The Job Market for Epilepsy Fellowship trained neurologists

[Neuronimal]

Hello, I am aspiring to attend epilepsy fellowship after neurology residency and had a few questions for attendings/fellows who have been exposed to the job market for epileptologists:

1.) My intention is to become a private epileptologist in a major metropolitan city, I was wondering how competitive these positions were. I know there are a limited number of level 4 epilepsy centers which concerns me (and many of them are academic).
2.) How important is the prestige of the fellowship program to the job hunt (does it have to be a top 10-20, or would a top 20-30 suffice)?
3.) I plan to pursue a 1 year Epilepsy fellowship and not a 2 year, will this make a job hunt much more difficult?

4.) A re-hash of the above questions for a epilepsy fellow trained neurohospitalist in a major metropolitan city.
How competitive are these positions? How important is the prestige? 1 year is epilepsy fellowship is likely enough?

Thank you

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Postictal Raiden]

I’m a PGY2 (also planning on doing a one year epilepsy fellowship), but from my observation I can tell you that doing the 1 year fellowship as opposed to the 2 year one could limit your options at major academic facilities. However you mentioned that PP is your ultimate goal, so in that regard I don’t think it’ll matter.

 

[Telamir]

I am an epilepsy trained/boarded neurohospitalist.

Most neurohospitalists I've met come from diverse backgrounds/fellowships, but vascular seems the most common. Does it give me any advantage to be epilepsy trained? Sure. I can cover EEG call at my hospital from time to time, and I am quite comfortable with all the flavors of status/management of AEDs in hospital patients.

If you want to do outpatient, or a mix to be honest I would say just pick one and specialize in it. 1 yr vs 2 yr I don't think matters so much. The 2nd year from what I understand is mostly research in most training programs, or more exposure to epilepsy surgery. If you're not interested in either of those then it's fine. Besides, I don't think most employers care past you being board certified.

Also keep in mind "major metropolitan areas" make everything trickier in terms of job competition and pay (generally less).