fellowship without residency - conversation

aqua said:

hi
iam an immigrant having green card....
i have a few questions about fellowship without residency....

1.what is required for it?Residency in that field from home country or fellowship in that field from home country or both are not reqiured?

2.is it paid like other fellowships which are done AFTER residency?if yes what is the salary or stipend whatever it is called.....

3.is it easy to get or very difficult just like externship

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drvic replied :

hi

i've some idea of this...so i'll try and answer your questions...

1) requirements vary for each subspecialty, but mostly you need proof of atleast having completed residency training in related specialty in your country of residence, which should be considered acceptable by the program...that again varies...

2) you do get paid but there are lots of ifs and buts - most programs say that their funding sources specify that the fellows have to be american citizens in order to receive pay for their work, otherwise they will be asked to arrange for their own funding....that is the response that i got from most places. i'm not too sure if the same applies for Green Card holders too...

3) as you guessed it, it is never easy to get...firstly it depends on the subspecialty in which you are seeking Fellowship training...if its highly sought after and competitive, you can completely forget about it. but if its in places/subspecialties where not many people would apply, then you might stand a chance...BUT....even then u will need excellent credentials in that subspecialty..like original research papers, paper presentations at national/preferably international conferences, evidence of interest and work experience in the subspecilty, and last of all, very good LORs from very reputed faculty in that subspecialty...

but even after all this if you do get it, then after the fellowship, there are a few implications that you should understand:

firstly, you will never be Board Certified in that subspecialty coz you can't take the American Boards....so you will only remain - "Board Eligible" (BE) in say, Gastroenterology after finishing your training. you will never be called "Board Certified (BC)" Cardiologist etc. but in practical terms both BC and BE are considered equivalent in the US job market...

secondly, you have no opton but to return immediatley to your country. coz to be eligible for working further in that subspecialty in US you will need Board Certification in the primary branch, let's say internal medicine for example, if you did fellowship in Gastro...Oh yes, in fact some of the programs even mention a US residency training as one of the essential pre-requisites for applying, so that again rules out so many institutes straightaway where you cannot apply...

hey i'm not writing all this to dissuade you, you can still try and beat all the odds. i did, applied and gave a few interviews as well...this inspite of the fact that i'm an IMG - neither an american citizen or a green card holder...and neither have i done my residency in the US. but i did fulfil all the other criteria i mentioned above...but then i realised in the long run, it will really not help me coz then to continue working i'll have to go thru residency all over again after fellowship...which is like going retrograde...which is not such a nice idea. that's why i gave up the idea. BUT...i know people who have done that!!! yes, did their fellowship in a subspecialty - then liked working in the US so much that they went and did their residency,all over again which they easily got in the same hospital. but then its not easy doing night calls as a resident when you've been used to supervising residents as a fellow...that too in the very same hospital!

my reason for not taking up Fship first is that you get much more options in terms of the number of institutions you can apply to - after having done a residency in US - than by applying directly for a fellowship, where you will be ruled out at most places because of the criteria mentioned above...

so think of all your options, and then make the decision...if you really do love that subspecialty, you will do something about it...

Best of luck

hope this info helps