Alternate Site for PICU Fellowship Training

[ghostbaby]

Hey all,

For some PICU fellowship programs, you rotate for a few months at a hospital that has something they don’t have at their primary training site (e.g. MGHfc doing CICU at Boston Children’s, UChicago doing CICU at Oak Lawn, UBuffalo doing CICU at UPMC).

While this is great for training, I’m curious as to how long of a way this goes when looking for jobs/further fellowship training in cardiac intensive care? I’m unsure if this model is beneficial or disadvantageous. Would one be more marketable training somewhere like UT Houston or UMinnesota that while they’re not BCH, they have a cardiac ICU within their hospital?

Would appreciate any guidance. Thank you!!!!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[SurfingDoctor]

Hey all,

For some PICU fellowship programs, you rotate for a few months at a hospital that has something they don’t have at their primary training site (e.g. MGHfc doing CICU at Boston Children’s, UChicago doing CICU at Oak Lawn, UBuffalo doing CICU at UPMC).

While this is great for training, I’m curious as to how long of a way this goes when looking for jobs/further fellowship training in cardiac intensive care? I’m unsure if this model is beneficial or disadvantageous. Would one be more marketable training somewhere like UT Houston or UMinnesota that while they’re not BCH, they have a cardiac ICU within their hospital?

Would appreciate any guidance. Thank you!!!!

Is your question is it better to train at a program that has its own CVICU during PICU fellowship or not?

It doesn’t matter because you need to do a CVICU year to be hired typically as a CVICU intensivist.

 

[ghostbaby]

Is your question is it better to train at a program that has its own CVICU during PICU fellowship or not?

It doesn’t matter because you need to do a CVICU year to be hired typically as a CVICU intensivist.

Yes, while keeping in mind that some programs allow you to rotate at top CICUs but as an outside rotating fellow.

In other words,
top-tier PICU program w/ CICU > mid-tier PICU w/ CICU > mid/low-tier PICU (no CICU) w/ rotations at top-tier CICU
or
top-tier PICU program w/ CICU > mid/low-tier PICU (no CICU) w/ rotations at top-tier CICU > mid-tier PICU w/ CICU?

When applying to further training in cardiac ICU/cardiology fellowship programs, which model would be more looked highly upon?

 

[SurfingDoctor]

Yes, while keeping in mind that some programs allow you to rotate at top CICUs but as an outside rotating fellow.

In other words,
top-tier PICU program w/ CICU > mid-tier PICU w/ CICU > mid/low-tier PICU (no CICU) w/ rotations at top-tier CICU
or
top-tier PICU program w/ CICU > mid/low-tier PICU (no CICU) w/ rotations at top-tier CICU > mid-tier PICU w/ CICU?

When applying to further training in cardiac ICU/cardiology fellowship programs, which model would be more looked highly upon?

I don’t know. Certainly people are more likely to give CVICU fellow spots to internal fellows. But a lot of programs don’t offer CVICU fellow years so I’m not sure it really matters so much as long as you have the right connections.

Example: We have a busy CVICU, I don’t remember the US News ranking, top 20 maybe? Whatever. But we don’t have an internal CVICU fellow year. They have made it up occasionally for fellows they liked (it’s not a ACGME accredited sub speciality) but typically nothing. So the fellows go elsewhere. The last two went to CHOP and Great Ormond Street for their CVICU year.

Despite more jobs, you’d be surprised how many few fellows actually want to do a CVICU year.