Fellowship (medicine)
Encyclopedia
A fellowship is the period of medical training
in the United States and Canada that a physician
may undertake after completing a specialty training program (residency)
. During this time (usually more than one year), the physician is known as a fellow. Fellows are capable of acting as attending physician
or consultant physician
in the generalist field in which they were trained, such as internal medicine
or pediatrics
. After completing a fellowship in the relevant sub-specialty, the physician is permitted to practice without direct supervision by other physicians in that sub-specialty, such as cardiology
or oncology
.
(ACGME).
Medical education
Medical education is education related to the practice of being a medical practitioner, either the initial training to become a doctor or additional training thereafter ....
in the United States and Canada that a physician
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
may undertake after completing a specialty training program (residency)
Residency (medicine)
Residency is a stage of graduate medical training. A resident physician or resident is a person who has received a medical degree , Podiatric degree , Dental Degree and who practices...
. During this time (usually more than one year), the physician is known as a fellow. Fellows are capable of acting as attending physician
Attending physician
In the United States, an attending physician is a physician who has completed residency and practices medicine in a clinic or hospital, in the specialty learned during residency. An attending physician can supervise fellows, residents, and medical students...
or consultant physician
Consultant (medicine)
In the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, and parts of the Commonwealth, consultant is the title of a senior doctor who has completed all of his or her specialist training and been placed on the specialist register in their chosen specialty...
in the generalist field in which they were trained, such as internal medicine
Internal medicine
Internal medicine is the medical specialty dealing with the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of adult diseases. Physicians specializing in internal medicine are called internists. They are especially skilled in the management of patients who have undifferentiated or multi-system disease processes...
or pediatrics
Pediatrics
Pediatrics or paediatrics is the branch of medicine that deals with the medical care of infants, children, and adolescents. A medical practitioner who specializes in this area is known as a pediatrician or paediatrician...
. After completing a fellowship in the relevant sub-specialty, the physician is permitted to practice without direct supervision by other physicians in that sub-specialty, such as cardiology
Cardiology
Cardiology is a medical specialty dealing with disorders of the heart . The field includes diagnosis and treatment of congenital heart defects, coronary artery disease, heart failure, valvular heart disease and electrophysiology...
or oncology
Oncology
Oncology is a branch of medicine that deals with cancer...
.
Recognized ACGME fellowships
Most medical sub-specialties have formalized fellowship programs that are accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical EducationAccreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education
The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education is the body responsible for the accreditation for graduate medical training programs for medical doctors in the United States. It is a non-profit private council that evaluates and accredits medical residency and internship programs...
(ACGME).
Combined fellowships
There are a number of programs offering a combined fellowship, training in two or more sub-specialties as part of a single program.- Pulmonary/Critical Care: this type of program is more common than Pulmonary Disease (non-combination) programs. As of 2007, there were 130 ACGME-accredited combined Pulmonary/Critical Care programs while only 25 programs for Pulmonary Disease alone.
- Hematology/Oncology: as of 2005, there were 125 ACGME-accredited programs for Hematology-Oncology, while only 12 programs for Hematology alone and 18 for Oncology alone.
See also
- Medical internMedical internA medical intern is a term used in the United States for a physician in training who has completed medical school. An intern has a medical degree, but does not have a full license to practice medicine unsupervised...
- Medical specialty
- Physician specialty codes
- Society of General Internal MedicineSociety of General Internal MedicineSociety of General Internal Medicine SGIM is an American professional society composed of physicians engaged in internal medicine research and teaching. It was originally named The Society for Research and Education in Primary Care Internal Medicine , at its inaugural meeting in 1978...
External links
- General Internal Medicine Fellowship Directory from the Society of General Internal Medicine (SGIM)Society of General Internal MedicineSociety of General Internal Medicine SGIM is an American professional society composed of physicians engaged in internal medicine research and teaching. It was originally named The Society for Research and Education in Primary Care Internal Medicine , at its inaugural meeting in 1978...