Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Who is eligible for a Nephrology fellowship?

A: Applicants with the following qualifications are eligible for appointment to the fellowship program:

  • MD or equivalent degree
  • Completion in good standing of an ACGME-or ACGME-I residency program in internal medicine. Under special circumstances, this requirement may be waived for exceptional candidates.
  • U.S. Citizen, Canadian citizen, permanent resident of the U.S., J-1 visa, or H1-B visa
  • Graduates outside the United States should have passed either the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination in the Medical Sciences, Parts I and II of the examination of the National Board of Medical Examiners, or Steps 1 and 2 of the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE)

Q: What is the call schedule?

A: Calls are evenly distributed between first and second year fellows. On average, fellows are on call q8 weekdays and q8 weekends. Roughly, this translates to 6 weekend calls, 1 three-day weekend call, and 32 weekday calls per year. Weekday calls are taken from home. On weekends, the fellow and the attending round in the mornings, but take call from home the rest of the day.

Q: Does the nephrology fellowship have guidelines for work hours?

A: The Division of Nephrology takes pride in providing fellows with ample time to balance education, clinical work, and personal life. As per ACGME policy, fellows do not spend more than 80 hours a week when averaged over four weeks. Furthermore, when averaged over a year, excluding vacation, fellows are provided with a minimum of 48 days free of patient care duties, including home-call responsibility. Given our light call schedule, our fellows never come even close to violating work hour policies

Q: Is there a research component to the nephrology fellowship?

A:  Fellows are encouraged to pursue scholarly activity throughout their training. During their second year, fellows are assigned protected time to perform basic or clinical research under the supervision of a research advisor. Fellows are encouraged to disseminate research findings through presentation at a scientific meeting or to publish their findings in a peer-reviewed journal. Additional research years supported by an NIH T32 program is available for fellows interested in pursuing further research and an academic career.

Q: How do fellows perform on ABIM exams?

A: The wide breadth of clinical pathologies our fellows encounter during training and our well-designed educational program ensure that our fellows are more than adequately prepared for the ABIM exams. Over the last three years our board pass rate is 100%.

Q: Are fellows able to attend scientific meetings?

A: Each trainee is supported by the Division to attend a national scientific meeting. Fellows usually attend the National Kidney Foundation or the American Society of Nephrology annual meeting to present an abstract or participate in scientific sessions.

Q: Are nephrology fellows allowed to moonlight?

A: Fellows are eligible for in-house moonlighting provided they meet the following criteria:

  • have a permanent Illinois license
  • are not the holder of a J-1 or H1-B visa
  • are on a no-call rotation
  • are performing satisfactorily in the program as defined by clinical evaluations.
  • have written permission from the program-director.

No fellow is allowed to moonlight outside of the UIC system. If the fellow does in-house moonlighting, the hours count toward the 80-hour limit on duty hours.

RESOURCES

American Society of Nephrology
American Society of Diagnostic and Interventional Nephrology
American Society of Transplantation
International Society of Nephrology

KDIGO
National Kidney Foundation

National Kidney Foundation of Illinois
National Kidney Disease Education Program (NKDEP)
Renal Physicians Association
Renal Fellow Network

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