WTF Advanced Clinical Anesthesiology Fellowship

[periopdoc]

So I received this email today advertising an "Advanced Clinical Anesthesiology Fellowship" at UMASS accepting applications for 2009-2010 and 2010-2011.

Thinking that it was a joke, I went to the UMASS anesthesia website and sure enough they have an Advanced Clinical Anesthesiology Fellowship. The description is as follows.

The Advanced Clinical Anesthesiology fellowship is designed for persons who have completed an anesthesiology residency but who wish to gain additional experience, especially in an environment distinct from the one in which they trained, in the subspecialties of their choice.

During the year-long fellowship, the fellow may choose among the following rotations:

• cardiac
• thoracic
• vascular
• neurosurgical
• obstetric
• pediatric (including optional rotations at Boston Children's Hospital
• or Hasbro Hospital in Providence)
• ENT (including an optional rotation at the Massachusetts Eye and
• Ear Infirmary)
• ambulatory
• acute pain
• trauma

The schedule of rotations will be chosen jointly between the fellow and the program director in order to meet the fellow's educational goals. During each rotation, the advanced clinical fellow is expected to do particularly challenging cases within that subspecialty.

Each candidate must have successfully completed a full anesthesiology residency in the United States in order to be eligible for this fellowship. Additional information may be obtained from the Fellowship Director or the Fellowship Coordinator listed below.

Positions: 1 or 2 per year

At my program we call this the CA-3 year. Any idea why anyone would want to do this? Weak resident? Decided to try for a high power academic position on the east coast after training elsewhere?

Sounds like someone was looking for cheap labor and fellowship. If we build it they will come. (or will they?)

- pod

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[Trisomy13]

So I received this email today advertising an "Advanced Clinical Anesthesiology Fellowship" at UMASS accepting applications for 2009-2010 and 2010-2011.

Thinking that it was a joke, I went to the UMASS anesthesia website and sure enough they have an Advanced Clinical Anesthesiology Fellowship. The description is as follows.



At my program we call this the CA-3 year. Any idea why anyone would want to do this? Weak resident? Decided to try for a high power academic position on the east coast after training elsewhere?

Sounds like someone was looking for cheap labor and fellowship. If we build it they will come. (or will they?)

- pod

got the same email and my thought is that this is for someone who has been out of practice for an extended period, or someone who has failed the boards x3 and is required to do additional training. we currently have a "resident/fellow" whatever at our institution who finished residency many years ago then had to stop practicing for family/personal reasons. our state board of medicine is requiring her to do something similar to the clinical fellowship offered at UMass. While it is not a formal fellowship offered here, it was something worked out to accommodate her situation.

other than the two scenarios above, i can't understand why anyone in their right mind would do this either.

 

[drccw]

I got the same email...

I think it's for people who need to uh "remediate" if ya catch my drift.. ie too many failures of either the written or oral...

drccw

 

[coprolalia]

I know a coupla attendings at my program who could benefit from this "fellowship".

-copro

 

[Gas]

Could be for people with visa issues too.

 

[mcgreen]

I got the same email...

I think it's for people who need to uh "remediate" if ya catch my drift.. ie too many failures of either the written or oral...

drccw

Jensen's website had a flow chat that showed you did not need to take any remedial training should you fail the written boards too many times in a row. You simply are able to wait another year and then take the board as a “resident” with no chance of passing no matter how well you did. After you took the exam as a resident you eligible to take it three or four more times, on your path to board certification.

Where I was a resident we had a physician who took the Advanced Clinical Anesthesiology Fellowship which essentially is another CA-3 year. She apparently had graduated from an anesthesia residency and not worked for five years but now wanted to start practicing anesthesia again and she or her prospective employer were not comfortable without some remedial training.

 

[ProRealDoc]

I know a coupla attendings at my program who could benefit from this "fellowship".

-copro

 

[G0S2]

So I received this email today advertising an "Advanced Clinical Anesthesiology Fellowship" at UMASS accepting applications for 2009-2010 and 2010-2011.

