Pain fellowship question(s).

[PMmetoHelp]

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I am entering PMR in July and am considering doing an interventional pain fellowship. I keep hearing a lot about anesthesiology accredited programs for pain.

Is there such thing as a PMR accredited pain program? How many are there? Which ones? Competitiveness?

Is there a separate board certification those who have completed pain fellowships?

I have also heard that there exists non-accredited pain fellowships? Does this mean that you cannot take the pain medicine boards, if these exist?

Also, is there a difference between an interventional pain fellowship and just a pain medicine fellowship or are these synonyms?

Thanks in advance

 

[DistantMets]

I am entering PMR in July and am considering doing an interventional pain fellowship. I keep hearing a lot about anesthesiology accredited programs for pain.

Is there such thing as a PMR accredited pain program? How many are there? Which ones? Competitiveness?

Is there a separate board certification those who have completed pain fellowships?

I have also heard that there exists non-accredited pain fellowships? Does this mean that you cannot take the pain medicine boards, if these exist?

Also, is there a difference between an interventional pain fellowship and just a pain medicine fellowship or are these synonyms?

Thanks in advance

I would definitely browse the pain and PM&R forums as this has been talked about extensively. In short, after some recent changes, all ACGME accredited pain medicine fellowships are supposed to incorporate anesthesia, PM&R, Neuro, and Psych into the curriculum. Most are in anesthesia departments, a few are in PM&R, "interventional" is the norm. The variables are what procedures, and how much med management. Several anesthesia based programs will take PM&R grads. In PM&R, there are spine and sports/spine fellowships that are non-accredited which means no pain boards but most are good additional training. Some are trying to gets sports med accredited or are happy to teach you spine and let someone else worry about pelvic pain, facial pain etc.