Peds Cards Mentor

[pigsinacloth]

This might be a shot in the dark, but if there are any cardiology fellows, attendings, or PGY-2 or PGY-3 residents going into cards who would be willing to help an incoming peds PGY-1 navigate residency and build a strong application, I would be incredibly grateful!


For some background: I'm starting at a program with an in-house cardiology fellowship, and I’ve rotated there before. However, the residency program itself doesn’t typically produce many applicants who go into cardiology. I know I’ll be paired with faculty mentors, and I’ve heard the fellows are more than willing to help, but I think getting perspectives from outside my institution would be valuable, as it can provide a broader view. Also, I feel like people tend to be more candid behind an anonymous username than they are in person.

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[BigRedBeta]

Not signing up to be a mentor, but some general guidelines

1) Do not keep your interest a secret. A guy I went to residency with wanted to do cardiology. All of the residents knew that. Guess who didn't? The residency program director, the cardiology fellows, the cardiology attendings and the cardiology fellowship director. Was a total surprise when his application was on the pile for the Fellowship PD. At that point, with no help, no known interest, his application was very weak and he struggled to get interviews, and then didn't match. He had some geographic limitations due to family stuff so when he went to apply the second time around with an improved (though still not strong) application, a lot of places rejected him again saying "we already saw you last year".

At most places with a fellowship program, that PD is your biggest asset. Build rapport with them and they will be the liaison to other programs to help you match. They may be selfishly invested on trying to keep you, but the good PD's will still go to bat on your behalf if you tell one program or another has captured your attention.

2) As a PGY-1, you certainly don't have to know what your niche is going to be, but trying to gather some exposure to the various subfields will be helpful - Interventional, advanced imaging, transplant/heart failure, Cardiac ICU, Adult congenital, EP - all with additional fellowship time needed. You can also consider how other rotations - Developmental Peds and genetics come to mind - could intersect with general cardiology to create interesting research questions.

3) It's also okay to change your mind. Just because you may have been set for Cards, if something changes, it's okay to adjust course. Sometimes you just need to remind yourself of that.