Which one is more highly regarded?

[chicamedica]

I'm an MS-3 set on anesthesia/CCM. Although I'm trying to not set my sights on any one particular program, I'd really like to match at a place like Hopkins or Penn, where anesthesia runs the ICUs.

That said, I'm trying to choose between 2 year-long research fellowships that I recently got selected for: the NIH CRTP and Doris Duke.

I know they're both awesome programs, but

which one would be more highly regarded by such competitive anesthesia programs as JHU and Penn?

Which one would be more likely to give me a more educational experience in regards to my field of interest?

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[VentdependenT]

How about asking yourself which place you would feel most comfortable at?

 

[chicamedica]

My dilemma is that I would feel more comfortable at the NIH. But the project available to me at DD (in resuscitation medicine that I'm pretty interested in) is not available at NIH (they have a very small ICU and no traumas). On the other hand, I can be interested in other projects as well (I like infectious diseases and pharmacology, for example) and I get 2 weeks to pick a project at NIH once I get there; I'm sure there are all kinds of cool projects there.

 

[gaslady]

It's really important to spend your time doing something you feel very strongly about because that's the area you will be excited about and do well in. If you're doing something that isn't that interesting to you then you won't have as much motivation to do well.
An attending told me that there are 3 aspects to picking a field of study and a career path that are important and that if you can find somthing that fits all 3 you will do well regardless:
1. You have to be passionate about it
2. You have to be skilled at it
3. It has to be important to the world

I would add that you have to happy/comfortable at the place where you're doing whatever you choose.


If you do a 2 year research fellowship, you will be attractive to the top programs that you have mentioned. They are looking for well rounded residents that stand out in some way. Some of them will tell you that they are looking to train the future leaders of the field. Leaders come in all shapes and sizes. If you excel in your fellowship, regardless of the topic, you will show that you are a leader in that you can effectively communicate your findings and work (publications) to the medical community. Idealy, the topic you choose would be relevent to your future career and would allow you to hit the ground running as an attending. Since you're investing 2 years in this, choose the topic you're most interested in. If you can find that at NIH, then that's great. I think the topic is less important than the process in something like a summer research project where the time investment is less but a full 2 year commitment is significant.

 

[Zubin]

In general, I would say that the NIH program is more highly regarded than the Doris Duke (depending on which DD program you've been accepted to). In terms of making it an educational experience, though, that depends a lot on whom you choose as your research mentor. For instance, I was a DD fellow last year and had an incredible experience as I worked with a well known researcher who made points of 1. getting to know me, 2. giving me independence as a researcher to make my own decisions while maintaining a watchful eye lest I get off track, and 3. seeking out opportunities for me to present at meetings, make contacts, etc. As a result, I'll have a letter of recommendation from someone who is well known to other academic institutions yet knows me personally. I'll also have 2 first author publications in respectable journals. Thus for me, I think the Doris Duke program took me farther than I could have gotten at the NIH. It all just depends. I agree with the other posts that you'll need to be happy and working on something that interests you wherever you're at. You won't do your best work if you're miserable.

Best of luck, and congrats on these incredible opportunities.