Is there a database available to find out what percentage of med/peds residents who apply to adult fellowships are successful? I'm debating between medicine and med/peds and although my ideal goal would be to pursue an adult fellowship (pulm/crit) while managing both adult and pediatric pulmonary patients, it seems as though the percentage of med/peds grads in adult fellowships is relatively low. Is this because the number of applicants are low? Is there a competitive disadvantage for med/peds grads relative to medicine grads for adult fellowships? Any help would be greatly, greatly appreciated. thanks!!
med/peds adult fellowship statistics?
- Thread starter baller189
- Start date
- Joined
- Apr 2, 2009
- Messages
- 240
- Reaction score
- 2
I certainly don't think there is a competitive disadvantage for med/peds grads vs. Medicine for adult fellowships but I also don't think it gives an advantage either. I know for pediatric fellowships, med-peds can definitely be a bonus - especially for things like PICU or cardiology because med-peds physicians are definitely more comfortable taking care of sicker patients than pediatricians thanks to our adult medicine training.
I know there are some crazy enough to take on MICU-PICU dual fellowships but that's 6 (I think) extra years of training and as cool as it sounds (to me... a med-peds person interested in ICU), I don't really see where you could practice both adult and child critical care except maybe in a rural hospital or in academia.
Med-peds in general is a good mix of people interested in fellowships AND primary care. Plus we are a much smaller group than IM, so that alone likely accounts for the low number of med-peds grads in adult fellowships.
If you know that you want to do pulmonary/critical care and you really think you want to focus on adults, I don't see a particular advantage with med-peds. But if you are interested at all in pediatric critical care, it is almost a must. I'm guessing you're a M3 so I would suggest getting in to a PICU or peds pulmonary elective soon to see if this is something that interests you. My m4 PICU rotation (right after my MICU rotation) was what really solidified my decision to pursue med-peds over IM.
Good Luck!
I know there are some crazy enough to take on MICU-PICU dual fellowships but that's 6 (I think) extra years of training and as cool as it sounds (to me... a med-peds person interested in ICU), I don't really see where you could practice both adult and child critical care except maybe in a rural hospital or in academia.
Med-peds in general is a good mix of people interested in fellowships AND primary care. Plus we are a much smaller group than IM, so that alone likely accounts for the low number of med-peds grads in adult fellowships.
If you know that you want to do pulmonary/critical care and you really think you want to focus on adults, I don't see a particular advantage with med-peds. But if you are interested at all in pediatric critical care, it is almost a must. I'm guessing you're a M3 so I would suggest getting in to a PICU or peds pulmonary elective soon to see if this is something that interests you. My m4 PICU rotation (right after my MICU rotation) was what really solidified my decision to pursue med-peds over IM.
Good Luck!
- Joined
- Jan 25, 2007
- Messages
- 1,625
- Reaction score
- 21
The reason that the percentage of med/peds graduates in adult fellowships is low is because some of the med/peds graduates do pediatric fellowships, primary care or hospitalist work. And as mentioned above, med peds is WAY smaller than IM, so obviously will be less represented in the fellowship world!
- Joined
- Oct 16, 2004
- Messages
- 6,894
- Reaction score
- 2,398
There should be no disadvantage, perhaps with the minute caveat that it might be harder as a med-peds resident to accrue the research and adult clinical electives to make a more polished application to something very competitive like adult cards or GI. Otherwise, most places consider med-peds residents as among the strongest they have.
When looking at fellowship match lists, you have to remember that many people want to work in primary care post-residency (this is not a failure, as it may be to a greater degree in categorical IM), and many people want an "out there" craft-it-yourself combined fellowship that they could set up at their home institution but not elsewhere, etc. But if you look at straight up IM or peds fellowships, I think med-peds applicants do no worse than categorical counterparts.
