More Than Just Another Year

he decision to do a fellowship seems very difficult when the end of training is so close … I mean, seriously, another year?! Recruiters are calling and writing every day with amazing job prospects. Completing applications takes time, and interviews can become expensive. You may even have to relocate, which is an arduous task that few people enjoy.

Having pondered all of the potential negatives, when one considers the potential benefits of a one-year fellowship, it becomes an easy choice. In just one year, you gain further subspecialty accreditation and future job security. By doing research, writing and editing, you will help drive the field forward and develop your own areas of expertise. Becoming fellowship trained will open doors to more jobs, both in academic and private practice.

Selecting a program is challenging, and early research will save you time and money. Many of the same strategies used when choosing a residency also apply to fellowship selection. Meet the residents and fellows and inquire about their perceptions. Find out what types of jobs graduates are being offered. Are any fellows staying on as staff? Look for diversity in patient population and cases to ensure broad and complete training. It is also important to have faculty with different training backgrounds who can offer different approaches and opinions to clinical situations. Lastly, determine if the community is a place in which you would like to live. The vast majority of anesthesiology fellowships are only one year, which makes location somewhat less important, but living in a place where you will enjoy your personal time is still important.

There are a few tricks that will make the process more efficient. Presenting an abstract or becoming involved in the various resident subcommittees during your CA-1 and CA-2 years can offer an opportunity to go to national meetings and meet fellowship directors and other residents from around the country. Use these opportunities to inquire about the fellowship availability in other cities. Keep your curriculum vitae current and identify faculty within your department to write your letters of recommendation. Many department chairs are pleased by a resident’s interest in fellowship training and are happy to serve as guides through the application process.

Most important, apply early. Currently there is no central application center or standardized application, a problem that I hope ASA, ASA resident representatives and fellowship directors will work to change. As a result, the application process can take more time than expected. Since there is no official match process, decisions for many programs are made on a rolling basis. By applying during the later months of your CA-2 year, you will ensure that your application is reviewed before interview dates have been filled and decisions have been made.

So after at least four years of undergraduate school, four years of medical school and four years of residency, it is just one more year. Yet it can provide so much more.

Chad M. Brummett, M.D., is a CA-3 resident at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor.