Ontario Abdominal Radiology Fellowship Feedback

[MochiBalls]

Hi everyone, 

I was just wondering in your opinion which was the best abdominal fellowship in Ontario?  Teaching, MRI volume (being able to report them) and also simple procedures are some of the more important factors. Feedback from all would be appreciated, especially Ottawa and UHN Toronto if you know about these. 

TIA  

[1D7]

A lot of fellowships have you in the workhorse role (i.e. clearing lists and filling in the gaps on call where residents don't). Things can also change fast in just a few years if the key faculty overseeing the program changes.

If you want name brand the US is often a decent option, I think that is a bonus for academics (many spots at 'big names' go unfilled). Otherwise, I would recommend doing fellowship where you want to live.

Regarding your actual question, I have not heard any issues with UHN body fellows and MR volume. No former grads I've met had any complaints about that. I would be surprised if any body fellowship program in Canada had such low body MR volumes that it was a real issue (minus the occasional MR quench or upgrades that can decrease volume at a particular site... but that's out of your control). I would be more concerned about call hours, call volume/responsibility (some places may require procedures for example), research requirements, etc.

If you want specific numbers, when you interview you can ask how many months of MR (or how many days a week) you get. That's a common enough question that programs are willing to share.

[InterestingConsult]

Agree with above regarding fellows being the workhorse. Holds true at UHN where the call burden is heavy. They also require you to complete and publish a research article during the year.

This is where US programs stand out, as there is more of a focus on teaching rather than service, call is minimal, and there is no research requirement. The higher salary is a bonus too.

[HounsfieldUnit]

I was accepted to the UHN body fellowship, as well as three US body fellowships.  UHN body call is heavy and busy.  A common complaint among the UHN body fellows was the paucity of procedure time.  This tends not to be the same in the US body fellowships where the procedure time is high.  UHN MRI volume used to be quite good.  US MRI volume is excellent in some centres as you are often allocated to MRI days.  In short, do the due diligence when you're interviewing and, most importantly, ask the programmes for the names of current, or recent past fellows, who can share their experiences with you.  They tend to be quite candid.