Pulmonary Medicine Competitiveness and Job Field

[Shiue]

Hi,

I am a DO student who is interested in the field of pulmonary medicine. I am a first year and I would like to get some input from people who are actually practicing in the field.

1) Is there a huge demand for pulmonologists?

2) Is it friendly to DO graduates? Is it as competitive as a surgical specialty?

3) Do I have to go to a university internal medical program (which is unfriendly to DOs) in order to be able to land a pulmonary fellowship? Is it impossible coming from a community based internal medical program?


Thank you!

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[Soccer171983]

Pm


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[Mad Jack]

Hi,

I am a DO student who is interested in the field of pulmonary medicine. I am a first year and I would like to get some input from people who are actually practicing in the field.

1) Is there a huge demand for pulmonologists?

2) Is it friendly to DO graduates? Is it as competitive as a surgical specialty?

3) Do I have to go to a university internal medical program (which is unfriendly to DOs) in order to be able to land a pulmonary fellowship? Is it impossible coming from a community based internal medical program?


Thank you!

There is a strong market for pulmonologists, as well as intensivists in general, though certain markets are a little more dry than others.

It is moderately competitive these days. Less competitive than cards, GI, or rad onc but a huge step above nephro and ID. Due to this, having an education from a university program is hugely beneficial, but it isn't impossible to match coming out of a stronger community program.

That's just like, what I've been told as someone who has asked these exact same questions though.

 

[chessknt]

Purely based on match rate numbers for total candidates pulm/ccm is now #2 after GI in terms of lowest match rate at 71%. That being said there is likely a strong selection pressure away from cards still though they see just as many foreign applicants as pulm/ccm. Any decent university IM program should be able to give you the tools you need to succeed if you are flexibile in location.

I would wait until you are actually going to apply to residency before worrying about this as it is way too early. You shouldnt even be in these forums yet as exciting as it may seem simply because of how much crazy **** you still have left to go through before you even start to think about this decision.

 

[tartesos]

You will find a spot. Maybe not where you want it, but you will find it and 3 years of fellowship go by in no time wherever you are.


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[PulmDr]

Pulmonary and CCM is an exciting field and going through some dynamic changes. I've been in practice (academic) for a few years and can tell you that demand has definitely increased. I've seen the competitiveness increase but at the same time, every field of IM has it's transient peaks and troughs. The great part is if you want a good case mix with physiology and procedures, PCCM and Cardiology are two gifts that keep giving in that aspect. If I could do it all over again, this is the same field I would pick and won't ever regret it. Going to a university program in my opinion is always helpful. With the advent of more graduates going straight into hospital medicine (at least for a few years before deciding they might switch into a fellowship) , even if your IM residency isn't university, I'd recommend to try specializing at a University. This can also be decided when scouting clinical programs vs. research down the line. I went to a heavily clinical university program and tried looking for a job that gave me a salary with less benchwork research. It's a matter of CHEST vs. ATS (but I digress). Case in point: the future is bright, jobs are fantastic and you'll love the field.

-PulmDr

Hi,

I am a DO student who is interested in the field of pulmonary medicine. I am a first year and I would like to get some input from people who are actually practicing in the field.

1) Is there a huge demand for pulmonologists?

2) Is it friendly to DO graduates? Is it as competitive as a surgical specialty?

3) Do I have to go to a university internal medical program (which is unfriendly to DOs) in order to be able to land a pulmonary fellowship? Is it impossible coming from a community based internal medical program?


Thank you!

 

[mochief2000]

You will find a spot. Maybe not where you want it, but you will find it and 3 years of fellowship go by in no time wherever you are.


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i don't know about that. time starting to move slower the closer you get to graduating

 

[Rekt]

Purely based on match rate numbers for total candidates pulm/ccm is now #2 after GI in terms of lowest match rate at 71%. That being said there is likely a strong selection pressure away from cards still though they see just as many foreign applicants as pulm/ccm. Any decent university IM program should be able to give you the tools you need to succeed if you are flexibile in location.

I would wait until you are actually going to apply to residency before worrying about this as it is way too early. You shouldnt even be in these forums yet as exciting as it may seem simply because of how much crazy **** you still have left to go through before you even start to think about this decision.

I somewhat agree, but what if you're only interested in PCCM/CCM and do not want to be stuck with IM or any other fellowship, it's good to know the landscape as a medical student.

Is pure CCM more competitive than PCCM? [DO]

 

[CCM-MD]

I somewhat agree, but what if you're only interested in PCCM/CCM and do not want to be stuck with IM or any other fellowship, it's good to know the landscape as a medical student.

Is pure CCM more competitive than PCCM? [DO]

Competitiveness is rising for both CCM and PCCM as residents are becoming aware of the shift work model that is similar to hospitalists for a significantly higher compensation. Its hard to say whether pure CCM is more/less competitive than PCCM. Stats for PCCM are available from the NRMP charting outcomes but theres none available for CCM because its not in the match. Whats important to note is that there are only 33 CCM programs in the country compared to 150 PCCM programs.

I recently applied for both PCCM and CCM with an intention of doing a 2 year CCM fellowship if offered a position. A vast majority of my interviews came from PCCM programs with only 5 interviews for 2 year CCM positions probably because there is significantly more PCCM programs. The applicant pool for CCM programs is also quite diverse and includes fellows who are completing or have completed a 2-year pulmonary fellowship, EM residents, tons of ID/nephrology fellows from well regarded programs who want to add a year of CCM. I even met someone who wanted to do a year of CCM after completing his cardiology fellowship, which was very interesting.