Should I Give Up?

[MangoHeart]

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I am a G2 in a community program affiliated with a large university. I am starting to work towards publishing with a well known cardiology attending. I am also planning on taking a research position after residency to strengthen my application.

I had a chat with my PD today. Told her that I want to apply for a Cardiology fellowship. She was not very supportive. She said that as an FMG with my credentials I do not stand a chance. My scores are 79/90/92. She says that I don't come from a recognizable school and that it will be next to impossible to get in.

I am wondering if I should give up. I am willing to spend a couple years after residency if it would help my application but right now I am not sure if that makes any sense.

 

[MangoHeart]

Come on people? Are you siding with my PD?

 

[docjagermeister]

I am likewise applying to fellowship (not cards tho)... it sounds like your PD is a straight-shooter which is what you want. I agree with them that currently your application would not get very far... Of course, it all depends on how you spin it in your personal statement and interviews, but on paper you are not currently a strong candidate. Get published and gather some support among the notables and your field in the next year or two and then apply...

 

[joti]

Mangoheart,

These are my 2 cents.

Dont ever think you cannot get into Cardiology. That is not true. If you have a visa issue that makes it extremely difficult to get into. If you have a green card things are little bit easier. Also if the PD think if you are an average resident things are more difficult.

First thing you need to make your mind whether you need Cardiology or not. What is your ultimate goal being a Cardiologist? If you are going to focus on predominantly monetary benefits, you are going to be disappointed. This is true especially with the recent "Obama cuts and Medicare cuts".
Is it worth 2 or 3 extra years of hardworking (research position) and away from the family to secure a spot? Also you will be loosing lot of money if you pracitice as a hospitalist.


Positives: If you decide I will go into Cardiology irrespective of what others think and whatever it costs in my life, go for Cards and start working on "modifiable factors from today on". Your PD is talking about non-modifiable risk factors like med school, residency program, USMLE scores. I strongly suggest you to forget about the non-modifiable factors and work hard to improve the profile on modifiable factors. I know many residents from community programs matched into good Cardiology programs. Also if you are in the trail who knows sometimes luck will favour you.

Improve your CV. Dont piss off anybody. Make your PD and Chairman think this guy deserves a Cards spot. Research, publish, research, publish.......
Get family and friends support.

If you decide to move forward, dont talk to residents who tried and withdrew themselves. You can talk to them and try to get what they did wrong.

If you have the mind set to do a Cards fellowship at the age of 50, go for it. I am pretty sure you will be able to get a spot with in next 5-7 years if you dont have visa issues.

Good Luck

 

[drdavemd]

I agree with Joti:

1) Change the things you can to make you an attractive candidate. As mentioned, it does NO good to lament on things you cannot change, so forget them.
2) Seek out assistance from other people who have gone a similar trail if you can find them
3) Don't accept failure before having tried

Best of luck

 

[dragonfly99]

It sounds like you really want to do this.
I don't think your PD is necessarily flat out wrong...on paper you currently don't look very competitive. Almost surely you may have to try more than once to get in, and still might never get in. However, I think that if being a cardiologist is what you want to do, then you should at least give it a shot. Publications might help. You'll also need LOR's saying that you are clinically strong. It sounds like you need to focus on programs that actually take IMG/FMG's, as well. I'm no expert on this, but it seems that you might do better also if you don't need the program to get you a visa, b/c that becomes an issue since most of them have numerous US citizens who want in and don't require the program's help in securing a visa.

Your PD may have been helpful in that he/she didn't sugar coat things. However, there are still things about your application that you can modify, and you can strive to be the best resident you can be, and just see what happens. If it doesn't work out, there are still a number of other specialties that share things in common with cardiology, that you could likely do - hospitalist in a "chest pain ER", nephrologist with research interest in HTN or cardiovascular risk in renal failure patients, endocrinologist with subspecialty interest in dyslipidemia, etc.

 

[unimaginative]

I've met a bunch of FMGs cards fellows at a respectable University Hospital program. Not sure what their credentials were in terms of boards scores. Most of them did a fellowship prior to being accepted in the cards fellowship. They included Heart-Failure/Cardiac Ultrasound/Research. In talking with them they said that it was totally needed to get their acceptance. These fellowships were basically 1 yr. and some did more than one. Sounds like you would be willing to do that. Good Luck.

 

[GP123]

I've met a bunch of FMGs cards fellows at a respectable University Hospital program. Not sure what their credentials were in terms of boards scores. Most of them did a fellowship prior to being accepted in the cards fellowship. They included Heart-Failure/Cardiac Ultrasound/Research. In talking with them they said that it was totally needed to get their acceptance. These fellowships were basically 1 yr. and some did more than one. Sounds like you would be willing to do that. Good Luck.

I agree with this. You know the program, get good letters. Your program director letter counts for some, but a letter from a cardiologist they know counts for so much more. Don't include your step scores if they don't ask for it. Do really well, be a chief, and possibly do a heart failure/imaging fellowship if you don't get in during third year.