Fellowship vs. Debt
For the longest time I imagined myself doing and Onc. fellowship after residency. Now that I am about to start residency and they are handing me my bill for this darn M.D. I am getting a scared of wastng two more years (or 3) not making decent contrabution to oaying off my debt. I wonder if any of you out there is either in the same situation or have gone through this. I would love to do Onc but I wouldn't die if I didn't and with a debt of $250,000 getting a decent paycheck so I start getting out from under this is looking pretty good.
I went through the same thing. I agree with the post above - you may regret not doing a fellowship for a long time. Also, having a fellowship will help you get an edge when applying for a job, private practice or not. However, 3 years is too long, especially with that kind of debt. For me, 2 years was even pushing it. At the very least, there are great 1 year fellowships in onc/minimally invasive that will be a valuable experience, and only "cost" you one extra year. I would suggest checking those out. In the end I am happy I decided to take the time to get the fellowship under my belt. Whether it will help me get the job I want remains to be seen, but I'll know that I least got to do what I always wanted, and I know I'll be as well-trained as they come.
I agree wit you in the short term...yea, when you take it for the next 10 years, you will be doing yourself a service if you decide to take the money. however, if fellowship is something you've strongly considered, i think you will regret not going for it, 20, maybe 30 years out...unless of course you decide to do it with gray hair and a cane.
ciao