Official 2016-2017 Cardiology Fellowship Application Cycle

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
how do i create a thread for interventional cardiology fellowship?

Members don't see this ad.
 
Less than 48 hours to go!!!
Finally I Matched after I tried 5 times (5 years) through match back to back, I matched only after I published 12 papers as first author and multiple presentations. I matched to top tier university cardiology program.
I am IMG, graduated from good university IM residency.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 3 users
Members don't see this ad :)
Finally I Matched after I tried 5 times (5 years) through match back to back, I matched only after I published 12 papers as first author and multiple presentations. I matched to top tier university cardiology program.
I am IMG, graduated from good university IM residency.
Well done! Congratulations!!!
 
Finally I Matched after I tried 5 times (5 years) through match back to back, I matched only after I published 12 papers as first author and multiple presentations. I matched to top tier university cardiology program.
I am IMG, graduated from good university IM residency.

Congratulations,
I am so happy for you. I wish I had been successful like you but it didn't work out for me this time. I will bet you could give great advice though. When one applies in consecutive years and does not initially get accepted, I think there are new challenges and I would be interested in your opinions on those challenges.

1. I would need to make a new personal statement because programs will see it if I reuse the old one.

2. I would have same problem regarding letters of recommendation and also trying to find new people to write them.

3. Programs to which I applied before, especially ones that interviewed me would recognize me as a recently unsuccessful applicant and could deny interview on that basis. I think it looks bad on my record that I made an attempt and did not succeed.

4. Programs will want to know what did I do differently next time as compared to the last attempt to make myself a better applicant. It is very hard to get something published by the time next application starts 6-7 months from now.
 
So I did not match this year. I have good experience and 7 papers. It is hard to give up...Any thoughts?
 
I matched in a good program but I am confused that program directors lie so much in this process while they don't have to. They keep sending emails and love letters (not template emails). I can't believe I did not even send template thank you letters but they sent non-template long strong love letters.
It is the same as residency match!!
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
I wanted to share my match experience with you guys... I had applied for cardiology fellowship last year and had received 5 interviews but did not match. I went on to pursue a 1-year nuclear cardiology fellowship and reapplied this year. I received 19 interviews and matched at my #12. Despite receiving "love letters" from my top 5 programs, I clearly wasn't ranked high enough by any of those programs (as was indicated in the emails and personalized handwritten notes I had received). I am extremely grateful that I matched this year despite it not being at one of my top programs. It is an opportunity that I am honored to have received.

So, what changed in my application this year compared to last?
- nuclear cardiology fellowship
- 2 new letters of recommendation
- involvement in research projects on current hot topics (although no publications except presentation at ACC having a DOI)
- had about 13 abstracts/poster presentations last year and about 6 more this year (total 19)
- revised personal statement with more details on my ongoing research projects that I became involved with earlier on this year
- I also made a lot of phone calls to various programs requesting them to review my applications (only received 1 interview this way though)
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
Congratulations,
I am so happy for you. I wish I had been successful like you but it didn't work out for me this time. I will bet you could give great advice though. When one applies in consecutive years and does not initially get accepted, I think there are new challenges and I would be interested in your opinions on those challenges.

1. I would need to make a new personal statement because programs will see it if I reuse the old one. Yes, I think will help, but I am not sure since I was not repeated application see answer 3 and 4.

2. I would have same problem regarding letters of recommendation and also trying to find new people to write them. This season I got three new LORs and IM PD letter will stay the same as you know.

3. Programs to which I applied before, especially ones that interviewed me would recognize me as a recently unsuccessful applicant and could deny interview on that basis. I think it looks bad on my record that I made an attempt and did not succeed. I never repeated my application to any program, since each year I was applying around 30 programs and this current season I applied only 35 programs and I matched to my # 2, I know it take longer this way (in may case 5 years) but I have been advised to never reapply same programs, so really I am not sure about repeated application consequences.

4. Programs will want to know what did I do differently next time as compared to the last attempt to make myself a better applicant. It is very hard to get something published by the time next application starts 6-7 months from now.
, As mentioned in answer to # 3 my application was not repeat each season, but I realized that my interviews were more this season after my number of publications went up from season 1 to season 5 on my case.

Hopefully my answers were helpful.
 
