Official 2019-2020 Infectious Diseases Fellowship Application Cycle

[bioGraham]

Does anyone understand why we do not have access to the “Unfilled List” on NRMP if we matched but we can download the Match Outcomes PDF and pretty much get the same answer?

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[R Lyman]

The University of Arizona’s Infectious Disease Fellowship has several available positions starting July 2020. Our faculty have specific strengths in HIV, Antimicrobial Stewardship, Transplant ID, and Valley Fever. Our graduates are established in careers in academia, private practice, and clinical research. Tucson is a small, friendly city with wonderful hiking and outdoor activities all year round.

Applications are being accepted through ERAS, and we will respond without delay.

Sincerely,

Elizabeth Connick, MD
Chief, Division of Infectious Diseases
Fellowship Program Director
University of Arizona, College of Medicine
Tucson, Arizona

 

[Miccyb13]

Reading this now I wanted to offer another perspective of the ID program in Wisconsin. Admittedly, I was surprised to read some of the comments as they did not match my own experiences. I myself was not an in-house applicant for ID as I attended residency elsewhere. As a fellow and as a graduate I did not feel as if I should have gone to another program. I was, and remain today, very satisfied with my training.

I can not comment on the schedule as it is different now than when I was a fellow. However, I do not know the fellows had a lot of autonomy in designing the fellowship schedule. I believe the current one week stretches are that way because previous fellows designed that. I also know that the fellows have the autonomy to make their own schedules and select which weeks they are on service. The program was always receptive to change and if there was a preferred alternative to the weekly schedule I’m confident the program directors would respond to it.

I am surprised to read that there were concerns about lack of respect for the fellows. I am terribly sorry to hear that was your experience. It certainly doesn’t fit with my and my co-fellow’s own personal experiences. I never felt excluded in that I wasn't a "UW person". I felt that the program and faculty were invested in my and my co-fellows training (for career goals both inside and outside of academics) and well-being from day one.

I do agree that the clinical work load can be challenging. However, the longer I have been out of fellowship the more familiar I am with other programs. I find it hard to imagine that there are any ID fellowship programs that do not have a challenging clinical work load. I do certainly agree that the clinical training is exceptional and fellows will be prepared for the rest of their career.

Without a doubt I agree that Madison is a lovely place to live and work - especially if you enjoy the outdoors or have a young family. Madison simultaneously feels like a cosmopolitan capital city and also a small town. The quality of life is high.

Ultimately, I am happy about my decision to train at UW and would do it again.

 

[trichosporon]

Reading this now I wanted to offer another perspective of the ID program in Wisconsin. Admittedly, I was surprised to read some of the comments as they did not match my own experiences. I myself was not an in-house applicant for ID as I attended residency elsewhere. As a fellow and as a graduate I did not feel as if I should have gone to another program. I was, and remain today, very satisfied with my training.

I can not comment on the schedule as it is different now than when I was a fellow. However, I do not know the fellows had a lot of autonomy in designing the fellowship schedule. I believe the current one week stretches are that way because previous fellows designed that. I also know that the fellows have the autonomy to make their own schedules and select which weeks they are on service. The program was always receptive to change and if there was a preferred alternative to the weekly schedule I’m confident the program directors would respond to it.

I am surprised to read that there were concerns about lack of respect for the fellows. I am terribly sorry to hear that was your experience. It certainly doesn’t fit with my and my co-fellow’s own personal experiences. I never felt excluded in that I wasn't a "UW person". I felt that the program and faculty were invested in my and my co-fellows training (for career goals both inside and outside of academics) and well-being from day one.

I do agree that the clinical work load can be challenging. However, the longer I have been out of fellowship the more familiar I am with other programs. I find it hard to imagine that there are any ID fellowship programs that do not have a challenging clinical work load. I do certainly agree that the clinical training is exceptional and fellows will be prepared for the rest of their career.

