Procedurally Heavy Spine-focused Pain Fellowships?

[JBM16BYU]

For a PM&R resident debating between ACGME pain fellowships and non-ACGME (NASS or Non-NASS) interventional spine fellowships, are there particular ACGME pain fellowships that are (A) procedurally heavy and (B) have more of an overall spine-focus (and less inpatient, cancer, palliative care)? Thanks for your opinions and advice in advance.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[NJPAIN]

Sounds like you want an “Interventional Spine and Musculoskeletal Medicine Fellowship” not a pain fellowship. I understand the desire to avoid things you don’t like and feel you will never use. However, to me the concept of these NASS fellowships is ridiculous. A fellowship is an ACGME approved fellowship or it’s not a fellowship. NASS, ABPM, WIP(FIPP) ... what’s next AAA?

 

[Peterluger]

It’s all part and parcel of how anesthesiology as a field was sold out and killed over the years. Not to single out PMR in particular. We as anesthesiologists were cowards when it came to everyone, whether it was midlevels, administrators, etc....look where we are now. We didn’t put our foot down and now any specialty can practice interventional pain, which has historically been a sub-subspecialty of anesthesiology. Maybe we can have ER docs do regional blocks for us now, so our only job will be to bring the OR table up and down for the surgeons

 

[geauxg8rs]

It’s all part and parcel of how anesthesiology as a field was sold out and killed over the years. Not to single out PMR in particular. We as anesthesiologists were cowards when it came to everyone, whether it was midlevels, administrators, etc....look where we are now. We didn’t put our foot down and now any specialty can practice interventional pain, which has historically been a sub-subspecialty of anesthesiology. Maybe we can have ER docs do regional blocks for us now, so our only job will be to bring the OR table up and down for the surgeons

How petty of you
Anesthesiologists are not just table up/down.

We are also masters of picking sick tunes, giving people stock advice, sudoku/crossword. This is what it means to be a “perioperative specialist.”

 

[NJPAIN]

It’s all part and parcel of how anesthesiology as a field was sold out and killed over the years. Not to single out PMR in particular. We as anesthesiologists were cowards when it came to everyone, whether it was midlevels, administrators, etc....look where we are now. We didn’t put our foot down and now any specialty can practice interventional pain, which has historically been a sub-subspecialty of anesthesiology. Maybe we can have ER docs do regional blocks for us now, so our only job will be to bring the OR table up and down for the surgeons

Spot on.

 

[westcoastresdoc]

It’s all part and parcel of how anesthesiology as a field was sold out and killed over the years. Not to single out PMR in particular. We as anesthesiologists were cowards when it came to everyone, whether it was midlevels, administrators, etc....look where we are now. We didn’t put our foot down and now any specialty can practice interventional pain, which has historically been a sub-subspecialty of anesthesiology. Maybe we can have ER docs do regional blocks for us now, so our only job will be to bring the OR table up and down for the surgeons

You have quite some time on your hand as a "new attending". During a time when midlevels are gaining independence, you're petty about anesthesiologists being cowards. You spend a lot of time looking up program directors from New York and their payments from industry and talking negatively about programs, talking down about other physician specialties whom you dont think are on par with anesthesiologists being pain physicians, and just in general giving advice based on emotions to new fellows. I would personally spend more time focusing on being a good pain attending and being a good physician.

 

[Peterluger]

You have quite some time on your hand as a "new attending". During a time when midlevels are gaining independence, you're petty about anesthesiologists being cowards. You spend a lot of time looking up program directors from New York and their payments from industry and talking negatively about programs, talking down about other physician specialties whom you dont think are on par with anesthesiologists being pain physicians, and just in general giving advice based on emotions to new fellows. I would personally spend more time focusing on being a good pain attending and being a good physician.

I’m not an attending just yet....currently a fellow. But ok. I’m not talking down other specialties, if anything I’m talking down my own specialty, Anesthesiology. It’s not about other specialties being subpar at all. I think a multidisciplinary approach to pain is ideal. The key is, WHY did these Anesthesiology Pain fellowships become multi-specialty? Was it because anesthesiology-based pain physicians wanted the best care for pain patients, so that’s why they opened their fellowships up to everybody else? Absolutely not. It was a result of the same trend which caused anesthesiologists to lose ground to midlevels and administrators, namely, anesthesiologists failing to protect their specialty.
And regarding industry payments to fellowship directors, prospective applicants have the right to know how far UP THE ASS OF INDUSTRY some of these pain people are at some of these pompous programs. Sorry if you matched at one of the pompous programs with industry clowns at the helm

 

[jsaul]

I like this Peter luger guy. A fiesty fellow. I like his hamburger as.well
Can't wait to go back

 

[Bostonspine]

For a PM&R resident debating between ACGME pain fellowships and non-ACGME (NASS or Non-NASS) interventional spine fellowships, are there particular ACGME pain fellowships that are (A) procedurally heavy and (B) have more of an overall spine-focus (and less inpatient, cancer, palliative care)? Thanks for your opinions and advice in advance.

Acgme fellowship will give you the most options clinically and otherwise. Non-ACGME fellowship of any flavor NASS or otherwise has to be evaluated individually. Fellowship is important for exposure even if you never treat cancer or Pallative care you expected to know who to send it to a how to talk to a patient prior to refferal