CONSIDERING PHM FELLOWSHIP? READ THIS!

WOW. It has been the best two weeks of fellowship so far.

These two weeks embodied exactly why I chose to purse a fellowship—you’re never done learning or growing.

I just finished a rotation in the intermediate care unit, not quite the ICU, but certainly not the floors. I encountered cases that I had never seen before, in a setting that I had never worked in before (we worked with nurse practitioners, not residents). I stepped into the “pre-tending” role from day one and could feel myself grow every. single. day.

I haven’t felt that challenged since early in residency when the whole workflow of a hospital was new to me. Sure, I’ve always had cases that force me to think and work hard, but to have a leadership role on a team, managing medical conditions that were new to me, THAT was the challenge… and THAT is why you do fellowship. If you’re considering whether or not to pursue a fellowship, consider where you trained for residency and your knowledge gaps. PHM is so much more than just a general inpatient pediatric unit; there are sedation teams, PICU hospitalists, surgical co-management teams, and more. I didn’t fully understand this until I started my clinical rotations in fellowship.

The biggest challenge I faced these past two weeks was co-managing my post-op surgical patients. I have taken care of a handful of post-op scoliosis spinal fusion and post-op neurosurgery patients, but never the volume that I encountered this block. I saw more post-op scolis than I had seen my entire residency! I also co-managed babies and children who were recovering from surgeries I had never seen before—mandibular distractions, gastric sleeves, hemi-craniectomies, and more. The biggest challenge for me was having to counsel families and supervise nurse practitioners without being super familiar with the post-op care plan. Unlike a bronchiolitis or cellulitis patient, the medicine and protocols were foreign to me and I had to do so much reading for each case. Thankfully I had amazing attendings who were always available, but it was still a challenge!

I’m really excited to come back to this unit next year. Until then, I’m ready for the next challenge, and you should be, too. Keep finding the challenges. It’s so worth it.

I'm curious to hear...what have you been most challenged by during your training?! Send me an email and let's connect!