How to Choose a Nephrology Fellowship

Quality mentoring is a key element of a strong fellowship. Select a fellowship with a low fellow-to-faculty ratio. Although being accepted to smaller programs is often difficult and competitive, enrolling in a program that has fewer fellows can mean you’ll receive more personal attention from attending physicians.

Ensure that your program gives you plenty of opportunities to gain leadership experience. You should have chances to guide medical students and residents during most of your rotations. Ideally, your program would have a rotation dedicated to sharpening your teaching skills. 

Look for a fellowship that requires you to attend more than three or four conferences and lectures. Your conferences should cover key areas such as renal pathology, transplantation and research. You should also have opportunities to attend grand rounds and participate in journal club sessions that keep you informed about current renal research.

Your fellowship should situate you in disparate clinical settings that enable you to treat a broad patient base, become familiar with different electronic medical record systems and learn a variety of protocols for delivery of care.

Confirm that your program’s training settings will expose you to the full spectrum of kidney-related services. These services should include transplantation, in- and out-patient dialysis, vascular access maintenance and surgical care.

It’s important you feel at home both in and outside of your training program. Avoid applying for nephrology fellowships in cities that fail to meet your living needs. Our fellowship is located in a place that boasts:

• Affordability
• Four-season charm
• Culture, entertainment, recreation and diversified cuisine
• Family-friendly living
• Easy commuting

You can identify a high quality fellowship by investigating the standing of its:

• Alumni: Your program's graduates should be enjoying successful academic and clinical careers.
• School of medicine: Ensure the medical school in which the program is situated has excellent education options, cultivates diversity, participates in community outreach and commits itself to advances in education, science and medicine.