Information for Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Fellowship Applicants

Most Google™ searches using combinations of the terms:  “pulmonary”, “fellowship”, “critical care” and “application” yield mostly websites of P/CCM training programs.  Some programs have very informative pages while others do not.  My intent is to review general sites pertaining to the application process rather than specific program sites.  There were over a million hits using any two terms and adding a third or fourth modifier reduced the hits to just over a hundred thousand.  The only helpful search result provided this ATS website and the student doctor network (SDN) forums.  None of the other websites discussed here were the result of the listed search terms.  Though tempting to believe that many answers can be found by Google, this emphasizes that not all information can be found by a search engine and may require a topic specific portal such as the ATS, FREIDA or the AAMC.

Best Websites

Fellowship and Residency Electronic Interactive Database (FREIDA)

FREIDA is a database containing information regarding residency and subspecialty training programs. The FREIDA site also contains national specialty training statistics. The database can be organized by location, specialty and optional criteria such as participation in the NRMP, ERAS or program size. Specialty searches include pulmonary, combined P/CCM and sleep. There is not database for interventional pulmonary medicine, but a list can be found at http://www.aabronchology.org/_dbxs_/fellowships.php. The search can be saved for future reference. The completeness of the information provided by the programs depends on whether the program submitted an extended survey form. This means that many programs don’t always provide all the information potentially displayed by FREIDA. Each program listing displays the date the information has been last updated, and most of them have been updated for the current application cycle. There are links provided directly to the fellowship program’s website. FREIDA also provides extensive training statistics for all specialties.

1. Authority: The site is maintained by the AMA (American Medical Association) for ACGME (Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education) accredited programs. Each program provides its own information to FREIDA. Rating: 5

2. Currency: Though there are some exceptions, most programs have updated their data recently and do so regularly. Rating: 4

3. Accuracy: The data here usually reflect the information provided by the specific program’s website. The data is collected through the national GME (graduate medical education) survey, which is submitted to program directors annually and is voluntary. Rating: 4

4. Navigation & Readability: The user interface is intuitive and easy to use. Saving and referring back to an old search is easy to do. Rating: 5

5. Utility: The information is free to access. However, in order to save and retrieve a search you must be an AMA member. Fortunately, if you are a member, registration doesn’t require digging up any membership numbers. It can all be done with information you should already know: name, state and birth date. Rating: 4

Summary: This is an indispensable resource for the initial program search to narrow down the list. The data for individual programs is limited. One will find much more information about a program by contacting them directly. But this serves as an excellent first step in narrowing one’s programs by locations, specialty, size, etc.

American Thoracic Society (ATS)

The ATS maintains a section on career development for fellows at http://www.thoracic.org/education/career-development/index.php. This contains topics pertinent to fellowship applicants as well as fellows and junior faculty. These include separate sections devoted to picking a program, research funding, career milestones, as well as the ATS reading list for fellows. Among the sites I reviewed, this is the only one that focuses specifically on the needs of applicants to P/CCM and sleep training programs. Websites for other professional organizations such as the ACCP and SCCM target practicing physicians.

1. Authority: All articles clearly provide the name and position of the authors. Rating: 5

2. Currency: Most sections have a date reflecting the most recent update. Rating: 5

3. Accuracy: The program information here is based on FREIDA as well as the ACGME. Rating: 5

4. Navigation & Readability: The site overall is easy to navigate. You cannot create custom searches. Rating: 4

5. Utility: The information listed here is free and open to anyone. The tab and sidebar format make finding needed information fast and efficient. Rating: 5

Summary: The ATS site is a unique source of information geared to pulmonary fellowship applicants. Not only does it provide information about choosing a program, but also provides information on broader perspectives on career development as well as work/life balance.

Electronic Residency Application Site

This ERAS site is the primary service through which applications, transcripts, recommendations and personal statements are transmitted to fellowship programs. This site is detailed thoroughly elsewhere within this site: http://www.thoracic.org/sections/career-development/fellows-and-fellowships/eras-comes-to-pulmonology.html. The site is fairly user friendly, but lengthy. Although, nearly universally utilized by P/CCM fellowships, many sleep programs do not utilize ERAS. It also has useful links to other websites such as the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) and FRIEDA.

1. Authority: N/A Rating: 5

2. Currency: The site is frequently updated. Not all programs choose to participate. Rating: 5

3. Accuracy: N/A Rating: 5

4. Navigation & Readability: After an initial night getting acquainted with the user interface, it is fairly easy to use. In the past, forms needed to print from the application were incorrectly formatted when not using a Microsoft browser. Otherwise the application is a well-organized series of steps and tabs. Rating: 4

5. Utility: In order to access the application and site, you need to apply and pay for a token, after which you may then begin the application. Information about getting the token and beginning the application is readily available on the webpage sidebars. Rating: 4

Summary: ERAS does its job. It is a functioning tool for the distribution of application materials to the programs. Judging the currency and accuracy are not particularly applicable to this site.