, As mentioned in answer to # 3 my application was not repeat each season, but I realized that my interviews were more this season after my number of publications went up from season 1 to season 5 on my case.

Hopefully my answers were helpful.


Thank you. You have clarified my misunderstanding. In my case, I applied to a much larger number of programs so it would be pretty much impossible if I apply again not to apply to many of the same programs. Of course, places where I interviewed would have a stronger chance of remembering me than places I didn't invited. Am not sure what to do.
 
Congratulations on those who have matched. Unfortunately, I did not match. I do have lot of issues, including old graduate, community residency program, not a lot publications. What I heard is interventional is harder to get than rest of the subs so may be tough to get out of the community program until and unless they have it there.
my questions - tried quite a bit for heart failure/imaging but the programs are limited - how can i search for nuc prig accepting IM? Also those have been doing publications and active research while out of residency for a while, are you guys doing hospitalist or primary care?
thanks
 
Congratulations on those who have matched. Unfortunately, I did not match. I do have lot of issues, including old graduate, community residency program, not a lot publications. What I heard is interventional is harder to get than rest of the subs so may be tough to get out of the community program until and unless they have it there.
my questions - tried quite a bit for heart failure/imaging but the programs are limited - how can i search for nuc prig accepting IM? Also those have been doing publications and active research while out of residency for a while, are you guys doing hospitalist or primary care?
thanks

Hospitalist will help but not primary care, if pure hospitalist is not an option, then maybe traditional internal medicine in that case.

Glad to mention that I matched in a good university program (My top 3 choice). It is a stressful journey but fruitful in end. My situation - 4 years out of graduation! The only tip for future candidates is to establish connection either research network or residency program faculty network or ideally both. On top of that, develop friends network, they help you a lot!
 
Last edited:
How m
Hospitalist will help but not primary care, if pure hospitalist is not an option, then maybe traditional internal medicine in that case.

Glad to mention that I matched in a good university program (My top 3 choice). It is a stressful journey but fruitful in end. My situation - 4 years out of graduation! The only tip for future candidates is to establish connection either research network or residency program faculty network or ideally both. On top of that, develop friends network, they help you a lot!

Congrats! How many interviews did you have?
 
Members don't see this ad :)
Hello all
It seems like all the programs prefer their own residency candidates no matter how much love they show during or after the interview on other applicants they invite to interview. If that is the case what is the point in inviting other candidates for an interview and making them to spend a lot on application fees, traveling and lodging etc. I believe matching process is a joke. They tell their own candidates I am ranking you here and you rank me here. If that is the case why these guys have to participate in match and give false hopes to other candidates. I see a lot of people from previous match clarifying some questions posted by us. Can you guys please give us the reality of this fellowship matching process? And what to do in the future in order to succeed for the amount of hard work put in. Thank you
 
Hello all
It seems like all the programs prefer their own residency candidates no matter how much love they show during or after the interview on other applicants they invite to interview. If that is the case what is the point in inviting other candidates for an interview and making them to spend a lot on application fees, traveling and lodging etc. I believe matching process is a joke. They tell their own candidates I am ranking you here and you rank me here. If that is the case why these guys have to participate in match and give false hopes to other candidates. I see a lot of people from previous match clarifying some questions posted by us. Can you guys please give us the reality of this fellowship matching process? And what to do in the future in order to succeed for the amount of hard work put in. Thank you

This is true!! That is the reason I didn't match in my number one choice as they took 5 internal candidates out of seven!! But during interview, ask the chief resident or if there is a co-applicant from same program about how many internals are applying to give you an idea!!

Remember still it doesn't say much when it comes to ranking because internal candidates might match outside.. however, some internal want to stay in same program due to family/hometown/spouse working in same place!!

Match is complicated!!!


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile
 
Congratulations on those who have matched. Unfortunately, I did not match. I do have lot of issues, including old graduate, community residency program, not a lot publications. What I heard is interventional is harder to get than rest of the subs so may be tough to get out of the community program until and unless they have it there.
my questions - tried quite a bit for heart failure/imaging but the programs are limited - how can i search for nuc prig accepting IM? Also those have been doing publications and active research while out of residency for a while, are you guys doing hospitalist or primary care?
thanks

Hello, University of Alabama started heart failure fellowship program and they are actively looking for PGY4 candidates who are completing/completed IM residency. So apply asap


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile
 
I matched in a good program but I am confused that program directors lie so much in this process while they don't have to. They keep sending emails and love letters (not template emails). I can't believe I did not even send template thank you letters but they sent non-template long strong love letters.
It is the same as residency match!!

