Anesthesia vs cardiology(AKA money vs interest)
So here's an interesting situation I find myself in. A program director from a newly started anesthesiology residency program reached out to me( My parents are doctors, and their colleague gave me the PD contact). I am NonUS IMG, visa requiring, Pass/25x, 4mo USCE, and three pubs applying for IM residency. I didn't pick IM cause it was the easiest, I picked it cause I had always wanted to be a cardiologist. So here's a PD OFFERing me a position in anesthesia, a field that ik pays a lot better and has a much better work-life balance. Practically every cardiologist I spoke to has always mentioned that they had to "sacrifice family" in some form or the other. So I do realise the sacrifice it MIGHT ask of me.
BUT... I swallowed the bullet and opted to tell the PD that I wished to continue on my IM path. (I am someone whose MH is f**kd and has constant imposter syndrome, so to put myself in an unknown field where I'll be working with an entirely different set of residents and a place I have no idea about was not an attractive prospect for me).
I told him, "Choosing anesthesia at this stage of my medical career would be closing a window permanently on cardiology, something which I am not ready to do. "(don't worry, I made sure I sounded as polite as I could and didn't offend him at all).
So here I am... early October, No IV invites yet; MH is strained and scared...
The question isn't, did I do the right thing? I am way past thinking back and regretting, I burned my bridges. So i need to know what I need to do from DAY 1 of residency to prepare for cardio fellowship. Infact, what can I do from now onwards.
Feel free to roast me, advise me, and tell me everything that needs to be told to an IM resident. Be a sandpaper fam, I am ready to learn or fail trying. Lets start with what are the basics of a cardio fellowship.