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The Neurology Fellowship Application Conundrum: Finding Common Ground
Zachary N London1, Abhimanyu Mahajan2, Carolyn Cahill2
1From the Department of Neurology, Division of Neuromuscular Medicine (Z.N.L.), University of Michigan School of Medicine, Ann Arbor; Rush Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders Program (A.M.), Department of Neurological Sciences, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL; Member Insights Department (C.C.), American Academy of Neurology, Minneapolis, MN; Emory University School of Medicine (J.K.), Department of Neurology, Atlanta, GA; Hartford HealthCare Ayer Neuroscience Institute (E.A.S.), CT; and Department of Neurology, Division of General Neurology (R.S.P.), University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia. zlondon@med.umich.edu.
Neurology residents overwhelmingly support the American Academy of Neurology
Area of Science:
- Neurology Fellowship Application Process
Background:
- The fellowship application timeline for neurology subspecialties has historically been early in residency training.
- The American Academy of Neurology (AAN) issued recommendations for a later application timeline in 2019.
Purpose of the Study:
- To survey neurology residents on their experience with the fellowship application process.
- To assess resident agreement with the AAN's recommended timeline and explore preferences for a centralized application system.
Main Methods:
- A survey was distributed to United States-based neurology and child neurology residents who recently completed the fellowship application process.
- 291 residents responded to the survey regarding their application experiences and timeline preferences.
Main Results:
- 96% of residents agree applications should not be submitted before March 1 of the penultimate year.
- 72% believe August 1 of the final year is a reasonable time to offer positions.
- 88% find the current process stressful; residents in pilot programs experienced less stress and more time.
- 89% prefer a single, centralized application system.
Conclusions:
- Residents strongly support the AAN's recommended fellowship application timeline.
- Adopting a centralized fellowship match system is highly desired by residents.
- Programs should provide earlier subspecialty exposure and opportunities for scholarly endeavors to improve the application experience.
