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Just wanted to start a thread for this year applicants. All inputs about programs appreciated by current fellows and past class of interviewees.
Here's a question to ask the Fellowship Director. Find out how hard it is for the fellows to get good jobs. The word on the street is that it is becoming much harder, many children's hospitals expanded over the last few years and are not hiring, many fellows going into combined adult and peds jobs, discussions in the society about cutting the number of fellowships offered, etc. See if they blow smoke and then ask the current fellows how it's going with the job search and how happy they are with the results.
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Il Destriero
Thanks Ildestriero .What are the top ten programs regardless of location?
Nationwide Childrens and Jackson Memorial interviews invitations so far.
Here's a question to ask the Fellowship Director. Find out how hard it is for the fellows to get good jobs. The word on the street is that it is becoming much harder, many children's hospitals expanded over the last few years and are not hiring, many fellows going into combined adult and peds jobs
Il Destriero
It'd he helpful if current fellows would chime in with the job types they were offered.
So the bottom line is you will get a job, but it takes a combination of luck, academic ambition, and flexibility to do 100% academic peds. Feel free to PM if you have specific questions.
Perhaps it's a regional issue? Is your comment based on your own program or based on what you've heard from other programs as well?
One person's opinion, granted I was looking a couple years ago but now work in academics and it seems things haven't changed much:
I looked for jobs at academic children's hospitals. I got bites from the places that were hiring externally, and did not from places that either 1) weren't hiring or 2) hired their own fellows first. This highlights an important point which is that being a fellow gets you the best chance to get a job at a particular place. I think being from a top program helps but is not essential. Doing a second year is often required at some of the top places, but they tend to waive that requirement if they get short staffed. A lot of it is luck (which depts are expanding, who in the group is retiring in a given year, etc).
People in my class who looked for jobs in academic mixed practice got offers almost everywhere they applied - these groups are big (~100 anesthesiologists or more) and they are almost always looking to hire. Fellowship training is always welcome in big departments - if you're willing to do sick adults, OB, etc then they will be happy to have you.
Good private practice jobs are usually word of mouth - I did get a few personal emails from desirable PP groups, and got them solely based on relationships I had with faculty from residency/fellowship. There's always an abundance of average groups looking for pedi folks. I think doing the fellowship gives you an advantage and you will get lots of emails from groups looking for people who can do pediatrics.
So the bottom line is you will get a job, but it takes a combination of luck, academic ambition, and flexibility to do 100% academic peds. Feel free to PM if you have specific questions.
I also received one from Nationwide - didn't get a confirmation though after I emailed back my preferences. you?Thanks Ildestriero .What are the top ten programs regardless of location?
Nationwide Childrens and Jackson Memorial interviews invitations so far.
I applied to 13 and interviewed at 13 last cycle. I wouldn't apply somewhere you wouldn't go. I wouldn't apply to more than you are "aiming to interview with" because that would be a huge waste of money.curious as to how many places people applied to and are aiming to interview with...
I have not heard from either of those. Anyone heard from UW Seattle Childrens or Colorado?
If it helps anyone, Ive heard from WashU, Miami, Yale, NYU, Michigan, Texas Childrens, Arkansas, Wisconsin, U Chicago, CHLA, Loma Linda, Hopkins, Mayo Jax, Nationwide.
Not the letter with your key words but the one that says passas far as places asking for Basic exam report...do they want a copy of the letter that was mailed? because i tossed that. anyone know where i can get a copy? anyway it seems like a pretty good way of them getting a "score" for a test that was never meant to be used to set a bar for fellowship-they just count up your key words. :/
Does anyone have any insight or opinions of nationwide Columbus or Texas children's? Looking for thoughts on program,reputation, location,quality of life
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Nationwide seemed like a diamond in the rough when I interviewed there. Well funded, nice interviewers, continually building. PD was very affable. Definitely on the smaller size as far as # of fellows relative to the amount of cases they do, you are clearly there for maximum fellow benefit as opposed to being a workforce. I got the impression the fellows were doing babies/the best cases each day. I'm not from the midwest nor do I know much about Columbus other than there are a ton of companies headquartered there if you have a spouse not in medicine as I do. Only perceived flaw I had coming away was catchment area - seems like a lot of good programs [Cincy, Rainbow, Nationwide] all on the same block, but Nationwide is brand spanking new and flush with $$$$.
TCH is a top tier program in the nation's largest medical center. There is not much more to say. Houston is great, it's where I hail from originally. I have several friends that matched there previously, a current fellow, and 2 in the incoming class, and the only gripes I have heard have been about the # of mandatory/QI/research projects you are expected to perform relative to the time given to accomplish them. Other than that, they all want to stick around. TCH is expanding their department at remote sites, the PD mentioned hiring something like 14 people in the next several years to staff up the woodlands, but with the caveat that if you are hired to work at the woodlands or katy campus that is where you will stay. The prospect of sticking around after training seemed good. You wont miss out on anything training there.
