Five Keys to Thriving in GI Fellowship: Advice from the Frontlines

1. You can do this. Fellowship is hard. The learning curve from a senior resident to first-year fellow is steep as you are tackling the transition to a consultant physician while learning procedures and more in-depth knowledge about the specialty, but you are not the first to tackle this endeavor and you will not be the last. Everything you have accomplished thus far has brought you to this moment and you are fully equipped for this journey.
2. Time management is key. How you manage your time will be your golden ticket throughout fellowship. While this also applies to residency, there is a shift in fellowship that is heaviest in first year. Consult months and call weekends, especially early on, are frequent with long, tiring days, and learning to balance your time will be key.
3. You must take care of you. No matter what, always make time for rest, proper nutrition and hydration. This is the only way to keep giving your patients the best version of you.
4. Start learning ergonomics from day one. GI fellowship is full of procedures that involve utilizing muscles you may have not known existed. How you position yourself, the patient and the scope is key to preventing early injury. Never forget surgeons and interventionalists (this includes GI doctors!) have the highest rates of musculoskeletal injury, so take the time to incorporate ergonomics as early as possible.
5. GI is the focus but never lose sight of internal medicine. Always keep in mind that your patient is more than just a GI complaint. To overlook other non-GI comorbidities or medications when making assessments is a sure way to misdiagnose. We are internal medicine doctors FIRST.

Author

Carensa Cezar, MD, is a Mississippi native who completed her internal medicine training at the University of Miami and is currently a third-year fellow at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock, Arkansas. After fellowship, she will continue as a general GI physician, with plans to work in a community setting. She is currently a member of the Membership Engagement Committee of ASGE.