Career Choices: The fellowship search

Abstract

Electing to continue formal medical education through a fellowship is an important career decision. Unlike finding a residency, the process of finding fellowships and the accreditation status of fellowships are not standardized. This article attempts to clarify the advantages and disadvantages of fellowships in neurology, as well as to describe how to learn of subspecialties that offer fellowships, fellowship availability, and accreditation systems. After residency, fellowship is often the next step in formal graduate medical education. Approximately 74% of neurology residents pursue fellowships.1 Unlike the process for finding internship and residency positions, the process and timetable for seeking out, interviewing, evaluating, and, finally, selecting a fellowship depend on the type of fellowship and the institution. There is no national match for fellowships, no standardization of fellowship applications, no centralized list of fellowship positions, and no single accreditation body for all fellowships. Fellowships offer one a competitive edge when applying for private practice positions. In fact, subspecialty fellowship training is often a requirement for private practice or academic positions. Fellowships also offer one a chance to delve into a field and to gain clinical and laboratory experience in a subspecialty area. Many fellowships offer the opportunity to try writing and teaching, thus providing a chance to experience some aspects of academic neurology. Fellowships are quite varied in their focus, with a wide range of subspecialty training available (see table). Information about fellowship opportunities is available from multiple sources. The American Academy of Neurology (AAN) Web site offers a listing of many fellowships in its Residents & Students section (www.aan.com/education/fellowships). Fellowships can be selected on the basis of subject matter, state, or keyword. The United Council for Neurologic Subspecialties (UCNS) Web site (www.ucns.org/apps/directory) also has options for selecting programs by topic matter and state. The UCNS was established in 2003 to …