Question for fellowship applicants

[Drwine]

Given the current strength of the job market and the shortage of anesthesiologists what is your motivation to pursue a fellowship if you don't plan to go into academia? Pain and critical care are different enough from OR anesthesia so lets deal with them separately.

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[abolt18]

Given the current strength of the job market and the shortage of anesthesiologists what is your motivation to pursue a fellowship if you don't plan to go into academia? Pain and critical care are different enough from OR anesthesia so lets deal with them separately.

Not an applicant, but recent fellowship grad. Tides didn't turn until after I started fellowship, but I did have a job offer to do cardiac without a fellowship (at the job I am at now), so I don't think the current job market would have swayed my decision.

I always wanted to do cardiac, never wanted to be prevented from doing cardiac cases, and most groups I talked to required fellowship to set foot in the cardiac rooms. I wanted to be very skilled at echo. I wanted to be the guy my partners felt comfortable coming to with questions about complicated patients.

 

[sloh]

Pain isn’t worth it. Applicants are ignorant.

 

[Maz777]

Just don't do a fake fellowship. Cardiac, peds, ICU, and pain make sense. The others are absurd and should not exist.

 

[JoelJoel84]

Just don't do a fake fellowship. Cardiac, peds, ICU, and pain make sense. The others are absurd and should not exist.

I believe UCSD’s “running the board” year-long fellowship may be my favorite.

• Fellowship duties (Monthly Rotations)
• • OR Management (4 months): manage OR scheduling & assist with managing the PACU and outside-of-OR anesthesia locations

 

[HemeOncHopeful19]

I believe UCSD’s “running the board” year-long fellowship may be my favorite.

• Fellowship duties (Monthly Rotations)
• • OR Management (4 months): manage OR scheduling & assist with managing the PACU and outside-of-OR anesthesia locations

Hey I did that fellowship in IM - they called it Chief Resident!

 

[nimbus]

Just don't do a fake fellowship. Cardiac, peds, ICU, and pain make sense. The others are absurd and should not exist.

We recently hired somebody who realized that 6 mos of regional fellowship is more than enough.

 

[NightyNight]

Peds or cardiac. More protected but also likely more call later.

No need to do unofficial fellowships. Wasting time and losing money.

 

[GassYous]

I believe UCSD’s “running the board” year-long fellowship may be my favorite.

• Fellowship duties (Monthly Rotations)
• • OR Management (4 months): manage OR scheduling & assist with managing the PACU and outside-of-OR anesthesia locations

Whoever thought of this is a genius. Pay an attending a fellow's salary to do crappy sick addons that no one wants to do.

 

[nimbus]

do crappy sick addons that no one wants to do.

One can have a very secure and productive career doing exactly that.

 

[Drwine]

Just don't do a fake fellowship. Cardiac, peds, ICU, and pain make sense. The others are absurd and should not exist.

IMHO the only legitimate reason to do a "fake" fellowship is if a person has no connections in a location and really wants to work in a certain location and is doing one of these fellowships as a springboard to a job there.

 

[rick roller pump]

No one admits this, but I think many CA2/3s do these pointless fellowships because they are anxious about the thought of being done with residency and being out on their own. They actually want another year of being supervised. I remember briefly thinking this way, and so glad I chose not to do a fellowship. It turns out that if you complete residency at a good place, you will be fine. Would have been a 500k mistake.

 

[nimbus]

IMHO the only legitimate reason to do a "fake" fellowship is if a person has no connections in a location and really wants to work in a certain location and is doing one of these fellowships as a springboard to a job there.

They was true in the past but is unnecessary nowadays.

 

[NightyNight]

No one admits this, but I think many CA2/3s do these pointless fellowships because they are anxious about the thought of being done with residency and being out on their own. They actually want another year of being supervised. I remember briefly thinking this way, and so glad I chose not to do a fellowship. It turns out that if you complete residency at a good place, you will be fine. Would have been a 500k mistake.

Could be if they are unsure of themselves on the way out. But then could stay on as faculty at least for 1-2 years before jumping into private practice.

 

[Potatoman1800]

Just don't do a fake fellowship. Cardiac, peds, ICU, and pain make sense. The others are absurd and should not exist.

Neuroanestheisa is one - you really need a whole year to figure out how to prone fatties and when to run TIVAs vs not?

 

[ambiturner]

The people we see doing cardiac or peds these days fall into a few camps: 1) they really enjoy the patient population/cases, or 2) they are pessimistic about the future job market and are looking to have some additional expertise for when the sun stops shining. Also, doing a fellowship in our area does command about 10% more pay than generalists, albeit with some more call requirements.

The people doing OB/neuro/regional generally are looking for a transition year with some moonlighting opportunities or to get a cushy niche academic gig.

 

[brominator]

Finishing peds fellowship now and am debating another year of pediatric cardiac anesthesiology, the phsyiology is incredible and the cases very rewarding. The demand for peds cardiac is high and Locums rates are bonkers.

 

[DrN2O]

Whoever thought of this is a genius. Pay an attending a fellow's salary to do crappy sick addons that no one wants to do.

Typically, the non-ACGME fellows get comparable salary as new junior faculty, or "clinical instructors." While the lost earning is less, I would recommend doing these if this is step 1 of a multi-step career plan--there is a relevant position waiting for you after you finish the fellowship. For example, liver transplant fellowship before you can join the team, or neuroanesthesia year before you go back and run the division back at home.

I think the fellowship smorgasbord came about when there was a trend at academic centers to only hire "fellowship-trained" faculty. But silo-ing of sub-specialties by territorial faculty ended up giving trainees the false sense that their core residency training is inadequate and they need to supplement it with some fellowship.

I can't fault people for doing what they think they love, in spite of the lost earning. If money is the only determinant, you can argue all of us are fools for going into medicine.