Turn a Fellowship Into a Career: How to match up with the right program

Gregory Farwell, MD, FACS, associate professor in the department of otolaryngology-head and neck surgery at the University of California, Davis, said residents should carefully choose the fellowships they apply to. “With every match there is some uncertainty as to whether you will get your top choice,” he said. “I would recommend residents only rank programs they would be comfortable training in.”

While the search process may be hectic, the fellowship experience makes it all worthwhile, Dr. Lal said. “It’s about getting a degree of expertise which allows you to practice in a more in-depth fashion, offer novel treatments and gain advanced technical skills to perform cutting-edge surgery. A fellowship positions you with the unique skill set to be academically successful and is satisfying because you know you are providing an enhanced degree of expertise to patients from the get-go.”