Cardiology fellowship application 2021-2022

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GyraseBeta

GyraseBeta

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Last year's cycle was the first round of virtual interviews ever. Here we go again, still in COVID-season. How different will this cycle be? How will lessons from last year influence decisions and shape the experience this year?
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GyraseBeta said:
Last year's cycle was the first round of virtual interviews ever. Here we go again, still in COVID-season. How different will this cycle be? How will lessons from last year influence decisions and shape the experience this year?
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Apply everywhere. The virtual cycle is tough.
 
I am a US DO and applied to 80 programs during the last cycle. Received 13 interviews and ended up doing 12 interviews (ranked all 12 including university and community programs). I did not match. I am from a mid-tier university program for residency. Step 1 > 250 and Step 2 > 260, Level 1 and 2 > 700. I had good letters and thought had pretty good research. I had 6 cardiology abstracts published (3 first authors), 9 poster presentations (4 first authors including in ACC and AHA), and 1 manuscript in review. That manuscript (I am the first author) has now been published. Out of those 6 abstracts, two other manuscripts will be in review before the application cycle (one first author and one second author). I recently started another project and will likely submit it to AHA and will try to write up a manuscript ASAP. For next year, I will be doing a chief year at an outside institution. Besides applying to more places and working on my interview skills (I am an introverted person), is there anything else I can do to improve my application? I would appreciate any suggestions and recommendations.
 
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ninjaman22 said:
I am a US DO and applied to 80 programs during the last cycle. Received 13 interviews and ended up doing 12 interviews (ranked all 12 including university and community programs). I did not match. I am from a mid-tier university program for residency. Step 1 > 250 and Step 2 > 260, Level 1 and 2 > 700. I had good letters and thought had pretty good research. I had 6 cardiology abstracts published (3 first authors), 9 poster presentations (4 first authors including in ACC and AHA), and 1 manuscript in review. That manuscript (I am the first author) has now been published. Out of those 6 abstracts, two other manuscripts will be in review before the application cycle (one first author and one second author). I recently started another project and will likely submit it to AHA and will try to write up a manuscript ASAP. For next year, I will be doing a chief year at an outside institution. Besides applying to more places and working on my interview skills (I am an introverted person), is there anything else I can do to improve my application? I would appreciate any suggestions and recommendations.
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Honestly I'd say find some people to help you with interview skills and try to also figure out what your LOR writers are saying in the letters. Get new ones if needed. Im a DO first year Cardio fellow now and had 13 interviews last year with way lower scores(no USMLE) and essentially no significant research. However, I was a 3rd year chief and served on some Leadership committees which I know boosted my app. Scores and research do help but LORs, leadership and interpersonal skills matter too. The upcoming chief year should help you though. Good luck!
 
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ninjaman22 said:
I am a US DO and applied to 80 programs during the last cycle. Received 13 interviews and ended up doing 12 interviews (ranked all 12 including university and community programs). I did not match. I am from a mid-tier university program for residency. Step 1 > 250 and Step 2 > 260, Level 1 and 2 > 700. I had good letters and thought had pretty good research. I had 6 cardiology abstracts published (3 first authors), 9 poster presentations (4 first authors including in ACC and AHA), and 1 manuscript in review. That manuscript (I am the first author) has now been published. Out of those 6 abstracts, two other manuscripts will be in review before the application cycle (one first author and one second author). I recently started another project and will likely submit it to AHA and will try to write up a manuscript ASAP. For next year, I will be doing a chief year at an outside institution. Besides applying to more places and working on my interview skills (I am an introverted person), is there anything else I can do to improve my application? I would appreciate any suggestions and recommendations.
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We have similar stats but I applied more broadly than you did (a few years ago). I applied to 120-something programs and interviewed at 16. Barring any red flags, you may have simply gotten screwed by the virtual interview cycle. Next time apply to more places. The chief year will help, but the lack of matching the first time will also be brought up. Make sure you have a good explanation as to why you didn't match (don't blame the system; mention a minor flaw and how you've fixed it since).
 
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ninjaman22 said:
I am a US DO and applied to 80 programs during the last cycle. Received 13 interviews and ended up doing 12 interviews (ranked all 12 including university and community programs). I did not match. I am from a mid-tier university program for residency. Step 1 > 250 and Step 2 > 260, Level 1 and 2 > 700. I had good letters and thought had pretty good research. I had 6 cardiology abstracts published (3 first authors), 9 poster presentations (4 first authors including in ACC and AHA), and 1 manuscript in review. That manuscript (I am the first author) has now been published. Out of those 6 abstracts, two other manuscripts will be in review before the application cycle (one first author and one second author). I recently started another project and will likely submit it to AHA and will try to write up a manuscript ASAP. For next year, I will be doing a chief year at an outside institution. Besides applying to more places and working on my interview skills (I am an introverted person), is there anything else I can do to improve my application? I would appreciate any suggestions and recommendations.
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Pretty insane you did not match.

