the underwear drawer

application season

I know I haven't talked much on here since last Spring about our plans for next year, but the reason I haven't said anything is because I don't really know what to tell you. After Joe didn't match last year, we took a few weeks to regroup, and then started the application process anew, following up stray leads for a few less formalized training programs and getting together the paperwork for the 2009 fellowship application cycle. He wants to match into a plastics program, of course, but we aren't willing to just say yes to any program anywhere, regardless of circumstances.

Joe just had an interview for a fellowship down South last week, but after some deliberation, decided afterwards to withdraw his application. It was a nice enough place, but for a variety of reasons, it wouldn't be right for him, or for us as a family. There is still one more lead for a 2008 fellowship that he's pursuing, but right now, our changes of staying in New York for at least one more year are significantly higher.

So I've started applying for a fellowship myself. I'd been holding off, since there wasn't really a good way to apply for anything when I had no idea where we were even going to be living, but the situation being as it is, I've decided to apply for the fellowship in Regional Anesthesia at [University Hospital]. Basically, the fellowship involves further training in nerve blocks, perineural catheter placement, and a variety of acute pain interventions prior to being unleashed upon the world. There probably is the option to do some research, and spend some time over on OB or Peds or Pain doing interventions. Additionally, I could always moonlight to earn some extra money and keep my general OR skills sharp.

I'm a little late to the party, just starting the application process now (most of my classmates have already matched already into their various fellowships--usually acceptances are rolling), but I'm starting to get things together, with the education office helping me make copies of my Dean's Letter, med school transcript, USMLE scores and whatnot. Then I have to whomp together a personal statement, and hit up a few attendings that don't hate me to write me a letter of recommendation.




The sad thing is that, even though this is an application for a medical fellowship at a major hospital, Cal's preschool application process is probably going to be significantly more complicated.