Take whatever a program says with a grain of salt, it seems there are some programs out there that try to setup the match in their favor (by showing interest) so as to get their preferred applicants and not have to go down far on their list (bragging rights, ego, etc.) I have heard of some programs not ranking you unless you tell them they're your top choice, so basically they get to handpick their incoming class. These programs know how competitive cards is, especially for the desirable programs that have a good reputation and/or are in good cities, and I think some of them realize that by showing interest they may be able to sway the applicants ranking in their favor. I think this sway happens to a lot of applicants, which is only natural as it feels nice to be wanted and can certainly change your view of a program.

Hello all,

Congratulations to all who matched. I am fortunate enough that I matched at my first choice. Could not be happier! I do have a question, though, for my friend. I apologize in advance if this will bother some people, but I am really trying to help my friend out. So she matched at a community cardiology program that was lower on her list. She is from a top to mid teir academic residency program, and was hoping to end up at an academic program. For one reason or another, that did not happen, and she fell farther on her list. She is not interested in academics in the future, and is ok with private practice. What are your thoughts? Will her going to a community fellowship be a disadvantage for her in the future, if she is not interested in research/academics? Will it limit her job opportunities? Also, she is interested in sub specializing (EP vs interventional). Will this be significantly more difficult to do out of community fellowship program? If so, is it still doable?

I am trying to talk her down, but I don't want to give her false information/hope.

Thank you in advance for your help.

LadyHeart

If she's not interested in academics (and assuming this means she wants to do private practice), then what ultimately matters is what she can do and be certified in clinically. A community program may sometimes be suited for this than an academic program. Some academic programs aren't the most clinically robust, research can take away from clinical time, you spend more time talking than doing and autonomy can be lacking for various reasons. It's hard to say how it'll affect her for future subspecialization, but it's probably still very doable.

Hello all
It seems like all the programs prefer their own residency candidates no matter how much love they show during or after the interview on other applicants they invite to interview. If that is the case what is the point in inviting other candidates for an interview and making them to spend a lot on application fees, traveling and lodging etc. I believe matching process is a joke. They tell their own candidates I am ranking you here and you rank me here. If that is the case why these guys have to participate in match and give false hopes to other candidates. I see a lot of people from previous match clarifying some questions posted by us. Can you guys please give us the reality of this fellowship matching process? And what to do in the future in order to succeed for the amount of hard work put in. Thank you

Cards fellowship is a seller's market and programs can pretty much do whatever they want as there is a glut of applicants, unfortunately applicants just have to play the game. Best thing to do is provide the strongest app you can, which means get to the biggest name IM program you can, be a good resident, polish your app as much as possible, apply and interview broadly and hope for the best.
 
Last edited:
There is something that surprisingly many people are still failing to understand which is this simple statement: "As an applicant, rank programs according to YOUR preference not according to where you think you are more likely to match". Go to the NRMP website and read the example they provide about how the algorithm works. It really isn't that hard to understand.

No matter how much love a program shows you, if you rank it second it won't decrease your chance of matching with them in case you don't match to your 1st choice.

I matched to one of my top choices this year and my experience with the whole match process was overall positive except for the fact that I'm broke.

I read on this thread that programs lie blah blah blah. Well so do applicants, and actually most of the time they might not be lying at all. let's say they told you that you are one of their top choices and they have 4 positions. You could still have been in their top 10 ranks but they still filled at applicant number 6 for example. It is similar to when you tell a program that theyre one of your of your top choices, u rank them 2nd and you match at your 1st. you didn't lie.