As people have already commented, and you already mentioned, working on your interview skills would really be it as your CV seems very impressive. Everyone wants a teachable fellow who isn't an apparent a**hole and also might be productive with research.

Having members of your faculty place a call where you interviewed and really would want to match would also be a good idea to try to cement a spot.
 
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ninjaman22 said:
I am a US DO and applied to 80 programs during the last cycle. Received 13 interviews and ended up doing 12 interviews (ranked all 12 including university and community programs). I did not match. I am from a mid-tier university program for residency. Step 1 > 250 and Step 2 > 260, Level 1 and 2 > 700. I had good letters and thought had pretty good research. I had 6 cardiology abstracts published (3 first authors), 9 poster presentations (4 first authors including in ACC and AHA), and 1 manuscript in review. That manuscript (I am the first author) has now been published. Out of those 6 abstracts, two other manuscripts will be in review before the application cycle (one first author and one second author). I recently started another project and will likely submit it to AHA and will try to write up a manuscript ASAP. For next year, I will be doing a chief year at an outside institution. Besides applying to more places and working on my interview skills (I am an introverted person), is there anything else I can do to improve my application? I would appreciate any suggestions and recommendations.
Click to expand...
Apply broadly.
 
Agree with above poster. Apply broadly. Last year's cycle was the most brutal in recent memory due a couple of reasons related to COVID. Virtual interviews made the investment required to complete an interview go from upwards of $1,000 to free. This, combined with the fact that the increase in the number of applicants was vastly disproportionate to the increase in spots, made it a crunch. (I theorize this latter reason was due to job market uncertainty related to COVID). The net result was elite applicants dominating interview spots at the Top Tier to Upper Mid Tier programs, when in most years these applicants would probably cancel (or not apply to as many) Upper Mid Tiers. This created a domino effect in interviews. "Charting Outcomes" interview data from prior years became essentially worthless. Even among those that did "get the interviews" I know of several people with strong profiles that had >15 interviews at solid university programs and did not match. I personally had 19 interviews, mostly at mid-tier university programs with a few top tier and a few community programs. I ended up matching at my #9. Don't get me wrong, there are still people that applied to 20 places, got 10 interviews, matched their #1 and didn't notice any difference. But the match rate dropped significantly from prior years. 80% US MD match rate is not quite the "guarantee" that someone suggested that profile was in a different thread.

Applying to many programs in different tiers is the key to optimize chances of matching. Anecdotally, the people I knew that did not match were actually stronger candidates than a good number of people I know that did. One pattern I saw is that the unmatched group had a lot of university interviews but did not have a lot (or any) safety interviews at community programs. In a year when there are more applicants applying to more places and some programs were conducting twice as many interviews as normal to protect themselves, an applicant with a seemingly "deep bench" ends up without a chair when the music stops.

If interviews are still virtual, expect something similar this year, although it might be slightly less crazy on the supply side with the economy coming back.

I have never heard someone tell me they regretted applying to too many programs; I have heard the opposite dozens of times.
 
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ninjaman22 said:
I am a US DO and applied to 80 programs during the last cycle. Received 13 interviews and ended up doing 12 interviews (ranked all 12 including university and community programs). I did not match. I am from a mid-tier university program for residency. Step 1 > 250 and Step 2 > 260, Level 1 and 2 > 700. I had good letters and thought had pretty good research. I had 6 cardiology abstracts published (3 first authors), 9 poster presentations (4 first authors including in ACC and AHA), and 1 manuscript in review. That manuscript (I am the first author) has now been published. Out of those 6 abstracts, two other manuscripts will be in review before the application cycle (one first author and one second author). I recently started another project and will likely submit it to AHA and will try to write up a manuscript ASAP. For next year, I will be doing a chief year at an outside institution. Besides applying to more places and working on my interview skills (I am an introverted person), is there anything else I can do to improve my application? I would appreciate any suggestions and recommendations.
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US MD mid tier University residency. I applied to 40 programs last cycle (all South). Did 9 interviews, ranked all 9 (including University and Community). I also did not match. Step 1 246, Step 2 ~260, Step 3 230s. I thought I had good letters and decent research. Since not matching I have increased research output with manuscripts and abstracts. I am doing a HF year at home institution.

In addition to tips in general for matching in general, are there any tips regarding reapplying to many of the same programs I applied to and those I interviewed at last year? Any tips on reaching out to programs via email etc? Some of the feedback I received was I might have done poorly on interviews due to lack of interest conveyed.
 
methodical said:
US MD mid tier University residency. I applied to 40 programs last cycle (all South). Did 9 interviews, ranked all 9 (including University and Community). I also did not match. Step 1 246, Step 2 ~260, Step 3 230s. I thought I had good letters and decent research. Since not matching I have increased research output with manuscripts and abstracts. I am doing a HF year at home institution.

