Colorectal fellowships anyone?

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Univ of Chicago has sent invites.

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Penn State has sent out invites, Cleveland Clinic FL has as well

University of Tennessee - Chattanooga
University of Texas - Houston
Orlando Health
Southern Illinois
LSU - Shreveport
St. Marks in Salt Lake City
Rutgers (RMJMS)
Thomas Jefferson
St. Francis (CT)
U Chicago
Baylor
Louisville
 
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Hello fellow applicants.

Swedish Medical Center in Seattle, Mount Carmel in Columbus, Grant Medical Center in Columbus, OHSU, Stroger Cook County has sent invites.

How many programs did you guys apply to? I applied to 29.

Keep the thread alive!!!
 
I heard from someone yesterday that LIJ School of Medicine (NY) sent invites too.
 
I'm going to sound like a buzzkill, but this thread is wonderful because it is a high-yield place for people to find information regarding colorectal surgery fellowship. If you guys turn it into an interview invite thread, future SDNers will be forced to wade through 100 posts that have a limited timespan of importance in order to find a single post with enduring utility.

If I had forethought, I would have suggested that you simply make a 2015 CRS fellowship interview thread....can I suggest this now?

Also, please don't interpret this post negatively. I am extremely happy to see such a high level of interest in CRS developing on SDN. I also enjoy reading all these invites....but I can see the downside, and I want to stop things before they snowball.
 
SLUser, while I don't disagree with you, I do believe there is some benefit to future CRS applicants in being informed about the general timing of when certain programs sent interview invitations. Right or wrong, I know that's something I was very interested in from previous posts. That said, I like your suggestion to make this an even more productive venue for future participants. Considering you've already pursued a CRS fellowship and have gone through this experience before, do you know if programs send interview invites in stages? Or do programs send all invites at once such that an applicant who hasn't yet heard from a program that has already initiated invites should consider himself on that program's rejection list? Previous posts suggested that most programs don't sent invites until mid-late August, but it appears 20+ programs have already sent interview invites through the first week of August. Any obvious reason behind what appears to be a change in trend this year?
 
I agree with DKNIGHT.

SLUser, as a colorectal faculty you probably have the most insight

Do programs send interviews in stages ?
Do they send invites all at once ?
If we haven't heard from a program that has already sent invites should we consider being on that program's rejection list ?

Thank you
 
The interviews tend to roll in slowly, so I wouldn't get too frustrated yet.

Some comments I made earlier in this thread:

Post 16: "All the interviews occur in September and October, with a small few at the end of August. Invites will roll in very slowly, and the more prestigious places tend to wait the longest. It’s not uncommon to receive interviews in late August all the way through mid September. There were a couple programs (Louisville and U Penn) that were so late I had to say no since my schedule was full."

Post 40: "Be patient, the interviews will come. I was away from my email for 2 days at my Seattle interview, and I had 5 more waiting for me when I got home."

Post 61: "I want to emphasize again that interviews will trickle in through the next month and even into September. I will list some interview invitation dates that I have from old emails, but please keep in mind that it changes every year, and not hearing from these places yet does not mean you are rejected.

Some programs waited forever to download my app (Baylor), and others invited me to interview so late that I just said no because my plate was full (Penn, Louisville).

Late August is when things start to really pick up. Please be patient.

July- UT Houston, Ferguson, LSU, Swedish/Seattle (via actual mail).

Early August (1-15)- U. Chicago/Northwestern, Indiana, SIU, Cook County/UIC

Late August (16-31)- Utah/St. Mark's, Lahey Clinic, Creighton, OHSU, Washington University, Brown, Ochsner, St. Francis (Connecticut), Washington DC, Rejection from Cleveland Clinic (those jerks), letter from Mayo with dates to reserve but no invite....then finally 8/31 a Mayo invite.

Early September- Baylor (last one I scheduled), Louisville, U. Penn, rejection from U. Minn (those tardy jerks).

It was stressful, but I promise that the interviews will start rolling in and you'll feel better.

Good luck!"



It's not easy being patient, and there's nothing more frustrating than hearing invites went to someone else and not to you. If you find that other applicants are getting invites, and you are not, then you should definitely schedule all the interviews you've been offered so far.

However, I would not assume that this means you won't get an invite. If time is passing, and you are nervous, you can always politely email or call the program coordinator to ask for details.
 
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Thanks SLUser. That's reassuring.