In short my advice for you is: rank according to your preference, flirting from programs won't hurt but doesn't guarantee anything because of the nature of the process, don't get discouraged if you don't match and have a well-rounded application meaning that everything in your application matters: step scores alone won't do the trick, 20 pubs alone won't do the trick. Have decent scores but not necessarily astronomical, have research to show your academic potential, have a very well-written statement that is genuine without stuff that seem too poetic and bull****/unreal, The quality of the english everywhere in the application matters, make the application as presentable as possible. Do some digging and ask around to know what is the meaning of a good recommendation letter, a lot of people think they know what a good LOR is but they actually don't. Many fall into the trap of thinking that a generic half a page letter with fancy words is great, LORs are extremely important know what makes a good one so you can use the right letters or choose the appropriate writers or write a great one yourself if you are allowed. Interview day matters a lot, don't be fake, be as genuine as possible, a fake smile shows, people are not stupid specially when you over do it, if you're not feeling it it's better not to smile. Lots of applicants actually got on my nerves because of this.

One last thing about people who will be repeat applicants next year and are afraid this might decrease their chances. I am almost 100% sure that your status as a repeat applicant doesn't show on ERAS. The only way a program might know is if they actually remember you and honestly if a PD or faculty member remembers you a year later it would be very impressive unless it's the 3rd or 4th time you interview with them. My advice to you is don't bring up the fact that you're a repeat applicant in your interviews next year unless someone specifically remembers you.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
Hello.

I unfortunately didn't match. Had only three interviews and all from references. I'm not sure if I should apply next year or not given my step 3 issue. I'm an IMG/ J1 visa/ university IM program/ posters yes but no first author publications/ 4 publications but not first author on any of those/ step 1 230/ step 2 230/ cs pass first attempt/ step 3 second attempt 195.

Given that I have an attempt on step 3, I was wondering if my application is getting filtered out and hence not even worth it the next time. If that's the case , then no point doing a one year echo/chf and enhancing cv with research. Please let me know what you guys think.

Thanks so much.
 
This is true!! That is the reason I didn't match in my number one choice as they took 5 internal candidates out of seven!! But during interview, ask the chief resident or if there is a co-applicant from same program about how many internals are applying to give you an idea!!

Remember still it doesn't say much when it comes to ranking because internal candidates might match outside.. however, some internal want to stay in same program due to family/hometown/spouse working in same place!!

Match is complicated!!!


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

How did you know who matched at a given program and whether they were internal or external?
 
Hello all,

Congratulations to all who matched. I am fortunate enough that I matched at my first choice. Could not be happier! I do have a question, though, for my friend. I apologize in advance if this will bother some people, but I am really trying to help my friend out. So she matched at a community cardiology program that was lower on her list. She is from a top to mid teir academic residency program, and was hoping to end up at an academic program. For one reason or another, that did not happen, and she fell farther on her list. She is not interested in academics in the future, and is ok with private practice. What are your thoughts? Will her going to a community fellowship be a disadvantage for her in the future, if she is not interested in research/academics? Will it limit her job opportunities?

If not going into academics then IMHO it shouldn't really impact her as long as she gets the proper exposure and training in that community program. Ultimately will a potential job care about the prestige of where she trained? Perhaps, but I thus far haven't seen that has being a large factor.


Also, she is interested in sub specializing (EP vs interventional). Will this be significantly more difficult to do out of community fellowship program? If so, is it still doable?
LadyHeart

This could be the bigger issue, especially if her community program doesn't have EP or interventional programs. Is it doable, certainly. If she is interested in further fellowships (EP, Interventional, heart failure, etc..) then I'd probably recommend getting involved in some research in that field at her home program and speaking with an attending or two at her program in that field who can go to bat and make calls for her when the time comes for her to apply. Some of these fields, especially EP, are small and I can tell from personal experience that an attending making a call to a program on your behalf to vouch for you can have a HUGE impact.
 
Hello.

I unfortunately didn't match. Had only three interviews and all from references. I'm not sure if I should apply next year or not given my step 3 issue. I'm an IMG/ J1 visa/ university IM program/ posters yes but no first author publications/ 4 publications but not first author on any of those/ step 1 230/ step 2 230/ cs pass first attempt/ step 3 second attempt 195.

Given that I have an attempt on step 3, I was wondering if my application is getting filtered out and hence not even worth it the next time. If that's the case , then no point doing a one year echo/chf and enhancing cv with research. Please let me know what you guys think.

Thanks so much.


Anyone?
 

What's the alternative to not applying? Would you do a visa waiver (after which you'd most likely be uncompetitive for Cards fellowship) or return to your home country for two years?

