Factors influencing the selection of general internal medicine fellowship programs - A national survey

Although criteria are available to guide the selection of general internal medicine (GIM) fellowship programs, the factors actually used in this proce ss are unclear. Using a survey of current GIM fellows, we determined that m ost received information from their residency advisors, and many viewed the m as the most important source of fellowship information. Program location was the top selection factor for fellows, followed by research opportunitie s, availability of a mentor, and the reputation of the program. This inform ation may be useful to both fellowship candidates as an additional selectio n guide and to program directors seeking to best structure and market their fellowships.