In addition to tips in general for matching in general, are there any tips regarding reapplying to many of the same programs I applied to and those I interviewed at last year? Any tips on reaching out to programs via email etc? Some of the feedback I received was I might have done poorly on interviews due to lack of interest conveyed.
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Wow this is surprising. MD residency, applied to 40 programs w your step scores and no match is crazy. Did they publish match results from last year? Covid and virtual interviews probably made it more competitive than usual. The HF year should make you a good candidate now though
 
ninjaman22 said:
I am a US DO and applied to 80 programs during the last cycle. Received 13 interviews and ended up doing 12 interviews (ranked all 12 including university and community programs). I did not match. I am from a mid-tier university program for residency. Step 1 > 250 and Step 2 > 260, Level 1 and 2 > 700. I had good letters and thought had pretty good research. I had 6 cardiology abstracts published (3 first authors), 9 poster presentations (4 first authors including in ACC and AHA), and 1 manuscript in review. That manuscript (I am the first author) has now been published. Out of those 6 abstracts, two other manuscripts will be in review before the application cycle (one first author and one second author). I recently started another project and will likely submit it to AHA and will try to write up a manuscript ASAP. For next year, I will be doing a chief year at an outside institution. Besides applying to more places and working on my interview skills (I am an introverted person), is there anything else I can do to improve my application? I would appreciate any suggestions and recommendations.
Click to expand...
Working on your interviewing skills is the single most important thing you can do. In this era of virtual interviews, we underestimate just how important the interview has become. One thing I will encourage you to do is to realize that you are no longer introverted or extroverted for the purposes of the interview - you have to be engaging. It's absolutely nerve-wracking, but you have to conquer it and be engaging during the actual interview. Your future and all the work you have done so far depends on it.
 
GyraseBeta said:
Last year's cycle was the first round of virtual interviews ever. Here we go again, still in COVID-season. How different will this cycle be? How will lessons from last year influence decisions and shape the experience this year?
Click to expand...
A friend of mine just started his formerly osteopathic internal medicine program pgy2 year. Is this the cycle he should apply for a cardiology fellowship? Or rather is the appropriate time to apply, this time next year when he begins his pgy3 year? He wants to start his fellowship immediately after his residency.
 
cgk said:
A friend of mine just started his formerly osteopathic internal medicine program pgy2 year. Is this the cycle he should apply for a cardiology fellowship? Or rather is the appropriate time to apply, this time next year when he begins his pgy3 year? He wants to start his fellowship immediately after his residency.
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To start fellowship right after residency (3 years IM) would mean apply at the beginning of PGY3 year
 
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Checking in for the cards match 2022, Wishing you all the very best of luck.

Going for a QOL program, need to get off the merry-go-round.
 
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Has anyone gotten interviews/rejections yet? Ive already been reject from Naseau lol
 
Hello everyone, please use this spreadsheet which I just created. It seems there are two separate threads for the same topic, but I will provide the link here.

Edit: Please use this survey to provide interview invite/rejection dates - Interviews/Rejections

LINK TO SPREADSHEET

 
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Good luck to everyone with the interviews and cardiology fellowship match. Did anyone get any interviews yet?
 
ObeseTurtle909 said:
Agree with above poster. Apply broadly. Last year's cycle was the most brutal in recent memory due a couple of reasons related to COVID. Virtual interviews made the investment required to complete an interview go from upwards of $1,000 to free. This, combined with the fact that the increase in the number of applicants was vastly disproportionate to the increase in spots, made it a crunch. (I theorize this latter reason was due to job market uncertainty related to COVID). The net result was elite applicants dominating interview spots at the Top Tier to Upper Mid Tier programs, when in most years these applicants would probably cancel (or not apply to as many) Upper Mid Tiers. This created a domino effect in interviews. "Charting Outcomes" interview data from prior years became essentially worthless. Even among those that did "get the interviews" I know of several people with strong profiles that had >15 interviews at solid university programs and did not match. I personally had 19 interviews, mostly at mid-tier university programs with a few top tier and a few community programs. I ended up matching at my #9. Don't get me wrong, there are still people that applied to 20 places, got 10 interviews, matched their #1 and didn't notice any difference. But the match rate dropped significantly from prior years. 80% US MD match rate is not quite the "guarantee" that someone suggested that profile was in a different thread.

Applying to many programs in different tiers is the key to optimize chances of matching. Anecdotally, the people I knew that did not match were actually stronger candidates than a good number of people I know that did. One pattern I saw is that the unmatched group had a lot of university interviews but did not have a lot (or any) safety interviews at community programs. In a year when there are more applicants applying to more places and some programs were conducting twice as many interviews as normal to protect themselves, an applicant with a seemingly "deep bench" ends up without a chair when the music stops.

