This post was authored by Maria Sobolev, MD, chief fellow in the division of cardiology at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine/Montefiore Medical Center in Bronx, NY and member of the Women in Cardiology section. 

Despite a national shortage of female cardiologists, we are fortunately seeing a gradual increase in women who are pursuing cardiology fellowships. Applicants are faced with the inevitable question, “which program will be right for me?” In addition to the usual considerations when selecting an academic program, such as academic ranking of the institution, areas of expertise, quality of training, location and proximity to family, certain gender-specific considerations come into play. Some female candidates may choose to defer personal and family priorities until after training, but many will not. Most fellows will be in their thirties after the required years of post-graduate training, and family planning factors weigh in on most decision making processes.

I reflect on my experience in choosing a fellowship program that was right for my family, my future and me. Currently, we have 24 fellows of which 12 are female, far above the national average of female cardiology fellows. I ask myself, “What makes this program so attractive to a female candidate?”

Below are some (certainly not all) of the concerns and questions that I used when deciding on a fellowship:

3. Women Within the Division of Cardiology. How many women are on faculty and do they serve in leading roles? Are they dispersed throughout the division and included in further subspecialty and intervention tracks? Look for opportunities to have female mentors, who will serve as role models for careers in cardiology. Find programs with a tone of “equal opportunity” that recognize women and their potential for success.
4. Other Women Trainees in the Fellowship Program and Their Interests. Determine how many female trainees there are in the fellowship program for which you are interviewing. Are there female fellows who share your interests? Are there young families? As you will likely spend plenty of time with your colleagues at work and socially, sharing similar interests and ambitions can help a female applicant establish a “comfort zone”.
5. Call Schedule. While for some, this is certainly not the most important aspect of a program, it becomes essential when anticipating your lifestyle. Ask if the program is “front-loaded” with diminishing calls or dispersed equally throughout three years. Is the call in-house or from home?
6. Research. Many programs devote a significant block of the curriculum to research. This is great opportunity to advance your academic aspirations by investigating topics of personal interest that may not otherwise be a focus of the core curriculum.
7. Maternity leave/ opportunity to have time off. These are important question for women looking start or extend their family during training. Does your total fellowship time get extended if you take time off? If so, will this affect pursuing further sub-specialty training? Will time off conflict with other important rotations?
8. Women’s health program. Ask to see if programs focusing specifically on women’s health and prevention exist in the institution. As today’s population ages, more women are being diagnosed with cardiovascular disease and more women are seeking female cardiologists for their care.

Finding the right cardiology fellowship is an overwhelming experience, especially for women, who often feel constrained by being a minority gender in a male dominated field. Female role models and mentors, fellows that share similar interests, time to research personal interests and opportunities for family planning are key to pursuing a rewarding career in cardiology.

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