Quitting fellowship prior to starting next fellowship

[Drblackjack036451]

Hi everyone, I'm writing because I was looking for advice given the position I am in and I really could not find someone with the same kind so I figured I would just make a thread for it.

Me and my partner tried to couples match when we finished residency. My partner ended matching into her solo match and I did not match. I followed her to where she was doing her fellowship and enrolled in a one year fellowship prior to trying again for my preferred fellowship. The good news, I was able to match in my preferred fellowship on this current cycle and will be starting that in July; at this point I have taken and passed my IM boards as well. The bad news, I really am not happy at my current one year fellowship. I feel this post would go on far too long if I listed all the negatives about it. Simply put I interviewed prior to starting this fellowship and was told it was for learning, not for service. This turned out to be blatantly untrue as fellows are taken for everything they are worth. Not to mention the PD is very difficult to work with. Although the hours are better than they were in IM residency, I just come home an angrier person. I do not even fully enjoy the time I have with my partner just because I am always so on edge. The sad part is that it is not even about the medicine (which is very simple), its just how unpleasant the work environment and shifting policies are. I have no intention of working in my current fellowship's field, and do not intend on taking the board exam for it or maintaining it.

So I guess I have a few questions. 1. Will quitting my current fellowship (roughly 6 months in) in anyway affect my upcoming position next July (can my current PD do anything to mess this up for me?); I have already signed the contract for my next fellowship. 2. Will quitting this current fellowship affect job prospects in my chosen specialty in the future? 3. I have been trying to look at my current contract, but really it was just an agreement to take the position, and i think the rest is just GME policy, is there any particular way to go about leaving this current fellowship, or is it just 2 weeks notice? 30 days? Not sure I can do 60 more days....

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[tantacles]

I don’t know what you should do, but I know what I would do: quit.

 

[chessknt]

Hi everyone, I'm writing because I was looking for advice given the position I am in and I really could not find someone with the same kind so I figured I would just make a thread for it.

Me and my partner tried to couples match when we finished residency. My partner ended matching into her solo match and I did not match. I followed her to where she was doing her fellowship and enrolled in a one year fellowship prior to trying again for my preferred fellowship. The good news, I was able to match in my preferred fellowship on this current cycle and will be starting that in July; at this point I have taken and passed my IM boards as well. The bad news, I really am not happy at my current one year fellowship. I feel this post would go on far too long if I listed all the negatives about it. Simply put I interviewed prior to starting this fellowship and was told it was for learning, not for service. This turned out to be blatantly untrue as fellows are taken for everything they are worth. Not to mention the PD is very difficult to work with. Although the hours are better than they were in IM residency, I just come home an angrier person. I do not even fully enjoy the time I have with my partner just because I am always so on edge. The sad part is that it is not even about the medicine (which is very simple), its just how unpleasant the work environment and shifting policies are. I have no intention of working in my current fellowship's field, and do not intend on taking the board exam for it or maintaining it.

So I guess I have a few questions. 1. Will quitting my current fellowship (roughly 6 months in) in anyway affect my upcoming position next July (can my current PD do anything to mess this up for me?); I have already signed the contract for my next fellowship. 2. Will quitting this current fellowship affect job prospects in my chosen specialty in the future? 3. I have been trying to look at my current contract, but really it was just an agreement to take the position, and i think the rest is just GME policy, is there any particular way to go about leaving this current fellowship, or is it just 2 weeks notice? 30 days? Not sure I can do 60 more days....

1-I would defer this to active PDs but I think the absolute safest way would be to reach out to wherever you matched and tell them due to a change in circumstances you will likely need to leave your current program before completing it and ask them if it will have any impact on your acceptance there while emphasizing this does not change your commitment to their program in any way etc etc.

2-No unless you get terminated or have some other disciplinary action at the credentialing level
3-This will be spelled out in your contract for sure, either directly or in reference to a policy manual or handbook somewhere. It is very likely there is no functional way for you to exit without breaking you contract in which case there should be some sort of clear penalty or consequence area outlined that you will need to be prepared for. Breaking a contract might expose you to some legal risk (unlikely) but shouldnt have any significant impact on your future employment

 

[ortnakas]

The only person who can answer this question is the PD at your next fellowship.

 

[HemeOncHopeful19]

Are your fellowships at the same institution? Are they in the same city/region/state?

 

[Drblackjack036451]

Are your fellowships at the same institution? Are they in the same city/region/state?

No, the one I am in is in the midwest and I am going to the south for the next one.

 

[ROBINHO]

Well it’s not fair to the fellowship for you to quit midway - what are they supposed to do with the half year spot ? I agree that mental health trumps everything but need to see it from PD perspective. What happens if your new fellowship is not what they promised you ?

When you apply for credentials and license I believe you are expected to list everything you have done including uncompleted fellowships.

Whatever you do make sure you leave on amicable terms.

 

[aafisahar]

tough it out, medicine is a small world and word travels, you'll have to answer for the ~6 month gap you'll have for licensing/credentialing at future jobs and they may or may not want to talk to your current PD.

the cons definitely outweigh the pros

 

[rokshana]

Can your current pd hurt you? Of course they can…medicine is a small world and people know each other and they talk.

Will they hurt you? Who knows, but why take that chance?

And you will have to explain leaving the fellowship and the gap forevermore…it had the potential to be a problem.

At this point it’s 4-5 months… doesn’t seem worth the potential hassles…