for the first time this year and matched at my number 1 even though I was told multiple times during medical school that my step 1 score would prevent me from matching into GI.
Stats:
AMG
Medical School and Residency: Academic, mid-tier programs
Step 1: 214
Step 2: 236
Interviewed: 9 programs (all academic)
Matched: #1
Advice: Dont let other people get you down if your scores arnt perfect. I did a lot of research during residency, got first author publications and presented poster and oral presentations at some top conferences. Network well and believe in yourself. If you work your ass off you can compensate a lot for step scores. That being said, having better scores would have most likely opened up some additional options for me, but many programs do not have the strict step score cut offs you may think they have. Congrats to everyone who matched and if you didn't dont give up.