flipflopsnsnow said:
If i am interested in possibly doing a peds fellowship someday, and i am applying to places that dont have fellowships, does it matter if i say that in my personal statement or not? i am interested in residency at a place that likes residents who would stay in that area and practice, except they dont have fellowships there, so i'd have to go somewhere else for that training.
There hae been some untested guidelines I always heard from in regards to pediatric fellowships. But first off, most of the peds fellowships are not all that competitive. Except for maybe Peds ER and Cardiology, but even then they're not impossible. You work hard in any residency you can get any fellowship you want.
The untested rule I always heard was this, if you want to enter a fellowship, you want to go to a residency where there are no fellows. Better to train and do your electives under an attending specialist rather than having one of his lackeys do all the teaching. And being that this attending specialst worked with you closely, he/she woud be able to write an accurate, and hopefully glowing letter of reccomendation for you. Also, as a resident, you may get a chance to try some procedures, rather than having a fellow "hog them all up."
On the other side of things, usually residencies who have fellowships see a lot of varied pathology in that particular specialty. So although you may not be as involved in these cases, you will at least get more exposure to certain zebras.
I myself trained in a fairly small program with only fellowships in DB peds and neonatology. Most of the residents I have known whom have applied to fellowships outside the state though have gotten in somewhere. This includes specialties in critical care, peds ER, cardiology, and even medical genetics.
So what do you say in your PS? Just be honest! Or say something like... "I plan on entering a fellowship, but I feel the best way to prepare me for that is a very solid grounding in primary care pediatrics." Hehehehe.....