I don't know whether programs screen on the basis of Step 3 attempts or not and perhaps somebody else would be more qualified to answer that question. If you're serious about pursuing Cards, I think a one-year imaging/ CHF fellowship at a good institution would likely enhance your chances of matching. You need to be careful on the J1 and ensure in advance you could transition from IM to CHF/ imaging and subsequently to a CV fellowship within the terms of your J1 agreement.
 
What's the alternative to not applying? Would you do a visa waiver (after which you'd most likely be uncompetitive for Cards fellowship) or return to your home country for two years?

I don't know whether programs screen on the basis of Step 3 attempts or not and perhaps somebody else would be more qualified to answer that question. If you're serious about pursuing Cards, I think a one-year imaging/ CHF fellowship at a good institution would likely enhance your chances of matching. You need to be careful on the J1 and ensure in advance you could transition from IM to CHF/ imaging and subsequently to a CV fellowship within the terms of your J1 agreement.

Thanks for replying RIHD. J1 is okay. I have four more years on it. So I can do a one year heart failure or something and then will still have three years left for cardiology. It will be like doing a chief year and then cards. I need to match for cards next year at any cost though. My step 3 is what is scaring me. So was wondering if that is gonna affect me next year too and if all this is gonna be a waste.
 
First off, congrats to everyone who matched! I was also lucky enough to get my top choice program (academic, research oriented, "top 5" fwiw) and am looking forward to fellowship. Are any of you planning to prep ahead of time? If so, any suggestions on what resources/reading would be helpful? I have a fairly light 6 months ahead and would like to use them wisely.

Hello all
It seems like all the programs prefer their own residency candidates no matter how much love they show during or after the interview on other applicants they invite to interview. If that is the case what is the point in inviting other candidates for an interview and making them to spend a lot on application fees, traveling and lodging etc. I believe matching process is a joke. They tell their own candidates I am ranking you here and you rank me here. If that is the case why these guys have to participate in match and give false hopes to other candidates. I see a lot of people from previous match clarifying some questions posted by us. Can you guys please give us the reality of this fellowship matching process? And what to do in the future in order to succeed for the amount of hard work put in. Thank you

Internal candidates are known quantities for programs. They know how that resident truly functions because they have observed them - and all of their letters are internal, so they trust their known colleagues more than unknown cardiologists from other places. They're not going to rank a weak internal applicant highly but a strong internal candidate is worth their weight in gold. This is the rationale behind trying to do residency at a place strong in the division you wish to pursue (if you know). That being said, strong candidates might be looking outside of the institution so even if the program Y ranks candidate X first, if X ranked a different program A which liked him back, it shouldn't affect your chances at program Y.

This is true!! That is the reason I didn't match in my number one choice as they took 5 internal candidates out of seven!! But during interview, ask the chief resident or if there is a co-applicant from same program about how many internals are applying to give you an idea!! Remember still it doesn't say much when it comes to ranking because internal candidates might match outside.. however, some internal want to stay in same program due to family/hometown/spouse working in same place!! Match is complicated!!!

Well said. The number of internal candidates from some places this year was astronomical. Sheer numbers will, unfortunately, claim a certain number of spots per program. Hearsay is that programs like to keep about half internal if they can and half external but there are some notable exceptions (Northwestern takes a lot of internal historically for example).

In short my advice for you is: rank according to your preference, flirting from programs won't hurt but doesn't guarantee anything because of the nature of the process, don't get discouraged if you don't match and have a well-rounded application meaning that everything in your application matters: step scores alone won't do the trick, 20 pubs alone won't do the trick. Have decent scores but not necessarily astronomical, have research to show your academic potential, have a very well-written statement that is genuine without stuff that seem too poetic and bull****/unreal, The quality of the english everywhere in the application matters, make the application as presentable as possible. Do some digging and ask around to know what is the meaning of a good recommendation letter, a lot of people think they know what a good LOR is but they actually don't. Many fall into the trap of thinking that a generic half a page letter with fancy words is great, LORs are extremely important know what makes a good one so you can use the right letters or choose the appropriate writers or write a great one yourself if you are allowed. Interview day matters a lot, don't be fake, be as genuine as possible, a fake smile shows, people are not stupid specially when you over do it, if you're not feeling it it's better not to smile. Lots of applicants actually got on my nerves because of this.

