Reneging on fellowship position?

[dopath]

The short of it...
Have signed a letter of intent for fellowship position at a mediocre program, largely because I was getting scared and had run out of viable options... I have had reservations all along that the program is a little too much like my residency program and there may be similar problems to deal with...
Then,
Out of nowhere, (and mind you, I did not go looking for it) a fellowship opportunity at a top notch program has somewhat fallen into my lap, although it is not in stone...
Is there anyway to tactfully back out of one and into the other??

The ethics of it are distasteful at best, and the thought of losing my integrity convinces me the let sleeping dogs lie. HOWEVER, this is my training! I want the best that I can get, this is my lifelong career we are talking about... but at the possible cost of burning bridges in a small field? I feel very stuck and wanted a sounding board.

Thanks for any replies!

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[pathstudent]

Don't be stupid. Do what is best for you. Take the top-notch fellowship. I have seen people "bail" on fellowships at my own program and although the fellowship directors might be a little annoyed, they don't seem to hold it against the person.

Just tell them that a better fit for your aspirations presented itself.

The short of it...
Have signed a letter of intent for fellowship position at a mediocre program, largely because I was getting scared and had run out of viable options... I have had reservations all along that the program is a little too much like my residency program and there may be similar problems to deal with...
Then,
Out of nowhere, (and mind you, I did not go looking for it) a fellowship opportunity at a top notch program has somewhat fallen into my lap, although it is not in stone...
Is there anyway to tactfully back out of one and into the other??

The ethics of it are distasteful at best, and the thought of losing my integrity convinces me the let sleeping dogs lie. HOWEVER, this is my training! I want the best that I can get, this is my lifelong career we are talking about... but at the possible cost of burning bridges in a small field? I feel very stuck and wanted a sounding board.

Thanks for any replies!

 

[Patho2009]

Don't look at it from the ethics standpoint..it is a very nromal thing to decline an offer you accepted or signed for..However, the decline should not be weeks or days from the fellowship start date !! so that you can give the program a chance to find alternatives (there are many)..

Many people sign ANY offer they get first and continue looking for something better..if they find something better, they go for it..otherwise they already have "something" in hand..This is how things go here....

For your own benefit, do not decline the previous offer until you SIGN the new one!!

 

[exPCM]

In my experience a letter of intent is not binding like an actual contract. Usually there is even some wording in these letters that they are not binding on either you or the program.
If you do decide to take the new fellowship offer I would tell the old place that you are not coming ASAP. I would not tell the old program the identity of the new program. You would not want the old program to call and complain about the situation to the new program. Basically I would tell as few people as possible about the new program for now if you accept their offer at this time (I am assuming the fellowship does not start until July 2010 at the earliest and most people do not need what you will be doing a year from now.).

 

[Pathwrath]

Normally, I advise pathologists to avoid pissing off their peers, but here I wouldn't hesitate to bail and not lose any sleep over it.

Path education is a factory operation, with directors plugging holes in their operation with an adequate number of bodies.

 

[lipomas]

The path fellowship process is so unethical I wouldn't worry too much. People drop out all the time. During my residency training I saw I think 5 or 6 residents in my program (maybe 10% of total residents) bail on fellowships. The timelines are screwy. You can get offered a mediocre fellowship before you even interview at your top choice - what are you supposed to do?

Programs have nothing to complain about when residents renege. I got ****ed over in my fellowship applications. I had to decide on one fellowship while I was waiting to hear back from one I wanted more. I called the latter one and said I would really appreciate a decision because I needed to decide on my backup option. They said "the committee hasn't met yet" but hold on a little longer! One month later I got that fellowship offer but by then I was pissed off enough to not accept it.

I also know of residents in my training program who were offered spots (verbally, by email) but then told the position was filled by someone else months later. There weren't signed contracts there either.

My advice: Unless you have a signed contract, it's not binding. The program might be pissed at you but they have likely done similar things to other candidates. It's nice to be ethical, and you will always be happy with yourself if you are, but sometimes the circumstances force you to make a tough decision.

The swaying factor is if you think you might want to work in or near the mediocre program when you finish. Then you should not renege.

The other problem is that fellowship applications happen so frigging early that you end up changing your mind. Programs should understand this since they create that situation.

 

[yaah]

It's an uncomfortable situation but it happens. I know of people who got out of fellowships they had agreed to be in. A couple of them were skipping the fellowship to start a real job, but others were to take a more preferable fellowship. I also know of programs who withdrew fellowship offers - one case was actually a signed offer, which was withdrawn because the fellowship director quit the institution and went somewhere else. All you can do is be honest, but don't make yourself a martyr. Programs aren't going to martyr themselves for you.

 

[dopath]

Thank you all who have replied, it's nice to hear other opinions, and as someone said, I'm having to be hush hush about it and can't sound off to people I know.

The last question I will put forth...
The director of the better program is not privy to the fact I have signed a letter of intent somewhere else. Do I play mum or explain the entire situation? I would feel better being as up front about it as possible, but on the other hand, know I would be risking creating an even sticker situation and take myself out of the bid.

I for one am in support of a match if it would get rid of this ridiculous process. But in the end I guess I am out for number one.

 

[green mantis]

I agree w/ everyone else on this post. Take the better fellowship, & let the other program know as soon as possible.

Here's one thing to consider that some of the others haven't brought up. Backing out of a fellowship could be potentially problematic if it's at your own program. It could also be an issue if the 2 programs are both in the same area.

While most directors probably wouldn't hold a grudge, just keep in mind that pathology is a relatively small field.


----- Antony

 

[exPCM]

Thank you all who have replied, it's nice to hear other opinions, and as someone said, I'm having to be hush hush about it and can't sound off to people I know.

The last question I will put forth...
The director of the better program is not privy to the fact I have signed a letter of intent somewhere else. Do I play mum or explain the entire situation? I would feel better being as up front about it as possible, but on the other hand, know I would be risking creating an even sticker situation and take myself out of the bid.

I for one am in support of a match if it would get rid of this ridiculous process. But in the end I guess I am out for number one.

There is no benefit to telling the better program and there is a risk of losing both spots especially if you don't have a signed contract yet from the new program. I have seen a resident lose both spots by trying to be "up front". I have never seen a resident lose a spot by being "mum". The whole fellowship system is a haphazard and unethical mess. I have seen people agree to go into fellowships and the fellowship was cancelled by the institution and the residents left in limbo trying to scramble for spots.

 

[LADoc00]

There are so few high volume fellowships that completely rely on fellows I doubt they would even miss you.

Given it is a lesser known, maybe much smaller fellowship you are bailing on, I doubt anyone will care.

I was in a somewhat similiar situation when a dermpath slot opened up at the last minute at a top notch program and I ended up walking away from it because I was already committed elsewhere. Things still turned out great for me though so I dont care, but that probably wasnt the wisest decision.