VOLUME 29, ISSUE 2
Jonathan Hagedorn, MD
Chief Anesthesiology Resident
Baylor College of Medicine
Fellowship Applications 101
As you navigate your early anesthesia training years, many of you will develop specific interests and choose to pursue fellowship training. Anesthesia is a diverse field and offers ACGME accredited fellowship training in many different subspecialties, including cardiothoracic, critical care, obstetrics, chronic pain, acute pain/regional, and pediatrics. Non-ACGME accredited fellowships are also available, which include trauma, global health, neurosurgical, and perioperative pain medicine. While the subspecialties are very different, the application content and paths to success are quite similar.
1. Get Involved.
When you decide on your fellowship, you should contact your residency program’s faculty and express your interest. They may be able to help facilitate your involvement within the department and beyond. If possible, seek out research opportunities. Clinical trials are great, but case reports and literature reviews are fantastic learning experiences too. No project is too small. Not only will it help you learn your chosen field better, but it improves your CV and serves as a talking point during fellowship interviews.
I’d also recommend joining the leading organization in your subspecialty. Many of them are free or very low cost for residents. Attend the annual meeting, go to lectures centered around your clinical interests, meet and greet program directors from around the country, and consider joining a national committee. The possibilities are endless when you start looking for them. Showing interest through involvement speaks to your desire and willingness to promote and improve your chosen subspecialty.
2. Apply Early and Intelligently.
The application process can be daunting and often you are navigating the programs on your own. You can apply to chronic pain and pediatric anesthesiology through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) and the match is done through the National Residency Matching Program (NRMP). Adult cardiothoracic anesthesiology and critical care medicine matches are conducted utilizing the San Francisco Match. These processes can open as early as November during the CA-II year. The other areas of anesthesiology will require a paper application, which is program dependent. Regardless of which subspecialty you are entering or their application process, it’s important to look at each individual program’s website, as they each have their own deadlines and special requirements. Your application will not be complete until they have received all of their required paperwork. So be vigilant and thorough.
Remember, “the early bird gets the worm”. I’d recommend applying as early as possible, so start preparing your application early during CA-II year. Make sure your CV is up to date. Make photocopies of your medical school diploma and any certificates from previous residency training. Take a new professional photograph. Start speaking with potential letter of recommendation writers. All of these steps are time consuming, especially when working a resident’s schedule. In addition, interview positions fill up fast and each program has its own application deadline. A program will never fault you for being early and proactive, but they may reject your application if it is late..
When considering which programs to apply to, think about what you are hoping to gain from your fellowship training. Ask yourself some basic questions: does this fellowship offer the experience I want, what are my career goals both short-term and long-term, where do I see myself practicing after fellowship, what jobs are the current fellows getting after fellowship, and will I be happy at this program? Each fellowship program will be different, offering a wide variety of work experiences, research opportunities, and career opportunities after completion. Make sure you are being honest with yourself and seeking out the appropriate fellowship for you
3. Be Yourself
Interviews are both fun and stressful. As a resident, it can be difficult to arrange days off for travel and interviews. If the program offers weekend dates, I would recommend choosing to interview those days. However, most of the time interviews are conducted Monday through Friday. This frequently leads to traveling on a post-call day and using personal days for interviews. Because of this, make sure you are saving some personal/vacation days for interviews during your CA-II and CA-III years. Also, speak with your residency program as soon as you sign up for a fellowship interview date, so you can arrange your days off. Remember, as a resident you are an integral part of the team so your day off can be quite disruptive to workflow if the proper steps aren’t followed. Be courteous to your program coordinators and schedulers, they are doing the best they can to keep the hospital running and allowing you to get to interviews. Prior to purchasing non-refundable plane tickets, confirm with your program that you will be allowed to have that time off for an interview. If every other resident has time off at the same time, it may be that you need to try to select an alternate date that may be offered at the program you wish to interview with.
Remember to prepare for your interviews. Speak with your CA-III co-residents, figure out how the interview days were structured, what questions they were asked, and any other pertinent information about each program. They are a valuable resource for your success. I’d recommend preparing answers to some very basic questions: why this subspecialty, why this program, why you, and what are your career goals? On nearly every interview I have been on so far, I’ve been asked these basic and important questions. Also, go to the program’s website and read about the organization and program before you arrive on interview day. The fellowship program is showing up prepared to interview you, so you should do the same. If you are still wearing the same suit or outfit that you wore for medical school interviews, consider a modern upgrade, or, at the very least, confirm well in advance that it still fits appropriately.
Lastly, remember to be yourself and answer truthfully. Just as they are seeking out the appropriate candidates for their program, you should be doing the same. Find the program that fits your vision. This is your last year of training before you are on your own. Make it the best year yet!
I hope this guide will help you prepare for your fellowship applications and interviews as you progress through your residency training. The process is stressful and long, but if you get involved, apply early and intelligently, and be yourself, I believe you will have a successful fellowship match. Good luck! ♦
