Utility of Gap Year Before Fellowship

[intmed2014]

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Countless threads have discussed the utility of gap year between fellowship vs. going straight in. In previous years, these residents were not common and appeared to "be looked down upon on" by fellowship PD and attendings. Upon talking to recent grads, I have heard thoughts on the line of "I needed the time off" or "I wasn't ready for fellowship right away". What is the thought among current PD about taking a year off and then applying?

Pros:
More $ (Won't be broke for interviews, flights, etc)
Potential stronger clinical skills
More time to publish (theoretical time to publish on your 7 days off for hospitalist)

Cons:
Difficult to adjust back to training (taking orders, lower pay)
Losing a year
Not being motivated to publish, strengthen application, etc

Any other thoughts?

 

[deleted547339]

Countless threads have discussed the utility of gap year between fellowship vs. going straight in. In previous years, these residents were not common and appeared to "be looked down upon on" by fellowship PD and attendings. Upon talking to recent grads, I have heard thoughts on the line of "I needed the time off" or "I wasn't ready for fellowship right away". What is the thought among current PD about taking a year off and then applying?

Pros:
More $ (Won't be broke for interviews, flights, etc)
Potential stronger clinical skills
More time to publish (theoretical time to publish on your 7 days off for hospitalist)

Cons:
Difficult to adjust back to training (taking orders, lower pay)
Losing a year
Not being motivated to publish, strengthen application, etc

Any other thoughts?

You're not going to publish an article in the couple months as a hospitalist. The peer review process is extremely cumbersome and the fellowship process begins early in the year.

I cannot comment on the view of programs directors.

 

[sluggs]

You risk getting out of a learning rhythm. Very few fellowships (if any) would look at a hospitalist year as a big advantage. Go straight through if possible. Just my 2c

 

[visari]

The question shouldn't be whether the hospitalist year will give you advantage or not ... it should be whether this gap year will hurt your fellowship chances or not.
As you mentioned, there are some pros for a gap year, but making you a favorable fellowship applicant is definitely not one of them. unless you absolutely need the $$ I would advice going straight to fellowship.

 

[rokshana]

it depends on the fellowship ...Cards, GI, Hem/Onc? well those are probably best done straight out of residency....though a one year fellowship in say palliative care may help if your application for Hem/Onc is a little weak...or Heart Failure for Cards...Rheum and Endo...a year or 2 off probably won't hurt, esp if you use the year off to get some conference presentations or publications done...ID and Nephro....doesn't matter how much time you take off, a spot will be available with no problem.

 

[IMreshopeful]

I know many people who took a year off and then applied for their fellowship of choice coming from an academic medicine program. None had any issues with interviewing or matching residency. Many used it as time to finish off more research or another degree and all had plenty of interviews.

The idea that it's immediately a disadvantage to do this is so antiquated I don't know why it's still so pervasive.

Granted I didn't do it because I had no desire to be a hospitalist at all even for just one more year...

 

[gutonc]

The potential disadvantage (which I've heard from senior faculty, PDs and Dept Chairs) is that the assumption is that you took the "gap year" because you didn't match the first time. Whether or not that's true is irrelevant...that's a perception that you can't do anything about. Certainly not all faculty/PDs/Chairs feel that way...but you'll never know which ones do.

The potential advantage of a "gap year" is...there really isn't one, unless you obtain meaningful research productivity/publications in your specialty of choice (which is only happening if you're almost there at the end of residency anyway).

 

[PulmDr]

Depends on what the game plan is. If you're a hospitalist at an academic center and also have a chance with working with residents, it's also a trial year to prove yourself to other specialists at your institution (especially if you have a fellowship opportunity there). Cards /GI/Pulmonary/Heme you'd probably want to do closer from when you finish residency. Not only for competitive reasons but for ease of transition.

Just my 0.02.

 

[jdh71]

Zero practical utility. It's stupid. Just do the ****ing fellowship already.

 

[The kitchen sink]

Hi, bumping this old thread in order to prevent making a new one on the same topic.

My situation is that I have changed my mind on what fellowship to apply for now. Apps go out in July of this year for the upcoming cycle, giving me <2 months. The goal is Rheum. However my application at this point does not look like a Rheum application (No Rheum letters or projects, although I have other projects). If I am a PGY2 DO IM resident in an ACGME program with the potential to write up a few case reports, develop connections with Attendings to show interest and get LORs, how will I be looked up when I am placing my application as a PGY3 applicant knowing that I will have to do a hospitalist or locums job for 1 year before starting fellowship?

Thank you.

 

[dozitgetchahi]

Countless threads have discussed the utility of gap year between fellowship vs. going straight in. In previous years, these residents were not common and appeared to "be looked down upon on" by fellowship PD and attendings. Upon talking to recent grads, I have heard thoughts on the line of "I needed the time off" or "I wasn't ready for fellowship right away". What is the thought among current PD about taking a year off and then applying?

Pros:
More $ (Won't be broke for interviews, flights, etc)
Potential stronger clinical skills
More time to publish (theoretical time to publish on your 7 days off for hospitalist)

Cons:
Difficult to adjust back to training (taking orders, lower pay)
Losing a year
Not being motivated to publish, strengthen application, etc

Any other thoughts?

There is no 'utility'. Virtually all the people who do this either a) didn't have their act together to successfully match a fellowship, b) think they're going to make bank and pay down tons of bills (and then don't), or c) get into a rhythm as a hospitalist or PCP and then realize years down the road that they hate their jobs and it's too late to make a competitive run at fellowship matching.

Get your **** together and match straight out of residency. It's a lot easier to swallow the nasty medicine that is medical training in one gulp than in multiple sips.

 

[dozitgetchahi]

Hi, bumping this old thread in order to prevent making a new one on the same topic.

My situation is that I have changed my mind on what fellowship to apply for now. Apps go out in July of this year for the upcoming cycle, giving me <2 months. The goal is Rheum. However my application at this point does not look like a Rheum application (No Rheum letters or projects, although I have other projects). If I am a PGY2 DO IM resident in an ACGME program with the potential to write up a few case reports, develop connections with Attendings to show interest and get LORs, how will I be looked up when I am placing my application as a PGY3 applicant knowing that I will have to do a hospitalist or locums job for 1 year before starting fellowship?

Thank you.

Dude, I literally changed to rheumatology within 4 months of the match (I did a rotation in it and loved it).

I was a strong resident with good evals and I got two shining LORs from that rotation - they were thrilled that someone from our class actually wanted to do rheum.

I had no rheum research but had some projects going on from other specialties I was going to pursue previously.

Unexpectedly, I matched at one of the strongest programs in the country - my dream program, really.

Competitiveness increased dramatically last year for rheum, but I still think it'll be within reach if you're truly interested and you have good LORs.

 

[gutonc]

Hi, bumping this old thread in order to prevent making a new one on the same topic.

Actually, you already did make a new thread on this.