THE Unofficial checklist to improve chances of fellowship match

1)Be a great internist – study all of the specialties, be reliable, and complete all assignments and clerical documents (logs, evaluations, reflections, etc).  Be a role model of professionalism, teamwork, and medical knowledge.  Be the person that others like to go to for help. 

2)Prioritize patient care, even over your own needs.

3)Make sure to schedule a time with the PD to state your interest in the specialty and if applicable, your interest in the particular program.

4)Seek out and maintain a relationship with faculty in your chosen specialty.  Get yourself on their speed-dial and come through when they ask for things.  MAKE SURE THEY KNOW YOUR NAME.  WHERE YOU ID BADGE PROMENENTLY.  SIGN YOUR NAME WHEN YOU TEXT OR MESSAGE THEM.  INTRODUCE YOURSELF MORE THAN ONCE. 

5)Express an interest in what your specialty mentor does.  Be able to discuss it knowledgably. 

6)At the same time – demonstrate a passion for your chosen specialty – Get involved in research projects that are being done in that division – DO NOT VOLUNTEER TO ASSIST WITH RESEARCH AND THEN NOT SHOW UP TO DO THAT!!

7)If participating in a research project do more than just data entry.  Do the background literature review (UTILIZE OUR GREAT LIBRARIANS TO DO THIS – DO NOT JUST DO IT YOURSELF).  Look at the data you are collecting and ask probing questions (are there variables that look like they might separate the data beyond the ones which your team has thought (eg: what if you compared young to old, men vs women, people with substance use vs not, people that are one ethic vs another, people who are sedentary vs active, etc).

8)If you do not know how to ask probing questions pick up a book called “Studying a Study and Testing a Test”.  This is a simple book that describes the clinical research process and it’s a fairly quick read. 

9)Steer your scholarly efforts to your chosen specialty (Resident Grand Rounds, QI Projects, Morning Reports, Etc)

10)Take at least one elective in your chosen specialty and bust your ass to make an impression.  Do not schedule competing obligations (Step 3, Wellness days, etc) during that elective time.

11)Take an elective outside Lenox Hill.  Make yourself known to them.  Bust your ass to make an impression.  Taking outside electives can be a bit tricky.  We have to justify them educationally.  Try to find something they do there that we do not do here (transplants, other procedures, certain kinds of research).  Start these arrangement WELL IN ADVANCE.  It can take up to 6 months to complete the paper work to make an outside elective possible. 

12)If your application is weak (low step 2 scores, not a US medical school, not a chief resident) consider taking a year to do a related independent clinical fellowship (hepatology, nutrition for GI; heart failure, cardiac imaging, preventive cardiology for Cardiology; etc).

13)There are also Chief Resident positions in outside programs every year. 

14)Do not write a lot of abstracts and posters but no full length manuscripts.  Don’t give the appearance that you start a lot of projects but not finish any. 

15)Don’t put anything on you CV that you can’t discuss intelligently.  Everything on there is fair game.  If you are asked what role you played be prepared to discuss it.

16)Apply broadly.  Geographic limitations are a direct course to not matching. 

17)Ask for help.  Find out what you need to do to be a more attractive candidate.  Do the things that are suggested.

18)If you are not getting many interviews, ask someone to reach out on your behalf to get more. 

19)Interviews at Northwell programs are a given.  I you only have interviews at Northwell program, then you do not have enough interviews.  Reach out to us to reach out to others. 

20)Ask for people to reach out on your behalf a week or two before the rank order list deadline. 

21)Try to find unique programs to apply to that is different than other local applicants.  When the program promotes residents, it is most effective if we promote only one resident per given fellowship program since programs rarely take two candidates from the same external institution.