I thought it would be nice to start this thread for Pediatric residents aspiring to pursue a career in Pediatric Cardiology. Please contribute.🙂
I thought it would be nice to start this thread for Pediatric residents aspiring to pursue a career in Pediatric Cardiology. Please contribute.🙂
I've been on the interview trail for Peds Cardiology in the past few months, and one thing that I've come across is that there is a great variety in terms of jobs that you can get in Peds Cardiology. While lots of programs are looking for people that will focus on the basic science research aspect of things, there are also a good amount of opportunities in the clinical science arena as well. Some programs are even diversifying into looking for some people to do more of the hopsitalist tasks while other practitioners are more based in the clinics and other outpatient areas. Like scholes, the field appeals to me because of the variety, and I'll be headed into fellowship with an open mind on what I'd want to go into after fellowship.
I'd just like to get an idea for what you think made you a successful applicant for ped cards. Did you know going into your pediatric residency that you would ultimately pursue a fellowship? Did it scare you that you might not obtain a fellowship spot? What would you have done/do if you don't obtain a slot?
So ... what are the best programs? Child mag has a ranking ... for what that's worth ... but what do you guys think?
Cardiac Care
1. Children's Hospital Boston: The hospital is conducting 74 cardiac-related studies, among the most in our survey. Among its research accomplishments: the development of innovative tissue engineering techniques to avoid the need for pacemakers and artificial heart valves.
2. The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia: In addition to performing more than 375 complex cardiac surgeries in-house in 2005, the hospital sent a team of heart specialists to nearby facilities to operate at the bedsides of nearly 100 premature infants with Patent Ductus Arteriosus, a condition in which the vessel that allows blood to bypass the baby's lungs before birth fails to close normally.
3. Children's Healthcare of Atlanta: The facility is a leader in the field of cardiac genetics, conducting research to help explain the development of congenital heart disease and identify genotypes in patients with certain heart conditions. This will enable doctors to predict whether patients are at a greater risk of death or more likely to require a heart transplant, knowledge that will facilitate their care.
4. Texas Children's Hospital, Houston: In 2004 and 2005, its heart surgeons performed 83 extremely risky operations -- and only three patients died, one of the best survival rates of our survey.
5. The Children's Hospital, Denver: The hospital is a leader in pediatric heart transplants, with three-year survival rates around 85% and shorter-than-average patient stays.
Runners-Up: 6. Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of NewYork-Presbyterian in New York City; 7. University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children's Hospital in Ann Arbor; 8. Children's Hospital Wisconsin; 9. Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center; and 10. Children's Medical Center Dallas
I take that ranking with a grain of salt. It's CHILD magazine. It's written with the perspective of parents....it may be a great place to be a patient, but there is a lot more than what makes a program "great." What is important varies depending on what role you play. A great place to be a patient doesn't always mean the best place to be a fellow or a resident.
I hear what you are saying, but if you look at the methodology of the rankings, the Child magazine rankings are much much much more legitimate than the worthless US News and World Report rankings for children's hospitals. US News relies ONLY on hospital reputation, which they obtain from surveys of a bunch of doctor's throughout the country. From US News website..."Ranked only by reputation, each hospital was recommended by at least 3 percent of responding board-certified physicians surveyed in their specialty by U.S. News in 2004, 2005, and 2006." This is very political and subjective.
Child magazine uses actual data and information about the hospitals themselves. Although it has its limitations, it is more objective than US News. From Child Magazine website...."Our comprehensive 247-question survey, guided by leading pediatric experts (listed on page 12 of this article), examines vital medical information including survival rates, the number of complex procedures and intricate surgeries conducted, volume of research studies, efforts to reduce medical errors, and the quality and training of the doctors and nurses -- as well as child-friendliness, support for families, and community involvement. It was sent to the 116 full members of the National Association of Children's Hospitals and Related Institutions last August. Seventy-six hospitals completed the survey. The responses were graded to determine the best hospitals overall and the leaders in six pediatric subspecialty areas."
But I agree that neither is perfect and neither really indicates the better training programs.
To the root of the question ... what are the top places if they are not on that list ...
I hear what you are saying, but if you look at the methodology of the rankings, the Child magazine rankings are much much much more legitimate than the worthless US News and World Report rankings for children's hospitals. US News relies ONLY on hospital reputation, which they obtain from surveys of a bunch of doctor's throughout the country. From US News website..."Ranked only by reputation, each hospital was recommended by at least 3 percent of responding board-certified physicians surveyed in their specialty by U.S. News in 2004, 2005, and 2006." This is very political and subjective.
Child magazine uses actual data and information about the hospitals themselves. Although it has its limitations, it is more objective than US News. From Child Magazine website...."Our comprehensive 247-question survey, guided by leading pediatric experts (listed on page 12 of this article), examines vital medical information including survival rates, the number of complex procedures and intricate surgeries conducted, volume of research studies, efforts to reduce medical errors, and the quality and training of the doctors and nurses -- as well as child-friendliness, support for families, and community involvement. It was sent to the 116 full members of the National Association of Children's Hospitals and Related Institutions last August. Seventy-six hospitals completed the survey. The responses were graded to determine the best hospitals overall and the leaders in six pediatric subspecialty areas."
But I agree that neither is perfect and neither really indicates the better training programs.
Hi everyone,
I am a 3rd year medical student (for the next 2 weeks 🙂 ), who will be starting off her 4th year with a Pediatric Cardiology elective. I was wondering if you had any advice on any good references I should consider purchasing that would be helpful for me through out my rotation. I know I want to do peds, but I am still uncertain if I will want to specialize. Any suggestions are Greatly! appreciated.
Lisa 🙂
Quick update, since I'm on PICU call and a kid is coming in soon: I didn't match yesterday. I'm still in flux at the moment about all of it, but honestly, I wasn't super-confident going into the match since I had heard all throughout interview season that this year was really competitive. The stats that the NRMP put out yesterday validated that. Here are the bare-bones numbers: 170 certified applicants for 108 spots, and 101 matched. That leaves 69 people that didn't match and only 7 unfilled positions. In other words, 41% of the applicants didn't match, so it's not like I didn't have some company in not matching. Anyways, I still definitely want to go into Peds Cards, I just have to figure out a way to give myself a better shot next year. If anyone wants me to post the full stats, like US grads vs. foreign grads and such, just let me know.
Hey Arydolphin,
What kinds of things go into the peds cardio fellowship application? Do they look at board scores, med school grades, or just residency stuff and letters from the residency program? Thanks
Zeke
hi everyone,
im a MS3 and interested in learning more about peds cardiology, specifically:
what are the hours like?
do you get to do any procedures?
how would you describe your work environment? (stressful, colleagues)
what is the average compensation?
is malpractice/lawsuits high?
Thanks very much!
Hi all.
How is the job outlook? Are there enough jobs to go around?
On a side note, I'm also very interested in Neonatology, so if OBP (or any other neonatologist) is looking, maybe You could answer. How do You think Neo compares to ped cardiology in hours, competitiveness, job outlook etc?
Thanks,
Prop
There are plenty of jobs for all pedi subspecialists. The shortage is substantial for all, with some variability by sub-specialty.
Comparing neo to cards - similar hours, neo fellowship is less competitive to get, especially if you aren't targeting a large center. Job outlook is good for both, although there are more neos and more jobs for neos in more places. But there are still a wide range of places and jobs for pedi cards.
How competitive is a pediatric cardiology fellowship compared to a general cardiology fellowship coming off of IM?
Any thoughts on Children's Hospital of Wisconsin? Thank you so much
Any thoughts on Children's Hospital of Wisconsin? Thank you so much