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I’m a graduate of Tulane Medicine.
While I love the attending position I ended up in, I def had aspirations in cardiology, that despite my best efforts, had no place to be nurtured and grow at Tulane.
So I thought.
While I love the attending position I ended up in, I def had aspirations in cardiology, that despite my best efforts, had no place to be nurtured and grow at Tulane.
So I thought.
Our cardiology program was volatile, lost many faculty, including Black and Indian faculty that had poured into me my first and second year, helped me write papers, etc. I lost their support for my fellowship application when they disappeared suddenly from Tulane.
Many of my classmates also aspiring to cardiology had similar issues gaining footing.
One call night, I happened to have the same call room that my white classmate used previously.
He left his workspace logged in from the previous night.
One call night, I happened to have the same call room that my white classmate used previously.
He left his workspace logged in from the previous night.
Just out of curiosity, I searched “cardiology”.
I sat back in shock as I saw countless emails from my program director, who I had begged for help in supporting my fellowship application, completely building an application for my white classmate.
I sat back in shock as I saw countless emails from my program director, who I had begged for help in supporting my fellowship application, completely building an application for my white classmate.
My PD
-made a resident leadership position for my classmate in the Louisiana ACC (cardiology professional society)
-tirelessly promoted my classmate to fellowships
-fed him opportunities to add his name to to ongoing research projects
-made a resident leadership position for my classmate in the Louisiana ACC (cardiology professional society)
-tirelessly promoted my classmate to fellowships
-fed him opportunities to add his name to to ongoing research projects
I was shocked because literally at the the same time, I had a completely different experience.
Despite being highly regarded from multiple members of the cardiology department, in order to get even my standard Program Director letter,
Despite being highly regarded from multiple members of the cardiology department, in order to get even my standard Program Director letter,
I had to submit an entire sheath of forms detailing how I sought out fellowship,
Which was moot because,
He made me write the letter myself.
Which was moot because,
He made me write the letter myself.
Fellowship is all about who u know, not what u do.
It didnt matter that I had a first author paper (in Cell, no less) detailing the basic science of heart disease. I needed manpower, a voice on the phone, from residency leadership. That’s how this works.
It didnt matter that I had a first author paper (in Cell, no less) detailing the basic science of heart disease. I needed manpower, a voice on the phone, from residency leadership. That’s how this works.
What I got, instead, all I got instead, was a signature on a letter that I myself wrote.