A question (which isn't necessarily CRS specific, but appropriate for residency/fellowship applicants) for anyone who is interested in voicing his two cents - one I'm very curious about and think could greatly benefit future applicants. Is it appropriate to not waive your right to review your letters of recommendation? If an applicant chooses this option, do LOR authors take offense or write letters that are not as strong as what they would have written had the applicant waived his right? I struggled with this issue quite a bit before I waived my right, with deep hesitation, simply because I have come across physicians who 1) don't understand the importance of strong LORs and write very generic and unflattering LORs, and 2) aren't honest in their feedback (i.e., say very flattering things to residents' faces but ding them in unexpected ways on evals without ever giving them any indication that something needs to change for the better) which makes me somewhat cynical when someone offers to write me a stellar LOR.
 
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Thanks SLUser. That's reassuring.

A question (which isn't necessarily CRS specific, but appropriate for residency/fellowship applicants) for anyone who is interested in voicing his two cents - one I'm very curious about and think could greatly benefit future applicants. Is it appropriate to not waive your right to review your letters of recommendation? If an applicant chooses this option, do LOR authors take offense or write letters that are not as strong as what they would have written had the applicant waived his right? I struggled with this issue quite a bit before I waived my right, with deep hesitation, simply because I have come across physicians who 1) don't understand the importance of strong LORs and write very generic and unflattering LORs, and 2) aren't honest in their feedback (i.e., say very flattering things to residents' faces but ding them in unexpected ways on evals without ever giving them any indication that something needs to change for the better) which makes me somewhat cynical when someone offers to write me a stellar LOR.

ALWAYS waive your right to see LORs. If you don't waive it, this stands out as a major red flag to programs....what are you afraid of them revealing?

Just find faculty that know you well and like your work. This is typically your PD, your chairman, and the colorectal guy who knows you best and/or (hopefully and) is the most famous/connected.

I would try to reason with your faculty. Just tell them how important the LORs are to the match, and ask them if they feel comfortable writing a letter. Most good-hearted surgeons that secretly think you suck will re-direct you to another faculty in this situation.
 
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Adding two more programs that sent invites:

U Penn
U Mass
 
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So I guess so far here are the programs that sent invites:

  1. University of Tennessee - Chattanooga
  2. University of Texas - Houston
  3. Orlando Health
  4. Southern Illinois
  5. LSU - Shreveport
  6. St. Marks in Salt Lake City
  7. Rutgers (RMJMS)
  8. Thomas Jefferson
  9. St. Francis (CT)
  10. U Chicago
  11. Baylor Dallas
  12. U Louisville
  13. U Penn
  14. U Mass
  15. Case
  16. North Shore LIJ
  17. Cleveland Clinic Florida
  18. Swedish Seattle
  19. Mount Carmel Columbus
  20. Grant Medical Center in Columbus
  21. Oregon Health Sciences University
  22. Stroger Cook County
  23. Jackson memorial - Miami
  24. USC Keck
  25. Creighton
Any one with more info ?
 
Folks, latest on interviews in the Official 2015 interview thread. If that's about all you're interested in with respect to a CRS fellowship (which isn't unreasonable), please move to that thread.
 
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It was nice to see several of the current applicants this week at the ACS. You are all very accomplished, and I have great confidence that you will do well in the match. Good luck!
 
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Reviving this thread.

Any new thoughts on the colorectal cycle this year?
 
Reviving this thread.

Any new thoughts on the colorectal cycle this year?

No new thoughts, other than there are some new programs that I don't know very well. The approach is unchanged: have your application stocked and ready to go on the first available date (which has already passed). LORs are very important, especially if the program knows the writer well. The fellowship is still quite competitive, but I believe the match rate has improved as new programs open up, which is nice.

Always aim for programs with a balance of experience! Don't go somewhere to do lap TPC/IPAAs all day and leave without any clinic/endoscopy/anorectal skills.

Good luck. This is my 5th year of practice and I've been very happy with my choice.
 
Does anyone know of a good way (without forking over $1000+ on MGMA or AMGA reports) of finding out starting CRS salaries?
 
Does anyone know of a good way (without forking over $1000+ on MGMA or AMGA reports) of finding out starting CRS salaries?

In academics, the numbers line up relatively close to general surgery. That being said, your earning potential may be higher than GS in the long run (depending on case mix), so you can negotiate a larger salary later on.

Salaries will be different based on practice setting, geography, and job desirability. MGMA info is largely available through google searches.

I may have a skewed perspective, but I believe the starting salary is relatively unimportant when compared to your earning potential. Some jobs have 2 year guarantees that are very high, then the money dries up and you earn very little. Others are intentionally frugal in the beginning but can increase swiftly once you've demonstrated value. Some people think they can game the system by leaving after 2 years and bouncing around, but those were 2 years you could have spent building your practice in the place you want to be.
 
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