Dr. Allen Cherer shares top advice for neonatal-fellows.

1. Top Advice for
Neonatal-
Perinatal
Fellows
DRALLENCHERER.NET
DR. ALLEN CHERER

2. Becoming a Neonatal-
Perinatal Fellow is no easy
to task. After all the
schooling to get to the
point of becoming a
fellow, the student has to
land a fellowship in their
preferred specialty. The
tips shared below are from
Dr. Patrick Myers who is a
fellowship program
director.

3. Medical and
Real Life
Experience
Something that fellowship
directors are looking for on
applications is a combination of
real-life experience and medical
experience. This is great for
applicants who may not have
taken a traditional path to get to
their Neonatal-Perinatal
Fellowship.

4. One example of a life experience that looks great on an
application is a gap year where the applicant works as a chief
or hospitalist. This allows the applicant to work face to face
with patients in a clinical setting. Additionally, the applicant
gains experience working as a member of a team in the
hospital. Patrick goes as far as to say that this experience is a
“gold mine” when it comes to applying for a fellowship.

5. Know your
Path
The applicant needs to know what path
they want to go down after the
fellowship. If the applicant has a change
of heart, it is two years that were spent
headed in the wrong direction. For some
applicants, this may mean taking an
intentional gap year to gain experience in
the field before applying for a fellowship.
This is a win-win situation because the
experience will enhance their application
and they will feel confident in their path
following the fellowship.

6. Important Skills
While skills will vary from person to person, there are a few skills
that are consistently desired among applicants for neonatal-
perinatal fellows. One important skill is problem-solving.
Neonatal-Perinatal Fellows will be faced with a host of problems
that need solving each day that they report to work.

7. Additionally, the fellow will need to
work with other specialties within
the hospital. This means that
communication skills are another
must-have. Planning skills are also
essential for a successful fellowship
experience. These skills will be
evident based on prior experience
and performance in an interview
setting. Additionally, these skills
will be helpful in a career when the
days of fellowship are in the distant
past.

8. THANKS FOR
WATCHING!
For more information about neonatal care and
pedatrics, please visit DrAllenCherer.net