Thinking that it was a joke, I went to the UMASS anesthesia website and sure enough they have an Advanced Clinical Anesthesiology Fellowship. The description is as follows.



At my program we call this the CA-3 year. Any idea why anyone would want to do this? Weak resident? Decided to try for a high power academic position on the east coast after training elsewhere?

Sounds like someone was looking for cheap labor and fellowship. If we build it they will come. (or will they?)

- pod

During my residency interviews, some residents and attendings wondered whether such a program would be in place to compensate for some of the new residency working hours that may come out.

 

[BLADEMDA]

Jensen's website had a flow chat that showed you did not need to take any remedial training should you fail the written boards too many times in a row. You simply are able to wait another year and then take the board as a "resident" with no chance of passing no matter how well you did. After you took the exam as a resident you eligible to take it three or four more times, on your path to board certification.

Where I was a resident we had a physician who took the Advanced Clinical Anesthesiology Fellowship which essentially is another CA-3 year. She apparently had graduated from an anesthesia residency and not worked for five years but now wanted to start practicing anesthesia again and she or her prospective employer were not comfortable without some remedial training.

I have been out of DA U a long time. Please explain how someone who fails the writtens three times can take the exam as a Resident when he/she is NOT a Resident any longer? Also, most hospitals now REQUIRE Board Eligibility or Certification for clinical privileges. After failing the writtens three times you are no longer Board Eligible for at least a year.
Thus, you are in danger of being kicked off staff. Failure to disclose the fact you are NOT Board Eligible is probably a reason in and of itself to get kicked off staff or be reported to your state medical board.

Again, enlighten me in this area.

 

[mcgreen]

I have been out of DA U a long time. Please explain how someone who fails the writtens three times can take the exam as a Resident when he/she is NOT a Resident any longer? Also, most hospitals now REQUIRE Board Eligibility or Certification for clinical privileges. After failing the writtens three times you are no longer Board Eligible for at least a year.
Thus, you are in danger of being kicked off staff. Failure to disclose the fact you are NOT Board Eligible is probably a reason in and of itself to get kicked off staff or be reported to your state medical board.

Again, enlighten me in this area.

The process and pathway to Board certification can be straight or circuitous. When complicated by time delay or failure at any juncture, things can become confusing. The Board is not much help, their document explaining the process incomplete and confusing. This diagram is intended to simplify and explain the process. -Dr. Jensen.

Board certification up until 15 to 20 years ago was just something for the academic physicians to brag about. Most physicians were not board certified. Many had never completed any more training than an internship. Thus it didn't matter that boards failed over half of the people who took the exam since board certification had no direct financial impact. It has only been in the last 20 years that Board certification has been picked up by insurance companies, hospitals and anesthesia groups as something that is relevant. As long as there is a shortage of Anesthesia providers and employers who desire to pay below market wages (i.e. Anesthesia management companies) there will be places for non board certified physician to practice many years out of residency.

Luckily most State medical boards have not gotten into the board certification mess, as long as you have one year of internship, passed your USMLE and otherwise have a clean record you should be able to get a state medical license.

 

[Masseter Spasm]

Yes this is probably a low yield opportunity for practicing anesthesiologists, but take a step back and survey the scene before dismissing it. Some individuals I know have done such a "fellowship" to refamiliarize themselves with anesthesia after an extended absence (several years) from practice. (e.g. Significant personal illness or need to provide long term care for parent/child) Ask yourself how comfortable you would be doing cardiac or pediatric anesthesia if you spent 5 years not practicing medicine? if you had done nothing but surgery center cases for 10 years and wanted to go back to a large hospital environment?

 

[periopdoc]

I did think of another reason. Say that someone, like myself, wants to go practice in BFE for a career, then return to academics in a larger city after retirement. It might be a nice transition to re-familiarize with the academic M.O. It would demonstrate to the academic center that you have been "brought up to speed" on the latest ways of doing things.

- pod