A lot of good advice! I think most programs want well-rounded candidates who are normal human beings - people they'd want to get drinks with after work. My perspective is that the interview day is your chance to sell why you'd be a good fit for a program and to prove your normalcy. Nobody wants a crazy gunner at this stage.


I asked my chair of cardiology how much step 3 scores matter and he responded "What is a Step 3?" That being said, he's not a details person so I suspect step scores do play into the initial interview screen - I didn't get the greatest of step scores and I suspect that's what prevented me from getting some of the interviews that people with otherwise similar CVs did. It's hard to counteract failing a Step and I think that you're going to have to rely heavily on knowing people if you choose to reapply - a personal endorsement means a lot to most programs. Doing a stellar job as a CHF fellow could be enough to get that particular program to overlook the step scores but I wouldn't expect it to change every program's opinion. I don't think the alternatives (research, hospitalist) are better than doing an advanced year if you are considering re-applying because you really are cards or bust. Consider meeting with your program's chair of cardiology or the fellowship director to discuss you application and get their input on what specifically will help you - they'll know more than most of us web pundits.
 
Thanks for replying RIHD. J1 is okay. I have four more years on it. So I can do a one year heart failure or something and then will still have three years left for cardiology. It will be like doing a chief year and then cards. I need to match for cards next year at any cost though. My step 3 is what is scaring me. So was wondering if that is gonna affect me next year too and if all this is gonna be a waste.

I haven't taken Step 3 and matched my top choice (popularly considered the best clinical fellowship in the country). Got plenty of interviews, so it's difficult to put too much weight on it.
 
I haven't taken Step 3 and matched my top choice (popularly considered the best clinical fellowship in the country). Got plenty of interviews, so it's difficult to put too much weight on it.

That's not to say they can't still use Steps 1-2 as a filter. (I honestly have no idea how much they do/don't filter but am being a devil's advocate).
 
Thanks for replying RIHD. J1 is okay. I have four more years on it. So I can do a one year heart failure or something and then will still have three years left for cardiology. It will be like doing a chief year and then cards. I need to match for cards next year at any cost though. My step 3 is what is scaring me. So was wondering if that is gonna affect me next year too and if all this is gonna be a waste.
Your Step 3 score isn't the problem, it's the 2 attempts. Among other things in your app.

Programs can filter 6 ways from Sunday, and for a specialty like Cards (or GI, or Hem/Onc, or PCCM), there's really no reason for most programs to take a chance on an applicant with any kind of yellow or red flag, because there are plenty more applicants out there without flags at all. Programs can filter not just on scores, or whether an exam has been passed, but on number of attempts. My (non-Cards) program doesn't care if you have Step 3 or not, but filters out all applicants with multiple attempts at any step.

I don't see any reason why you shouldn't reapply next year, but your strategy needs to be different.
 
Thanks everyone. I kind of have started feeling that I don't have a chance next year. If programs filter applications out for multiple attempts, even step 3, then I don't see a chance at all. Research or heart failure fellowship or anything won't matter at all if they don't even look at my application. I know my program filters everyone less than 200 on steps. And ours is a decent program, not one of the best. I'm wondering even if my contacts help put in a word, the number of interviews I may get is still max 4-5. The chance of matching with that is so low. This is depressing. It's like a blow. Never thought I'll have to think of alternate careers than cards.
 
I'm meeting with my director this week. But somehow just doesn't feel positive.
 
Hello.

I unfortunately didn't match. Had only three interviews and all from references. I'm not sure if I should apply next year or not given my step 3 issue. I'm an IMG/ J1 visa/ university IM program/ posters yes but no first author publications/ 4 publications but not first author on any of those/ step 1 230/ step 2 230/ cs pass first attempt/ step 3 second attempt 195.

Given that I have an attempt on step 3, I was wondering if my application is getting filtered out and hence not even worth it the next time. If that's the case , then no point doing a one year echo/chf and enhancing cv with research. Please let me know what you guys think.

Thanks so much.
step 3 attempt do play a big role in fellowship match. although programs are not very particular about step scores, they do wanna know if u have any attempts and that makes them to avoid interviewing u or rank u lower. only way to get aroudn this is to work closely with a department, may be 1 year fellowships and get to show them that the attempt doesnt reflect your knowledge and u are a strong dependable fellow.
 