Without a doubt I agree that Madison is a lovely place to live and work - especially if you enjoy the outdoors or have a young family. Madison simultaneously feels like a cosmopolitan capital city and also a small town. The quality of life is high.

Ultimately, I am happy about my decision to train at UW and would do it again.

This type of response towards criticism of the program I found to be the norm. Based on your username, I assume you are now faculty at UW, suggesting you are the only UW ID trained fellow that UW invested in who had not done IM residency at UW.

Yes, a recent change was allowing fellows to create a rough draft schedule in which the fellows slot which week they wanted to rotate on a given service with assigned attendings. This is not a solution but merely allows evenly distributing the slowest rounding attendings among the fellows. The rough draft schedule was often changed and there was no consideration of the quality of the attendings working on teaching services with the fellows.

The biggest challenge of the clinical work load is not the number of consults but rather the heavy top-down structure and the profound inefficiencies of attending lead rounds with attendings having no incentives to improve, as I note above. The attendings' inefficiencies in rounds, I believe, are why prior fellows had transitioned to working 1-week blocks instead of the standard month long rotations used at most programs and why fellows do not rotate in clinic on the weeks they are on inpatient service.

This program will not be a top tier program until significant improvements are made. That the program continues to be reliant on in-house applicants or applicants with spouses working at UW in other departments further underscores this.

The program leadership largely trained at UW and feels the "UW way" is the right way. There is a strong resistance to program changes that improve how rounds are conducted or that change how services are dependent on fellows (more for writing new consult notes, answering the pager, navigating the team on walk rounds rather than decision making). The reluctance for true program improvement prevents the fellowship from developing pathways or tracks or otherwise allowing fellows to truly customize their training. I personally think the recent "band-aid" changes of week long rotations or not having clinic while on service are not good for training in that they do not allow continuity and limit elective or research time. Hiring mid-levels to work on all of the ID services has helped offload fellows, at some cost of patient continuity, without fixing any of the underlying problems.

I do sincerely hope the program will reflect and be open to true change and improvements.

 

[Mario_MD]

Hello, are there are ID Fellowship programs that would consider an applicant without IM training?

I am an ECFMG-certified physician with 2+ years of ACGME-accredited residency experience from Harvard-affiliated training programs in General Surgery (2 years) and Anesthesia (6 months) and an MPH from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. I have been away from clinical practice since 2017 and am planning to apply to the 2020 IM match.

However, given that I have been away from clinical practice for a few years now, I am considering enrolling in an unfilled clinical fellowship to help my transition back into IM.

Thanks!

 

[yay4250]

Hello, are there are ID Fellowship programs that would consider an applicant without IM training?

I am an ECFMG-certified physician with 2+ years of ACGME-accredited residency experience from Harvard-affiliated training programs in General Surgery (2 years) and Anesthesia (6 months) and an MPH from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. I have been away from clinical practice since 2017 and am planning to apply to the 2020 IM match.

However, given that I have been away from clinical practice for a few years now, I am considering enrolling in an unfilled clinical fellowship to help my transition back into IM.

Thanks!

You can’t participate in an IM fellowship without completing IM residency. A fellowship isn’t just something you do while you wait for residency.... most are actually more difficult than residency itself and knowledge builds off of the basics you learn in residency.

 

[ID_coffee]

Hi! Your post was encouraging! Does failing step 3 have an impact on ID fellowship match?

I agree with most of the things in this post.
I just completed an ID Fellowship in NYC this June. Happy to help with any advice.
Remember, ID is still a "buyers market." You will match, you will likely get your 1st or 2nd choice.
Figure out your own goals, passion, rather than using rankings or prestige to guide you in picking a program. Look at the fellows, are they happy? Where do they go after? Look at the faculty? Are they nuturing? Would they be good mentors? Would they open doors for a research pathway? Look at the sites you rotate at, and the patients you see.

ID is a great field and I am happy to see all of you applying. If you have clear goals entering the fellowship and the application field it will be alot easier down the road.