Can anyone clarify the advantage of an ACGME-accredited program over a non-accredited one? I am planning to apply for Cardiothoracic or transplant anesthesia fellowship and then private practice. I believe you can sit for the Fellowship Boards after completing but neither has board after completion. Any suggestions
ACGEME vs NON ACGME Anesthesiology fellowship program
- Thread starter lassallec
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i have been wondering about this as well. will some hospitals/groups simply not hire you because you did a AOA residency?
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Sounds like you need to do a lot of research on fellowships. Why do you want to do a fellowship at all? What do you expect to get out of it? Why are you considering these two fellowships and what do you expect to do with the training afterwards?
AS far as CT, the big difference is that you can sit for the TEE boards after an ACGME fellowship but not after a non-ACGME. No big deal as certification is not necessary for billing (at least currently).
ACGME gives you a lot of protection and recourse from abuse (80 hour work week etc) just like a resident, but you are pretty much stuck at the R-5 level for income. Non-ACGME fellows typically make about twice as much but carry a heavier work schedule and are more subject to the whims of the schedulers at an individual program. If you go non-ACGME be sure to get the details of your schedule IN WRITING including call expectations, work hours expectations, vacation etc. Otherwise, you will likely get screwed. Of course if you find an ACGME fellowship that will let you moonlight you can make up the difference in income and enjoy the protection afforded by the ACGME (the best of both worlds.) IMHO the best is to do off site moonlighting so that you only have to stick to the 80 hour part of the work restrictions. It is especially nice if your moonlighting hospital has paid home call as home call does not count as work hours unless you go in.
RE: Transplant fellowship prior to private practice??? Are you joking? If I was in PP and hiring I would look at that as a big red flag. Are you particularly weak and need some remedial time to get more comfortable with big cases? Why would you do a transplant fellowship in preparation for private practice? Maybe I am off in left field and one of our PP gurus can correct me, but I would seriously consider how this will appear to someone who is reading your CV.
AOA residency is an entirely different issue and has nothing to do with the original post.
- pod
AS far as CT, the big difference is that you can sit for the TEE boards after an ACGME fellowship but not after a non-ACGME. No big deal as certification is not necessary for billing (at least currently).
ACGME gives you a lot of protection and recourse from abuse (80 hour work week etc) just like a resident, but you are pretty much stuck at the R-5 level for income. Non-ACGME fellows typically make about twice as much but carry a heavier work schedule and are more subject to the whims of the schedulers at an individual program. If you go non-ACGME be sure to get the details of your schedule IN WRITING including call expectations, work hours expectations, vacation etc. Otherwise, you will likely get screwed. Of course if you find an ACGME fellowship that will let you moonlight you can make up the difference in income and enjoy the protection afforded by the ACGME (the best of both worlds.) IMHO the best is to do off site moonlighting so that you only have to stick to the 80 hour part of the work restrictions. It is especially nice if your moonlighting hospital has paid home call as home call does not count as work hours unless you go in.
RE: Transplant fellowship prior to private practice??? Are you joking? If I was in PP and hiring I would look at that as a big red flag. Are you particularly weak and need some remedial time to get more comfortable with big cases? Why would you do a transplant fellowship in preparation for private practice? Maybe I am off in left field and one of our PP gurus can correct me, but I would seriously consider how this will appear to someone who is reading your CV.
AOA residency is an entirely different issue and has nothing to do with the original post.
- pod
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Did this change this year?
Last year non ACGME fellows could sit for the ECHO boards.
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The class that finished in 2009 was the last class allowed to take the echo boards under the "experience pathway"
From here on out its fellowship (of the ACGME variety) for echo board certification. I believe anyone can still be a testamur, for whatever that's worth. That's for those who have taken and passed the exam but don't have the cases to qualify.
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Qualification for the the Perioperative Transesophageal Echocardiography certification used to be divided into two pathways; the ACGME fellowship pathway, and the experience pathway. The experience pathway was developed to allow for a grandfathering in of anesthesiologists who were doing TEE for years before there was a certification. The experience pathway was eliminated as of June 30, 2009. Anyone who completed their residency before this date was grandfathered in and is eligible for the experience pathway.
From the Advanced PTE Board Certification Requirements page 9
For the fellowship pathway the requirement is
leaving open the possibility that a ACGME critical care fellow in a program with a lot of CT-ICU time could potentially sit for the exam if he/she has the echo case numbers. However, a ACGME pain fellow or a non-ACGME fellow could not.
If you do not fit into either of these categories you could be Testamured
Echo board certification and a couple of dollars will buy you a cup of coffee at SBUX.
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I wanted to bring this back up. I just went on a residency interview where the program was very proud that their residents learn echo so well that they can pass the advanced periop echo boards (at the end of their CA-2 year). It seems like from these comments that maybe this is not very important/useful. Would becoming a testamur help/harm a cardiothoracic anesthesia fellowship applicant?
Thanks!
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Hello everyone
I am FMG having training in Anesthesiology. Can anybody suggest non acgme approved fellowships. Actually I have sent few emails to some of university programs, but no reply. Any inputs appreciated. Btw I am ECFMG certified.
I am FMG having training in Anesthesiology. Can anybody suggest non acgme approved fellowships. Actually I have sent few emails to some of university programs, but no reply. Any inputs appreciated. Btw I am ECFMG certified.
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Anesthesiology
I am FMG who completed my residency in Anesthesia with 3 years of good clinical experience. I completed my USMLE steps and ECFMG certified. yet to give step 3. Looking for options to proceed further. I am permanent resident here. So no visa problem