I did a HF fellowship with the intention to apply right after and that was few years ago. I got into a car accident at the end of the fellowship which took a while to recover so I did not apply for a few years until I did this year. When I interviewed I did not mention the reason why I did not apply earlier because I thought it oils not help. Anyway, I did not match this year. Does anyone think getting an MPH would help?
Thanks a lot
 
Thanks everyone. I kind of have started feeling that I don't have a chance next year. If programs filter applications out for multiple attempts, even step 3, then I don't see a chance at all. Research or heart failure fellowship or anything won't matter at all if they don't even look at my application. I know my program filters everyone less than 200 on steps. And ours is a decent program, not one of the best. I'm wondering even if my contacts help put in a word, the number of interviews I may get is still max 4-5. The chance of matching with that is so low. This is depressing. It's like a blow.
You've left out one critical piece of information so far. You said you got 4 interviews, but don't mention how many apps you put out there.

If the answer is anything less than "all of the programs" then that's your plan for next year (minus the places that blew you off this year).

If the answer is "pretty much/all of them", then yes, it's time to figure out a new career path.

Never thought I'll have to think of alternate careers than cards.
This is going to sound like I'm being an a**hole, but, any IMG going for cards with anything less than an absolutely stellar resume (240+ on all Steps, multiple pubs, Chief year, no need for visa, strong academic residency, etc) needs to consider an alternative career from day 1 of the residency application process.
 
First off, congrats to everyone who matched! I was also lucky enough to get my top choice program (academic, research oriented, "top 5" fwiw) and am looking forward to fellowship. Are any of you planning to prep ahead of time? If so, any suggestions on what resources/reading would be helpful? I have a fairly light 6 months ahead and would like to use them wisely.



Internal candidates are known quantities for programs. They know how that resident truly functions because they have observed them - and all of their letters are internal, so they trust their known colleagues more than unknown cardiologists from other places. They're not going to rank a weak internal applicant highly but a strong internal candidate is worth their weight in gold. This is the rationale behind trying to do residency at a place strong in the division you wish to pursue (if you know). That being said, strong candidates might be looking outside of the institution so even if the program Y ranks candidate X first, if X ranked a different program A which liked him back, it shouldn't affect your chances at program Y.



Well said. The number of internal candidates from some places this year was astronomical. Sheer numbers will, unfortunately, claim a certain number of spots per program. Hearsay is that programs like to keep about half internal if they can and half external but there are some notable exceptions (Northwestern takes a lot of internal historically for example).



A lot of good advice! I think most programs want well-rounded candidates who are normal human beings - people they'd want to get drinks with after work. My perspective is that the interview day is your chance to sell why you'd be a good fit for a program and to prove your normalcy. Nobody wants a crazy gunner at this stage.



I asked my chair of cardiology how much step 3 scores matter and he responded "What is a Step 3?" That being said, he's not a details person so I suspect step scores do play into the initial interview screen - I didn't get the greatest of step scores and I suspect that's what prevented me from getting some of the interviews that people with otherwise similar CVs did. It's hard to counteract failing a Step and I think that you're going to have to rely heavily on knowing people if you choose to reapply - a personal endorsement means a lot to most programs. Doing a stellar job as a CHF fellow could be enough to get that particular program to overlook the step scores but I wouldn't expect it to change every program's opinion. I don't think the alternatives (research, hospitalist) are better than doing an advanced year if you are considering re-applying because you really are cards or bust. Consider meeting with your program's chair of cardiology or the fellowship director to discuss you application and get their input on what specifically will help you - they'll know more than most of us web pundits.

No, I plan to decompress and enjoy last few months before fellowship starts. Also am moving to a new city so have to find a place to live, etc, etc.
 
This is going to sound like I'm being an a**hole, but, any IMG going for cards with anything less than an absolutely stellar resume (240+ on all Steps, multiple pubs, Chief year, no need for visa, strong academic residency, etc) needs to consider an alternative career from day 1 of the residency application process.

