Fellowship question

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Specializes in NICU.

Hello,

I have a question about the difference between a "fellowship" and good orientation. I have found a fellowship opportunity in my area that is 12 weeks with a preceptor at the bedside and two weeks of classroom. If accepted, candidates must sign a two year commitment to work in the unit. Is a fellowship that much better? What is the difference here? I am confused. I emailed the coordinator and she said I should feel free to contact her directly. I do not want to call until I have a few more questions answered. :)

Also, this hospital is not a "children's" hospital. The NICU is a level III, however. Would it be better to start off at a children's hospital with a good orientation or with a felllowship? Any and all comments are appreciated.

Thanks so much!

Tiny1

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Specializes in PeriOp, ICU, PICU, NICU.

Hello Tiny1 Welcome to the big family of allnurses. :)

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Specializes in Nursing Professional Development.

I understand your confusion. Hospitals use a variety of different terminology to describe programs that are essentially the same. In many cases, terms like "internship," "residency," and "fellowship" are used in order to sound impressive and to help market the program to new graduates. All are generally used to refer to a thorough orientation program that may be a little more formal and structured than the average orientation -- but there are no universal laws that dictate which term a hospital uses to describe its program. However, if you look closely and compare programs, the details may actually be the same.

That's what you need to do. You need to look closely at the different programs you are considering and make a list of each one's advantages and disadvantages. Then choose the one that best suits your needs. The one BIG thing I can see off the bat is that this fellowship requires you to make a 2-year committment. For that much of a committment, they should be offering some extraordinary advantages. I, personally, would be very leery of making such a long committment. What if you get there and find that you hate it?

As far as children's hospital vs non-children's hospital goes... I wouldn't make my decision based on that factor. I have worked in both types of hospitals. While there are some things I like about a children's hospital ... I don't like the fact that the mom's are not in the same hospital and have more trouble visiting their babies in the first few days. I kind'a like having closer ties with the OB department and having a greater perinatal perspective. I would choose on the basis of which hospital were the better employer to work for, assuming both were true level III or IV NICU's and you would get a good orientation in both places.

Good luck,

llg (who has worked in many NICUs over the years -- and coordinated lots of orientation programs)

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Specializes in NICU.
I understand your confusion. Hospitals use a variety of different terminology to describe programs that are essentially the same. In many cases, terms like "internship," "residency," and "fellowship" are used in order to sound impressive and to help market the program to new graduates. All are generally used to refer to a thorough orientation program that may be a little more formal and structured than the average orientation -- but there are no universal laws that dictate which term a hospital uses to describe its program. However, if you look closely and compare programs, the details may actually be the same.

That's what you need to do. You need to look closely at the different programs you are considering and make a list of each one's advantages and disadvantages. Then choose the one that best suits your needs. The one BIG thing I can see off the bat is that this fellowship requires you to make a 2-year committment. For that much of a committment, they should be offering some extraordinary advantages. I, personally, would be very leery of making such a long committment. What if you get there and find that you hate it?

As far as children's hospital vs non-children's hospital goes... I wouldn't make my decision based on that factor. I have worked in both types of hospitals. While there are some things I like about a children's hospital ... I don't like the fact that the mom's are not in the same hospital and have more trouble visiting their babies in the first few days. I kind'a like having closer ties with the OB department and having a greater perinatal perspective. I would choose on the basis of which hospital were the better employer to work for, assuming both were true level III or IV NICU's and you would get a good orientation in both places.

Good luck,

llg (who has worked in many NICUs over the years -- and coordinated lots of orientation programs)

Thanks so much. The two year commitment is what was bothering me also. I think that is one of the reasons why I never signed on with any hospitals during the time I have been going to school. I think that is a lot to ask of a new grad as well.

I think the first thing I need to do is set up some shadow days at the hospitals I am looking at. I just got off the phone with one of my instructors and she said I could feel free to use her name to arrange them. I think this will give me a better idea of the unit and how the "team" functions.

Thanks again for the rapid responses. I appreciate the guidance so much!

~Tiny1

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Specializes in NICU.

I am going to give the Fellowship coordinator a call to find out more details about the application process etc. and to set up a shadow date. I also wanted to ask her about the competitiveness of the program. In addition, how many applicants are accepted. Can you think of anything else that might be pertinant? ~Tiny1

I understand your confusion. Hospitals use a variety of different terminology to describe programs that are essentially the same. In many cases, terms like "internship," "residency," and "fellowship" are used in order to sound impressive and to help market the program to new graduates. All are generally used to refer to a thorough orientation program that may be a little more formal and structured than the average orientation -- but there are no universal laws that dictate which term a hospital uses to describe its program. However, if you look closely and compare programs, the details may actually be the same.

That's what you need to do. You need to look closely at the different programs you are considering and make a list of each one's advantages and disadvantages. Then choose the one that best suits your needs. The one BIG thing I can see off the bat is that this fellowship requires you to make a 2-year committment. For that much of a committment, they should be offering some extraordinary advantages. I, personally, would be very leery of making such a long committment. What if you get there and find that you hate it?

As far as children's hospital vs non-children's hospital goes... I wouldn't make my decision based on that factor. I have worked in both types of hospitals. While there are some things I like about a children's hospital ... I don't like the fact that the mom's are not in the same hospital and have more trouble visiting their babies in the first few days. I kind'a like having closer ties with the OB department and having a greater perinatal perspective. I would choose on the basis of which hospital were the better employer to work for, assuming both were true level III or IV NICU's and you would get a good orientation in both places.

Good luck,

llg (who has worked in many NICUs over the years -- and coordinated lots of orientation programs)

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Specializes in NICU.
Hello Tiny1 Welcome to the big family of allnurses. :)

Thanks Jessica, Nice to meet you!

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