Question about the different cardiology fellowships

[MDapp06]

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Hello!

I was wondering if anyone knows how to find out the number of positions offered for the different cardiology fellowships (non-invasive, invasive non-interventional, interventional, and electrophysiology). I checked the NRMP data and they indicate that 718 total cardiology fellowships are offered, but they do not give the breakdown between the different types of fellowships. If anyone can give me an idea of how the 718 number is broken down between the different fellowships, that would be very helpful for me.

Also, do interventional cardiologists also do cardiac caths, or are the caths generally within the realm of invasive non-interventional cardiology?

Typically, what does one have to do in order to be competitive for a invasive non-interventional or interventional cardiology fellowship? I'm a fourth year medical student, and I am thinking about my chances of getting into a cardiology fellowship after completing an IM residency.

thanks!

mdapp06

 

[normansatx]

Hello!

I was wondering if anyone knows how to find out the number of positions offered for the different cardiology fellowships (non-invasive, invasive non-interventional, interventional, and electrophysiology). I checked the NRMP data and they indicate that 718 total cardiology fellowships are offered, but they do not give the breakdown between the different types of fellowships. If anyone can give me an idea of how the 718 number is broken down between the different fellowships, that would be very helpful for me.

Also, do interventional cardiologists also do cardiac caths, or are the caths generally within the realm of invasive non-interventional cardiology?

Typically, what does one have to do in order to be competitive for a invasive non-interventional or interventional cardiology fellowship? I'm a fourth year medical student, and I am thinking about my chances of getting into a cardiology fellowship after completing an IM residency.

thanks!

mdapp06

Hey there. I find people aren't too good about replying quickly on this forum.
In general, one starts in a General Cardiovascular Medicine fellowship out of residency. It is 3 years long (although there are some 2yr clinical/2yr research fellowships for hardcore academics). After this, you are certified in non-invasive cardiology (diagnostic caths, basic echo, stress testing, etc.). You then go on to a interventional fellowship that is 1-2 years long, after which you can perform angioplasty, stenting, balloon valvuloplasty, ect. ect. Also available is subfellowships in Electrophysiology (EP), Transplant, Advanced Echo, and the list goes on. Non-interventionalists do caths, but strictly for diagnostic purposes. If the cath is positive, an interventionalist can perform the angioplasty.
The first step is obtaining a general cardiology fellowship. It is variably (competing with GI) thought to be the most competitive in Medicine. The time-tested approach is to match at the highest "ranking" medicine program you can and get involved early with research or some other project. The fellowship director at my program recently told me that they look at the quality of the IM program first, then who writes their letters (is it someone nationally known), then their dedication to academics by looking at projects and research. Board scores, med school grades, volunteer activity, etc. all fall in behind somewhere. I would focus now on first deciding you want to do IM, because you have to spend 3 years in an internal medicine residency first. Then focus on performing well in medical school to land the highest quality IM residency you can.
I am not an expert by any means, and I sure some other contributers will have sage advice to give. Good luck!

 

[dragonfly99]

Agree w/above.
concentrate on getting into a good IM residency first.
I find that people are confused about the terminology:
1) interventional cardiologist means one who does percutaneous intervention (PCI) including angioplasty and putting in stents, and sometimes things like PFO closure or ASD closure in cath lab, or stents in the legs/iliac arteries, depending on his/her training
2) invasive cardiologist is term usually used to describe someone who has done a general cardiology fellowship and chosen to (in his/her practice) do cardiac cath. However, this would be ONLY diagnostic caths, and not putting in the stents, etc. as described above.

General cards is 3 years. Following that, you can do electrophysiology or interventional fellowships, which are 1-2 years, or you can stop and just be a general cardiologist (either invasive or just noninvasive one who doesn't do caths but will need other skills like reaching echo well and probably nuclear stress tests in order to make yourself marketable). There are CHF or imaging fellowships also, but these are totally optional and usually done by people who want to enter academics.

 

[drdavemd]

The 700-ish mentioned in the Match are only general cardiovascular medicine fellowships. All the EP, Cath, Imaging, and CHF fellowships are outside the match and therefore add onto the 700 number. Also, for residency, programs that participate in the Match must have all their spots in the Match. This is not true for fellowships. So, in addition to the 700 in the Match, there are other general cards spots outside the Match which you will likely only find out about when it is intervewing time and you may get offered a spot outside of the Match, which is legit for fellowships to do.