National Resident Matching Program

Unless one has already gone through the match once, the distinction between ERAS and NRMP is not initially clear. Whereas ERAS helps distribute your application materials to your fellowship training programs, the NRMP is the actual match service. Unfortunately, registering and paying for one doesn’t do the same for the other. The NRMP site maintains a helpful schedule of dates for planning one’s application. In addition, it also maintains statistics of the prior years’ match results.

1. Authority: As with ERAS, the NRMP is nearly universally used for the application process. It is the original source for the historical match data provided. Rating: 5

2. Currency: The material is up to date. Rating: 4

3. Accuracy: N/A Rating: 5

4. Navigation & Readability: The site is well organized; sections pertaining to fellowship applicants are well marked and separate from residency application. Rating: 5

5. Utility: As with ERAS, a user login and password are required and one must pay a fee to register for this service. Fortunately, the user login is the same as ERAS, so one does not add to the accumulation of passwords. Rating: 5

Summary: As for ERAS, the NRMP is a needed reference and tool for combined P/CCM fellowship applications. Sleep does not currently use the NRMP.

The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) and National Institutes of Health (NIH)

This website is maintained by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). For those interested in research during fellowship, this site contains useful information not available elsewhere. For many, fellowship application may be one of the first times confronted with terms such as T32 training grants, R01s and K grants. The NHLBI and associated NIH webpage is where one can get an explanation of these terms. There are lists of the programs that have institutional training grants (T32 grant) – information relevant to those interested in research careers. However, the information here can be overwhelming and is not always user friendly. It is targeted to those who are already familiar with the world of grants and funding. Furthermore, grants to all university divisions are grouped together. Hence, if looking for pulmonary programs with T32 grants, one has to sift through cardiology, pediatrics or pharmacy departments to find the information that is most relevant to their application. The Computer Retrieval of Information on Scientific Projects (CRISP) is one way to track down which institution is doing a specific form or research that you may be interested in. If one searches further within the NHLBI and NIH associated pages (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/award/success.htm), further information may be found regarding success rates for grants and awards.

1. Authority: The site is maintained by the NHLBI and NIH, as are many of the external links located here. Rating: 5

2. Currency: Information regarding the frequency and time of last update is usually not available. Rating: 3

3. Accuracy: N/A Rating: 4

4. Navigation & Readability: The biggest drawback of this website is the lack of ease for navigation and readability. Rating: 3

5. Utility: The material is free and unrestricted with no login or registration required. Rating: 4

Summary: This is a useful place to look when trying to sort out what kind of funding a potential program has. This is particularly relevant to those who are embarking on academic careers. Unfortunately, some of the information relevant to a program of interest may already be out of date and this is not necessarily clear based on the information provided.

The Student Doctor Network (SDN)

The SDN is a not-for-profit volunteer based service to students, residents and physicians. It contains discussion forums for applicants to multiple levels of training. Though the largest audience is premedical and medical students, there are some graduate medicine forums. A few of these are P/CCM discussion threads. As with any discussion thread or forum, knowing to whom you may be talking is difficult.

1. Authority: Verifying the authority of others on discussion boards is difficult. Many discussions are focused on who got what interview and when, who was rejected at what place for an interview, and general impressions of different programs following interviews. Unfortunately, the quality of a discussion thread varies greatly. Rating: 2

2. Currency: This is a running discussion thread, during the application season there are new posts and discussions on a daily basis, some are specifically focused on the current match process for P/CCM. Rating: 4

3. Accuracy: These are the individual experiences of only a fraction of total applicants. Rating: 1

4. Navigation & Readability: Once you navigate your way to the postgraduate and subspecialty forums(http://forums.studentdoctor.net/forumdisplay.php?f=150), , the website navigates like most other discussion threads. Rating: 3

5. Utility: The material is free and open for use. Rating: 4

Summary: It is a quick reference to see what others are saying about their own current experiences with fellowship applications. During my own application process there was little information that I found useful.

American College of Physicians

The ACP offers resident career counseling. Located at the link above is information about general fellowship applications, qualities sought by program directors and general self-marketing for jobs and interviews. The page is not specifically geared towards P/CCM, but much of the information is broadly applicable to both future subspecialists as well as internists. Whereas the NHLBI site reviewed above is geared towards someone interested in an academic career, the ACP site offers information about finding work, salaries, contracts, malpractice and interviewing. Some of this is especially pertinent to those planning to enter practice following fellowship.

1. Authority: The articles are written by Patrick C. Alguire, MD, FACP, who is the Director of Education and Career Development within the ACP. There are a few citations scatted through each of the sections. Rating: 4

2. Currency: The sections are not dated and it is unclear how frequently they are updated. Rating: 2

3. Accuracy: In general there appears to be little lacking in accuracy. Rating: 4

4. Navigation & Readability: The site is easy to navigate. Rating: 5

5. Utility: The information is freely accessible. Rating: 5

Summary: This site is not so specific to the specialty of pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine. That said, this is a fairly comprehensive place to find career advice to consider when choosing a fellowship.

Disclaimer

The author has no personal or financial interest in any of the websites discussed above. The author has no personal or financial interest in any of the websites discussed above.