Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

Tips for fellowship applicants from a program administrator

Geri Herling, MHA
Education
July 27, 2018
Share
Tweet
Share

The season has opened, and panic has spread among senior year residents, chief residents, and hospitalists out in the community. Fellowship applications are live and being viewed by the programs applicants think they want to rank one, two, and three. These incredibly intelligent physicians are refreshing student document network daily now and soon to be hourly as the weeks go on. The anxiety is building as people are waiting to see which program invite them for an interview, or worse never respond. The applicants have done everything they can, now it’s time to just sweat it out, and wait for the invitations to hopefully role in and possibly email every program’s coordinator, right?

False. What is lost on the majority of applicants is that although this is a match this is still a job search. Sending out your application is step one to applying but now it is time to see the programs, market yourself in person, and find the mutual right fit. Prepare for these interviews like the non-physicians of the world prepare and attack job interviews.

Practice for your interviews! You may be in front of a group panel; you may be essentially speed dating with ten plus faculty members all morning. Stand in front of a mirror and create your “thirty-second elevator pitch.”  Practice this to a mentor; shape this as you go to different programs. This is your time to possibly direct where the next questions will go, take advantage of this time. Put your phone on silent when you go into the interview and do not look at again until you leave.  Take a deep breath before you walk into the first room, smile, and introduce yourself, you’ve prepared for this! When programs go to create their rank list you want to be the person that is remembered as personable in the interview, well rounded on paper and off.   You do not want to be the person who is known as the “the person who just couldn’t tell me about themselves,” “the one always on their phone,” or “the person who never smiled.”

On the interview trail make friends in the interviews. Enjoy making connections; where you train is not necessarily where you stay. Talk to the current fellows at every site; take advantage when that time is offered.

As the season goes on and you start to want to cancel, think to yourself, “Am I canceling because I have no interest in this program or because I am tired of traveling?” If it is the latter, drink some caffeine or take a nap and get in the car, plane or train.

At the end of the day remember this is a job interview, just a formulated version. Use your current network of faculty, reach out to current trainees at the programs, and ask your program director for support in making connections.

Practice a firm handshake, iron your suit/dress/skirt, smile, be the best version of yourself, and remember you have been preparing for this. Rank every program you could see yourself possibly training and try to enjoy the experience as much as you can.

Geri Herling is a fellowship program administrator.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

Prev

The culture of perfection in medicine is a disease

July 27, 2018 Kevin 1
…
Next

Emergency care coverage denial policies put lives at risk

July 27, 2018 Kevin 0
…

Tagged as: Medical school, Residency

Post navigation

< Previous Post
The culture of perfection in medicine is a disease
Next Post >
Emergency care coverage denial policies put lives at risk

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Posts

  • 10 tips for non-traditional medical school applicants

    Joe Bardinelli, DO
  • How to match into a fellowship

    Faton Bytyci, MD
  • 8 scholarship tips for medical school

    Trisha Chau
  • 4 tips for better communication with patients

    Subha Mohan
  • 5 tips for surviving your first year in medical school

    Amit Phull, MD
  • 9 medical student tips to prepare for the Match

    Diego Razura

More in Education

  • Why health care must adopt a harm reduction model

    Dylan Angle
  • Gen Z’s DIY approach to health care

    Amanda Heidemann, MD
  • What street medicine taught me about healing

    Alina Kang
  • How listening makes you a better doctor before your first prescription

    Kelly Dórea França
  • What it means to be a woman in medicine today

    Annie M. Trumbull
  • How Japan and the U.S. can collaborate for better health care

    Vikram Madireddy, MD, Masashi Hamada, MD, PhD, and Hibiki Yamazaki
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Why pain doctors face unfair scrutiny and harsh penalties in California

      Kayvan Haddadan, MD | Physician
    • Love, birds, and fries: a story of innocence and connection

      Dr. Damane Zehra | Physician
    • How a doctor defied a hurricane to save a life

      Dharam Persaud-Sharma, MD, PhD | Physician
    • Why physician strikes are a form of hospice

      Patrick Hudson, MD | Physician
    • What street medicine taught me about healing

      Alina Kang | Education
    • The silent cost of choosing personalization over privacy in health care

      Dr. Giriraj Tosh Purohit | Tech
  • Past 6 Months

    • Why transgender health care needs urgent reform and inclusive practices

      Angela Rodriguez, MD | Conditions
    • COVID-19 was real: a doctor’s frontline account

      Randall S. Fong, MD | Conditions
    • Why primary care doctors are drowning in debt despite saving lives

      John Wei, MD | Physician
    • Confessions of a lipidologist in recovery: the infection we’ve ignored for 40 years

      Larry Kaskel, MD | Conditions
    • Why taxing remittances harms families and global health care

      Dalia Saha, MD | Finance
    • mRNA post vaccination syndrome: Is it real?

      Harry Oken, MD | Conditions
  • Recent Posts

    • Physician practice ownership: risks, rewards, and reality

      Paul Morton, CFP | Finance
    • How peer support can save physician lives [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Why AI in health care needs the same scrutiny as chemotherapy

      Rafael Rolon Rivera, MD | Tech
    • The humanity we bring: a call to hold space in medicine

      Kathleen Muldoon, PhD | Conditions
    • The truth about fat in whole milk and your health

      Larry Kaskel, MD | Conditions
    • How pain clinics contribute to societal safety

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Physician

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

Leave a Comment

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Why pain doctors face unfair scrutiny and harsh penalties in California

      Kayvan Haddadan, MD | Physician
    • Love, birds, and fries: a story of innocence and connection

      Dr. Damane Zehra | Physician
    • How a doctor defied a hurricane to save a life

      Dharam Persaud-Sharma, MD, PhD | Physician
    • Why physician strikes are a form of hospice

      Patrick Hudson, MD | Physician
    • What street medicine taught me about healing

      Alina Kang | Education
    • The silent cost of choosing personalization over privacy in health care

      Dr. Giriraj Tosh Purohit | Tech
  • Past 6 Months

    • Why transgender health care needs urgent reform and inclusive practices

      Angela Rodriguez, MD | Conditions
    • COVID-19 was real: a doctor’s frontline account

      Randall S. Fong, MD | Conditions
    • Why primary care doctors are drowning in debt despite saving lives

      John Wei, MD | Physician
    • Confessions of a lipidologist in recovery: the infection we’ve ignored for 40 years

      Larry Kaskel, MD | Conditions
    • Why taxing remittances harms families and global health care

      Dalia Saha, MD | Finance
    • mRNA post vaccination syndrome: Is it real?

      Harry Oken, MD | Conditions
  • Recent Posts

    • Physician practice ownership: risks, rewards, and reality

      Paul Morton, CFP | Finance
    • How peer support can save physician lives [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Why AI in health care needs the same scrutiny as chemotherapy

      Rafael Rolon Rivera, MD | Tech
    • The humanity we bring: a call to hold space in medicine

      Kathleen Muldoon, PhD | Conditions
    • The truth about fat in whole milk and your health

      Larry Kaskel, MD | Conditions
    • How pain clinics contribute to societal safety

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Physician

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Leave a Comment

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...