The SSAT Surgical Fellowship Fair offers medical students and surgical residents a chance to explore post-residency education opportunities in a relaxed environment. Representatives from major surgical programs will be on hand to discuss their specialties and answer questions during the fair, which will be held Saturday afternoon. All surgical trainees are invited to attend.
Motaz Qadan, MD, PhD, a member of the SSAT Resident and Fellow Education Committee who helped plan the fellowship fair, said the fair is designed to give students and residents a better understanding of the fellowship process and insight into available fellowships. About 80 percent of residents move on to fellowship, so the fair is an important opportunity to learn what program directors look for in fellows.
“The Surgical Fellowship Fair includes highly respected representatives from the majority of fellowship programs that may be of interest to surgical trainees,” said Dr. Qadan, a board-certified surgical oncologist in the division of surgical oncology at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston. “These representatives can offer inside tips and information, and can help guide residents toward a successful application. One of the nicest things about the fair is the way it’s structured to allow for informal conversation.”
Dr. Qadan said the relaxed structure almost has a “speed dating” feel to it — allowing residents to move from table to table and talk to all of the fellowship representatives present.
“Even if you’re not interested in a particular fellowship, visiting each table allows you to gain insight from experts and learn what they’re looking for in fellows,” Dr. Qadan said. “It’s a fun, low-pressure environment. Residents can ask questions and be engaged — even make good impressions early on with people who may be influential at a later date.”
The fair will feature a table with fellows from various programs who can offer trainees an inside perspective on the fellowship process. Another table will have experts offering advice for preparing applications, including resume writing tips and interview strategies.
“Depending on where they are in the process, residents can gather the information they need — whether that’s getting a feel for what fellowship training is all about or honing in on how to optimize an application to appeal to specific program directors,” Dr. Qadan said.
Please refer to the DDW Mobile App or the schedule-at-a-glance in Saturday’s DDW Daily News for the time and location of this and other DDW® events.