I disagree with the above statement. I am a US citizen, FMG (went to a Caribbean medical school), obtained internal medicine residency at a community program. I got 214 on step 1, 226 on step 2, 232 on step 3. I applied broadly last year (~100 programs) and only got 5 interviews but did not match. This year, I am in a nuclear cardiology fellowship at a well reputed program, applied to 120+ programs, got 19 interviews and matched (not on any of my top programs, but nonetheless, I matched). No phone calls were made on my behalf to get me the interviews. I do not have any red flags however.
 
I disagree with the above statement. I am a US citizen, FMG (went to a Caribbean medical school), obtained internal medicine residency at a community program. I got 214 on step 1, 226 on step 2, 232 on step 3. I applied broadly last year (~100 programs) and only got 5 interviews but did not match. This year, I am in a nuclear cardiology fellowship at a well reputed program, applied to 120+ programs, got 19 interviews and matched (not on any of my top programs, but nonetheless, I matched). No phone calls were made on my behalf to get me the interviews. I do not have any red flags however.
I'm not saying cards is out of the question for such an applicant. Just that, for someone in the above scenario, blindly stumbling forward as if you're going to get a cards fellowship no matter what happens (as Cards987 appears to have done), without some sort of alternative plan for your career, is foolish.

Hell, I'm an AMG from a great residency program, AOA with a PhD and I made a non-fellowship backup plan.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
I'm not saying cards is out of the question for such an applicant. Just that, for someone in the above scenario, blindly stumbling forward as if you're going to get a cards fellowship no matter what happens (as Cards987 appears to have done), without some sort of alternative plan for your career, is foolish.

Hell, I'm an AMG from a great residency program, AOA with a PhD and I made a non-fellowship backup plan.

The 'greatness' of OHSU is debatable.
 
OHSU is decent. It's certainly not the 'great' powerhouse IM Residency promulgated by Gutonc. Do you disagree?

I didn't say it was a powerhouse. Not sure why you're all butt hurt. All I was trying to say is that, a backup plan is a good idea for every applicant.
 
there are 445 IM residencies in this country and I'd have trouble naming 30 that are clearly better than OHSU. not a "powerhouse", but certainly not a pedestrian program.
 
Thank you everyone for taking time in sharing your thoughts and experience.
Here are my thoughts as an IMG
Most of us don't accept it. But the match is already over on Dec 7th. All we have to do is, we have to decide how badly we want cardiology. If so buckle up again and move forward with smart plans for the next year match using time wisely. We have only 6 months. But keep in mind it will be more competitive than the previous year especially for IMGs. If you look at the statistics, 250 non-US international graduates were matched in the 844 cardiology spots in 2016 match and 220 non-US international graduates were matched in the 866 cardiology spots in 2017. So despite the spots were going up slightly, the chances for the IMGs are going down. What can we do? Like someone said above, ready with strong application for the next match. Again it varies what do you mean by the strong application? More research may be !!! More contacts may be !!! It's relative what is a strong and well-rounded application. I have known people matching with strong USMLE scores with no publications and average USMLE scores with a whole lot of publications. So you can't tell exactly what is important and what is not important most of the times. Even if we have ~850 spots for the ~1150 applicants, it would be a different story when you compare with internal candidates. Because most of the programs fill more than 60-70% with their internal candidates. Which means if you don't have a home program yours chances of getting matched is 1 in 4 to 5 (300 spots which no internal candidates for a total of 1150 applicants). Those numbers are probably for all applicants. But as an IMG you are competing with an AMG for those spots. And that too those IMGs include who have the green card, J1 visa and lastly H1 visa. So if you need a visa, that would be even tougher. I know this does not sound positive but it's the REALITY. But all we have to do is TRY our BEST
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
I didn't say it was a powerhouse. Not sure why you're all butt hurt. All I was trying to say is that, a backup plan is a good idea for every applicant.

You said you came from a 'great' residency which clearly insinuates a top-tier program. OHSU is certainly neither great nor top-tier.

No 'butt hurt' (whatever on earth that means) on my end, hombre.
 
You said you came from a 'great' residency which clearly insinuates a top-tier program. OHSU is certainly neither great nor top-tier.

No 'butt hurt' (whatever on earth that means) on my end, hombre.
It was in fact a great place for me. I never said top tier.

image.png


And congratulations on completely missing the point of the post. Keep up the good work.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Top