If interviews are still virtual, expect something similar this year, although it might be slightly less crazy on the supply side with the economy coming back.

I have never heard someone tell me they regretted applying to too many programs; I have heard the opposite dozens of times.
Click to expand...
Does anyone know if mid to low programs went unfilled at first last year? I have heard this theory a lot about the high tier applicants taking up all the spots and am just wondering if it had a true effect assuming the programs got screwed as well because they were ranking applicants that were not ranking them back
 
Ruby31 said:
Does anyone know if mid to low programs went unfilled at first last year? I have heard this theory a lot about the high tier applicants taking up all the spots and am just wondering if it had a true effect assuming the programs got screwed as well because they were ranking applicants that were not ranking them back
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All but like two spots in the entire country filled last year
 
I got a email from Ichan SOM about a Zoom meeting for all applicants to meet with fellows? thoughts? seems kinda stupid and pointless doesnt it.
 
Anyone know anything about memorial in Hollywood, Florida? New program as of last year. I can’t find their current fellows on their website.
 
Does anyone know what email address interview invites will come from?
 
EP2 said:
Does anyone know what email address interview invites will come from?
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it should also go to your email associated with eras and can be from different email addresses, like I got an invite from thalamus, online interview platform.
 
I got a Yale interview today.
 
You guys need to chill lol, I didn't receive any invite too but it's still very early! Give it 2-3 weeks before freaking out
 
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Lol yep - Definitely freaking out.. Today marks exactly 2 weeks from the date programs had access to our apps. So maybe somewhat early and seems like most interviews given out are from only a handful of universities. I would think this next week should have some more action - I hope so
 
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Relax, mid august is when a bunch of interviews are sent. I did get a random Yale interview but radio silence since then.
 
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Congratulations to those getting interviews so early. You all did something right to be exempt from the 1-4 weeks of anxiety
 
ninjaman22 said:
I am a US DO and applied to 80 programs during the last cycle. Received 13 interviews and ended up doing 12 interviews (ranked all 12 including university and community programs). I did not match. I am from a mid-tier university program for residency. Step 1 > 250 and Step 2 > 260, Level 1 and 2 > 700. I had good letters and thought had pretty good research. I had 6 cardiology abstracts published (3 first authors), 9 poster presentations (4 first authors including in ACC and AHA), and 1 manuscript in review. That manuscript (I am the first author) has now been published. Out of those 6 abstracts, two other manuscripts will be in review before the application cycle (one first author and one second author). I recently started another project and will likely submit it to AHA and will try to write up a manuscript ASAP. For next year, I will be doing a chief year at an outside institution. Besides applying to more places and working on my interview skills (I am an introverted person), is there anything else I can do to improve my application? I would appreciate any suggestions and recommendations.
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Whenever I hear this story, it’s almost always the interview.
 
By the third week last year even with zoom interviews a lot more were out by now. I have also gotten one rejection, none so far.
 
yep same, one rejection from BU and no interviews so far. Do you guys know how to apply for the one year non-accredited fellowships?
 
MJEs said:
yep same, one rejection from BU and no interviews so far. Do you guys know how to apply for the one year non-accredited fellowships?
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Same, one rejection from BU. Relax, it’ll be fine!
You just have to put yourself in a PD’s position. These programs are getting blasted with applications. It takes time to go through that many files. They know a lot of people apply to basically every program now that interviews are virtual. Applications were way up last cycle and it’s tough to figure out who is actually interested.

Not only that but unless you’re a top tier program if you send out invitations too quickly you’ll get burned. Applicants are of course going to schedule their first interview invitation, but once the rest come in they’ll probably bail on the interview or worse do the interview with no interest in ranking the program highly. There’s risk for programs pulling the trigger early.

Remember this is all a game and programs are playing it. They’re probably even more cautious given the virtual interviews where there is little commitment involved.

We have this mentality that everything should be instant now, just be patient.
 
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Rejections keep mentioning they had over 800+ applications. Any idea how many applications per program there were last year? I thought I saw this info posted somewhere at one point
 
Honestly it's still early, but that being said what is painful is that FMG aren't treated the same in this process despite being trained (residency) in the US
 
card lover said:
Honestly it's still early, but that being said what is painful is that FMG aren't treated the same in this process despite being trained (residency) in the US
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Yea it’s not fair and it sucks not to be treated the same but it wouldn’t be fair to US medical school grads if it wasn’t this way.

FMGs who match to US residency obviously have a much higher bar to pass in terms of stats. If it were an even playing field for fellowship then FMGs would fill up all the fellowship spots and Americans wouldn’t be able to sub-specialize in their own country.
 
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