Obviously these are just my opinions after interviewing last year/based on what my friends/colleagues have shared, and everyone will have different feelings about different places. If you've got ??s about Boston, CHOP, Northwestern, Emory, Stanford, Vandy, Cincy, UTH, UTSW, WashU, Hopkins I can give my .02 if needed.
I would love all your cents on Hopkins, WashU, Cincinnati, Vanderbilt, and Emory!
I'd love to hear thoughts on Boston ,CHOP , and northwestern. Also which program did you end up at?Nationwide seemed like a diamond in the rough when I interviewed there. Well funded, nice interviewers, continually building. PD was very affable. Definitely on the smaller size as far as # of fellows relative to the amount of cases they do, you are clearly there for maximum fellow benefit as opposed to being a workforce. I got the impression the fellows were doing babies/the best cases each day. I'm not from the midwest nor do I know much about Columbus other than there are a ton of companies headquartered there if you have a spouse not in medicine as I do. Only perceived flaw I had coming away was catchment area - seems like a lot of good programs [Cincy, Rainbow, Nationwide] all on the same block, but Nationwide is brand spanking new and flush with $$$$.
TCH is a top tier program in the nation's largest medical center. There is not much more to say. Houston is great, it's where I hail from originally. I have several friends that matched there previously, a current fellow, and 2 in the incoming class, and the only gripes I have heard have been about the # of mandatory/QI/research projects you are expected to perform relative to the time given to accomplish them. Other than that, they all want to stick around. TCH is expanding their department at remote sites, the PD mentioned hiring something like 14 people in the next several years to staff up the woodlands, but with the caveat that if you are hired to work at the woodlands or katy campus that is where you will stay. The prospect of sticking around after training seemed good. You wont miss out on anything training there.
Obviously these are just my opinions after interviewing last year/based on what my friends/colleagues have shared, and everyone will have different feelings about different places. If you've got ??s about Boston, CHOP, Northwestern, Emory, Stanford, Vandy, Cincy, UTH, UTSW, WashU, Hopkins I can give my .02 if needed.
I have not heard from either of those. Anyone heard from UW Seattle Childrens or Colorado?
If it helps anyone, Ive heard from WashU, Miami, Yale, NYU, Michigan, Texas Childrens, Arkansas, Wisconsin, U Chicago, CHLA, Loma Linda, Hopkins, Mayo Jax, Nationwide.
Hopkins - A coresident matched there- 2 of the 4 of us that applied from my program really liked the place and ranked it super highly, I however had it further down my rank list. Program director there was fantastic and charismatic. She was super high-energy and enthusiastic during an otherwise fairly low-energy interview day. The fellow that toured us around kind of gave the impression "come here if you want to be at hopkins" but didn't really sell the program or any strengths other than talking about high-bloodloss spines that they do a lot of. I got the feeling a lot of their cardiac volume went to DC childrens when I asked about it, didn't seem like a problem if you aren't planning on doing pedi-cardiac with your life, but for me that was a dealbreaker [kinda weird since Blalock and Taussig were at Hopkins but whatever]. Everyone was nice at the program. It was the only place I interviewed where the pedi hospital is integrated into the adult hospital.
Great to hear! One of my good friends/coresidents will be with you starting in July!PonyUp is correct in that our cardiac volume was lower the 2 years ago but not anymore. At the time we had a total of 1.5-2 full time peds cardiac anesthesiologists and no dedicated PCICU. Now we have 4.5 full time pediatric cardiac anesthesiologists and a physical space dedicated to PCICU. So very different now. Being integrated into an adult hospital, IMHO, is a very cool thing. Happy to share more by DM. good luck.
I know you weren't being critical!Great to hear! One of my good friends/coresidents will be with you starting in July!
Re: part of a bigger hospital - I bet it's nice to have some of the less common ancillary services that an adult hospital provides in house - wasn't meaning to be critical!
PonyUp is correct in that our cardiac volume was lower the 2 years ago but not anymore. At the time we had a total of 1.5-2 full time peds cardiac anesthesiologists and no dedicated PCICU. Now we have 4.5 full time pediatric cardiac anesthesiologists and a physical space dedicated to PCICU. So very different now. Being integrated into an adult hospital, IMHO, is a very cool thing. Happy to share more by DM. good luck.
PM'd. Hoping to maintain some anonymity.I'd love to hear thoughts on Boston ,CHOP , and northwestern. Also which program did you end up at?
I'm going to mention Boston in here too because the programs sell themselves as similar, and they both offer top tier training, but with some tradeoffs.Yes please. I would like to hear your opinion about CHOP.
The USMLE was never "intended" to be used for ranking residency applicants either ...anyway it seems like a pretty good way of them getting a "score" for a test that was never meant to be used to set a bar for fellowship-they just count up your key words. :/
Nearing the end of interviews, thankfully (so tired and so broke)
Any thoughts from folks out there who have completed training -- how important is it really for anesthesia fellows to be doing the central lines on cardiac cases? esp if you don't think you'll be doing cardiac