I just wanted to start a threat about fellowships. I'm curious about who matched this June, who's applying now, who wants to apply etc. Student doctor has a thread about it but its old and I am partial to this one!

I'll start. I'm applying to Endocrinology this year. Undecided about whether I want a clinical or research based fellowship. Would like to get away from mosquitoes and humidity.

I'm worried about getting the interviews and the competitiveness of the process. Moreover, I'm really worried about the future of the career with all of the issues with reimbursement and health care reform. I've worked too hard (& accrued too much debt) to live in van down by the river!

If you do a research fellowship, does that add an extra year?

I'm not applying this year due to taking some extra time along the way to be present for my son. I was briefly pregnant earlier this summer -- unfortunately that unraveled -- but the experience made me realize how much I'd like to have a second child, sooner rather than later. So I may take even more time than already planned. Heaven knows, I'm in no hurry.

In any case, I definitely will apply to fellowship(s), probably next year. (The thought of remaining in undifferentiated internal medicine makes my skin prickle.) Still unclear *what* fellowship. I was die-hard nephrology at the start of residency and still probably will do renal, but my husband is lobbying quite convincingly for rheum. Either way, I'll probably stay at my home institution, so no particular stress about getting a spot. Zero stress, actually. The rheum folks have also offered me extra protected research time, so that's appealing, and I'm also confident I could craft a very productive few years in the renal division.

I'm actually quite worried about finding a job (in Northern California) after fellowship. The financial outlook also looks damn depressing. Remind me, why did I go to medical school?

Let's ressurect this thread! Who else is applying to fellowship?

I'm not applying this year; planning to apply next year for renal -- I've already missed the application deadline. I've also nixed all my messy plans about part-time residency, so it's looking like I'll have a gap year between residency and fellowship. Unclear what I'm going to do during that year ... I guess I could do a little moonlighting and a lot of mellow time off, or maybe take a hospitalist gig. Alternately, I'm in the ICU right now and ... it's kinda awesome. My attending has encouraged me to apply for a one year critical care fellowship. Apparently critical care can be approached from any medicine subspecialty (and anesthesia, emergency, presumably surgery) and the fellowship is only a year if it's combined with another medicine subspecialty. I could apply outside of the match, so it's not too late. Unclear exactly what my career might look like as a critical care nephrologist, but -- and I never, never thought I'd say this -- a critical care year sounds like a blast.

Anyone else doing two fellowships? Is this a remotely reasonable thing to consider doing to my husband and son?

Would a critical care fellowship be a lot of hours/call/etc? It sounds like anything in the ICU will be a lot of hours compared to other options, especially if your are planning on expanding your family at this time.

nerdy, I think the year of critical care would actually be more mellow than my clinical nephrology year will be. Which isn't saying much.

I've been a bit off, fellow MomMDers. But I have returned, curious about the progress of fellowship application.

Emily - I don't know if I could do two fellowships. Research fellowships add an extra year on there but its research and a much more relaxed schedule (during which you could moonlight). The critical care physicians I've worked with have a call Q4 in smaller hospitals and weekly call in larger hospitals. The fellowship most commonly done with critical care is pulmonary. Its competitive and from what I understand, not a lot of fun. That being said, if you like it, its worth a try.

My application was posted on opening day for endocrine fellowships. I feel like my entire life has been in preparation for fellowship and the match day will be the culmination of all of the years of sideline research in diabetes. When I applied for residency, I was convinced I could have landed an endo fellowship then given the bias in my application.

BUT now I rest in limbo. 5 interview invites so far, 1 rejection, and 8 unknowns. Its really the unknowns that are wreaking havoc on my brain. I've turned from a chill, enjoying-electives-this-year to neurotic. The waiting is just painful. Though my application is strong for endocrine, there are 2 things working against me. The first of them, I never considered - low step 1 board scores. It was my "Girls Gone Wild" event (something you did when young and stupid and wish you could change but is always out in publication). I can turn it into a positive - it definitely taught me that the people who said I should study hard knew what they were talking about. The second, I thought would be easily overcome. I chose specifically to do residency at a community program where I have free housing, live across the street from the hospital and see my family a tremendous amount more than I would have at any other program. But for some reason, the Ivory Tower philosophy persists in academia and I fret that it will work against me.

But endocrine isn't competitive, at least that's what I presumed. So though I thought I was a shoe-in anywhere I wanted to go, my neurotic self is overwhelming the confident self and there I am, havoc in the mind.

So this is a lot of babbling. Kind of purging the crazy (that' supposed to be funny).

To add to the stress, I have it set in my mind that I will have our last baby in late November of this year. Why late November? well, that way I would be guaranteed Christmas off. So we're counting down, next cycle will be the one. Some might scoff at this plan ("let nature take its course") but a type A is a type A.

Any thoughts, insight or commentary is welcome.

I have nothing to offer on fellowships, but HAM, I just wanted to say that I planned both of my last 2 children for the holidays and thus an extended Christmas break, and was successful both times. I consider myself a type A PLUS. Ha. If you don't set a goal, then you can never meet it, right? good luck!

residentmom - thank you! That gives me hope and reassurance. You are probably aware of the eye-rolling that happens when this plan is conveyed to most people (interestingly, especially those without kids).

Holiday baby 3, here I come!!

HAM, you'll match, I have every confidence. And you cannot be serious that Step 1 still matters at this point? Really?

Re: critical care, I'm still torn. I actually do think the fellowship will be more mellow than my clinical renal year. On the plus side: three months of protected research time during the CCM year (sweet) and an extra $20K bonus (at my home institution, which is the only place I'm applying). Salary isn't on par with a year as a hospitalist despite the bonus but a) that sounds like torture and b) who would hire a hospitalist for a single year?

And good luck TTC. We're on month 10 and I'm getting ready to call the IVF clinic again. Blech.

Thanks Emily - that's what I thought! Step 1 (and presumably the other steps) is how the programs separate the first group (rather than reading all of the applications). What irks me is that they use it as a substitute for IQ. Its frustrating because you can't study for an IQ test but couldn't pass step 1 without studying. Ugh.

How's the interview process going? I submitted my app to 12 or 13 and have 8 interviews scheduled. Will probably cancel one of them. Only one rejection. Starting the interview process in 2 weeks. The way it stands I will have a few days home between each one. I wish there were a way to plan the exact date of ovulation (is that asking for too much control)?

Month 10? Hang in there - have you tried Clomid? Often the rule of TTC for a year is not hard and fast and you can get to that process sooner.

The three months of research sound awesome - most of the 3 year endocrine programs have 2 years of research with scattered clinics. If you think about the extra year, think of all of the specialists you have worked with. I know noone who has regretted going through fellowship. On the converse side, the hospitalist/primary care field are overflowing with malcontented doctors who wish they would have gone for it.

Well I should get ready. I'm on cardiology and our current patient list is 0. Yes, 0. Its been one heck of a week though (have you seen many RVADs done emergently? Or had 4 codes in a week? Ugh. I'm glad I am not applying for cardiology fellowship!