Note: posted this initially under “Pre-Meds” section, but I suspect the “Physician and OPM Alumni” section may get more feedback. So if anyone out there has gone back for another fellowship after being in practice, would love to hear about it. Thanks
Hello all,
First I would like to say how glad I am to have come across this site. I stumbled upon it when I was looking for web info on age of residency/fellowship trainees, etc…
I quickly realized, after reading some of these posts what a whiner I am, given what many members here have gone through in achieving their goals of becoming an MD at a much later age.
So a bit about myself. I’m currently 42, married with 2 boys (3 years and 8 months) and 2 big dogs (also boys, 10 and 7 years). I was by no means “late” in entering medical school at age 23-24. My biggest “problem” (if it is that), has been finding the right “fit” so that I can develop my career. I am now board-certified in internal medicine and pulmonary disease, and have practiced both in a community and academic setting.
When I finished residency, it was a real toss-up between pulmonary and ID. In retrospect, pulmonary won out I think because of the mentors and encouragement I had at the time, and even in the lead-up period to internal medicine residency (mentors in that period were pulmonologists as well), and it was enough to get me through fellowship.
Since finishing and working in the field, however, I’ve found more and more my interests have veered towards ID (and I currently work in public health communicable disease control). I haven’t really been able to put the “I wonder what it would have been like to be an ID physician” out of my mind since finishing residency 9 years ago, and all the ID physicians I’ve spoken to think I should train further if I’m interested in the field.
So all that to say I’ve put up this post for any feedback anyone might have about going back to becoming a fellow in one’s early 40s. Again, compared to what I’ve see here, most of you would be quite right to say “suck it up and go for it, quit whining about going back to being a trainee”, etc…My wife is behind me on this, I have no other barriers with the exception of getting into a program, but have had a lot of encouragement from program directors to apply, etc…
I guess I’m posting this because I’m really wondering what it is as a “common denominator” for all of us that makes us consider further “pain and suffering”, “delayed gratification”, whether it be in pursuit of the MD, extra fellowship, etc…
Is it normal, or a marker of an inability to be satisfied with what one has in life? I guess most of us would term the latter “complacency” and would not look upon it favorably.
Feedback welcome.
Go for it! I am assuming that you have done the analysis of the impact of going back to a trainee salary. I remember in med school there being physicians who had travelled similar paths, doing one fellowship, then doing another. A lot of it is how you package it, similar to what we non-trads have to do. Don’t focus on what you are leaving (in a negative sense) but how the new fellowship helps you build your career as a (insert dream job here).
- tec Said:
I agree whole-heartly with tec. In this group we have people still going to medical school at your age, so fellowship should be a piece of cake! I think this should be based almost entirely on how it will affect your family and life. Will it uproot your family? how will they be affected? how can you make an easy transition? how will it affect current income, future practice, etc. So if the family issues are doable, then why not?
- swami42 Said:
Is it normal, or a marker of an inability to be satisfied with what one has in life?...
Aside from the interests, ideological, professional, personal, and perhaps moral reasons, I think it is primarily the thrill of a new challenge and the rush of being able to surmount another obstacle and go where few people have gone before. At least I know that that is true for me...
Thanks for the feedback…very much appreciated
You will find yourself far from alone. During my residency, I had several people who returned from various specialties to do anesthesia residencies. Also, we had an ID fellow who had been a internist for years. I think you will find career changes in medicine to be far more common than the mythology lets on. Furthermore, as an experienced physician, you will find yourself being a resource person for many other trainees who wish to learn from your experiences.
There is NO way I would go back for another fellowship right now but I am a PGY3 and sick of training at this point. Also with the ACGME rules the fellows will be working their arses off more now than previously. I guess if you really want it they go for it…