General surgery enfolded fellowships?

[ParachuteAdams]

I'm noticing that a number of residents at 7 year gen surg programs have been doing fellowships during their "research years." It seemed like critical care fellowships were a popular option.

Is this becoming a more common and acceptable thing? What are the pros and cons of this?

Does this mean that someone who ends up in a 7 year residency who ultimately decides research/academia is not for them can finish training in the same amount of time as someone who went to a 5 year program and did a fellowship afterwards? It just switches the order around?

Thanks in advance.

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[DOVinciRobot]

The only fellowship I’ve seen people do this way is surgical critical care. You can’t do operative fellowships that way, like say vascular, Surg onc, etc.

 

[Apollyon]

The only fellowship I’ve seen people do this way is surgical critical care. You can’t do operative fellowships that way, like say vascular, Surg onc, etc.

I know a guy that did anesthesia critical care fellowship after EM residency...then went back and did an anesthesia residency!

 

[Smurfette]

I'm noticing that a number of residents at 7 year gen surg programs have been doing fellowships during their "research years." It seemed like critical care fellowships were a popular option.

Is this becoming a more common and acceptable thing? What are the pros and cons of this?

Does this mean that someone who ends up in a 7 year residency who ultimately decides research/academia is not for them can finish training in the same amount of time as someone who went to a 5 year program and did a fellowship afterwards? It just switches the order around?

Thanks in advance.

Only critical care works that way. and that is a 1 year fellowship. Once you complete your residency and pass the boards, you also then become BC in CC as well. Some programs will let you do a CC year instead of research, but some will not. This is something you can learn about on the interview trail and see what options exist within each program. Keep in mind that they can only have a certain number of residents in their clinical years, so people can get forced into a lab year or two, or forced out of the lab, depending on the program's needs. Programs plan ahead for this to try and keep things balanced but also to account for attrition, etc.

 

[ACSurgeon]

I'm noticing that a number of residents at 7 year gen surg programs have been doing fellowships during their "research years." It seemed like critical care fellowships were a popular option.

Is this becoming a more common and acceptable thing? What are the pros and cons of this?

Does this mean that someone who ends up in a 7 year residency who ultimately decides research/academia is not for them can finish training in the same amount of time as someone who went to a 5 year program and did a fellowship afterwards? It just switches the order around?

Thanks in advance.

I spent 6 years training including a year of critical care in the middle. So yes, same as doing one year after residency.

Burn is another such fellowship that can be done in the middle.

caveat: most people do fellowship in the middle stay at their home program as other programs are less likely to take a PGY-4 fellow. Not impossible to go elsewhere just less likely.