- Joined
- Feb 4, 2011
- Messages
- 11
- Reaction score
- 1
I am a current PGY-2 in a community-based IM program and have developed a fairly recent interest in rheumatology. There are certain things about the field that interested me to begin with (long-term relationships with patients, flexibility in schedule, cerebral aspects...), but I am currently on an outpatient-based elective with a private practice rheumatologist and have been enjoying myself and the work. I could see myself finding a satisfying sustainable career in the field, as opposed to hospital medicine where I would likely burn out quickly.
I have been reading through the previous threads in this forum, but would appreciate any advice as far as practical approaches in building on this interest and the desire to pursue fellowship training.
I haven't had any rheumatology-related research (or miscellaneous for that matter during residency/medical school) but did have a previous publication in a small journal from my time doing benchwork prior to medical school. I am hoping to publish at least a case report and attend the ACR meeting later in the year to get my feet wet. I'm not particularly interested in academic research, but was hoping to also do an away rheumatology elective at an academic center (depending on scheduling difficulties). Being that rheumatology has not always been considered a very competitive fellowship, my impression based on previous threads is that getting a good LoR, publishing a case report, and expressing interest would have sufficed in fellowship applications. My concern is that my previous board scores have been somewhat underwhelming and I have been struggling with performance on ITEs (which reflect more of my test-taking ability than clinical skills) and that the field may becoming more popular and competitive now. In this context, I think I would be at a disadvantage in applying during the upcoming cycle in roughly 4 months without a clear direction in place. I wouldn't mind finding ways to strengthen my application and applying next year with the prospect of working for a year or two before doing fellowship. These are the thoughts that have been weighing on my mind, but I would certainly appreciate any insights/advice from others.
I have been reading through the previous threads in this forum, but would appreciate any advice as far as practical approaches in building on this interest and the desire to pursue fellowship training.
I haven't had any rheumatology-related research (or miscellaneous for that matter during residency/medical school) but did have a previous publication in a small journal from my time doing benchwork prior to medical school. I am hoping to publish at least a case report and attend the ACR meeting later in the year to get my feet wet. I'm not particularly interested in academic research, but was hoping to also do an away rheumatology elective at an academic center (depending on scheduling difficulties). Being that rheumatology has not always been considered a very competitive fellowship, my impression based on previous threads is that getting a good LoR, publishing a case report, and expressing interest would have sufficed in fellowship applications. My concern is that my previous board scores have been somewhat underwhelming and I have been struggling with performance on ITEs (which reflect more of my test-taking ability than clinical skills) and that the field may becoming more popular and competitive now. In this context, I think I would be at a disadvantage in applying during the upcoming cycle in roughly 4 months without a clear direction in place. I wouldn't mind finding ways to strengthen my application and applying next year with the prospect of working for a year or two before doing fellowship. These are the thoughts that have been weighing on my mind, but I would certainly appreciate any insights/advice from others.