Two but now three-year cardiology fellowships...why?

[885815]

In the past, cardiology fellowships used to only be two years in length. What are the reasons behinds this?

Also, I notice that some (if not, many) programs use the final/third year for research. One program I looked up is more clinically-based, requiring just 6 months of research in the third year. What has been your experience using that much time for research and having had completed fellowship? I'm just a bit curious because I'm female and wondering if that year would be good to have kids. I'm currently a fourth-year student interested in general cardiology (but open to other fields with regular work hours and good lifestyle e.g. rheum, endo, primary care). Though who knows what the actual schedule will be like once I become a cardiology attending...

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[cardsguy2017]

You can have kids whenever you wish, residency or fellowship. Generally most will suggest not having during intern or possibly 1st year fellowship as those years you have most responsibility. Depending how much time you take off for residency you may have push back graduation and fellowship app for an entire year, so in that regard waiting until fellowship may be better. Most folks I know, for no specific reason, had kids after residency, either in fellowship or as attending. Just do whatever specialty you're interested in, you'll find a way to make it work.

 

[NotAProgDirector]

Cards fellowships have been 3 years long for my entire career. When they were 2 years long, they were 1 clinical year and 1 research year (like all of the 2 year IM fellowships -- ID, Endo, etc). Somewhere along the line, they decided there was too much to know (esp procedures) and increased to 3 years.

 

[IMreshopeful]

Cards fellowships have been 3 years long for my entire career. When they were 2 years long, they were 1 clinical year and 1 research year (like all of the 2 year IM fellowships -- ID, Endo, etc). Somewhere along the line, they decided there was too much to know (esp procedures) and increased to 3 years.

Yeah I think the last point is key. Cardiology has a huge number of procedures, imaging studies, and clinical breadth compared to decades ago which necessitate the need for a 3 year (or at least 2.5 year) fellowship. Plus as patients get sicker and more complex to manage, you need to be able to spend more clinical time caring for these patients - look at all the people with LVADs and transplants who are walking around.

Some fellowships have these years to emphasize research productivity. We all know which fellowships those are. Some of them actually extend training to 4-5 years and have rather little clinical time.

I think doing a hybrid 2.5 year program where half the third year of residency becomes cardiology is a good idea but that’s a different issue altogether

 

[nlax30]

Certainly now that many are even doing an additional 1-2 years for things like IC/structural, EP, HF, Imaging, etc... I think it’s time to revamp IM and General Cards training pathway. 8 years for some of these fields is too long IMHO.