Welcome to the Fellows-in-Training section of the Pennsylvania Chapter, American College of Cardiology website. While enrolled in a Pennsylvania training program, we hope you will participate in the PaACC FIT activities for interaction, networking, collaboration and forums for those in cardiovascular training programs within the state.  Contact a Fellow Representative if you would like to get involved with the Pennsylvania Chapter of the ACC.  

NEGOTIATING YOUR FIRST EMPLOYMENT CONTRACT WITH VICTOR COTTON, MD, JD

Date: December 1

Time: Noon-1:00pm

Location: Zoom

Don’t think once you’ve accepted your dream post-fellowship position that all the work of the job search is over. Understanding the art of negotiating will be key to success and happiness in your first contract.  Join the ACC Mid-Atlantic Chapters for this critical presentation. At the conclusion of the presentation, the listener should be able to:

Register here.  Free for FITs. Zoom link sent 24 hours prior to event.

Take Action!

Dear Pennsylvania Fellows-In-Training Community, 

I am delighted to write to you as your FIT representative from the Western PaACC side. We have already had some important webinars this year on “The ABCs of ACC: Why ACC is Your Cardiology Home”, “Women in Cardiology” and advocacy. We are in the process of scheduling more to fit your needs – stay tuned.

2020 has been and continues to be a challenging year for all of us. We find ourselves in a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic, there is political divisiveness in in our country, and the reality of the social injustices experienced by so many in this country has become more visible. In March of 2020 the Journal of the American Heart Association published an opinion addressing diversity in medical and cardiology training within the United States. Following a large and public backlash for its unsubstantiated and controversial conclusion, the paper would later be officially redacted by JAHA. Given the topic and nature of the opinion piece, the FITs and I at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center felt an urgent sense of responsibility to voice a response. We were honored to contribute a unanimously agreed upon piece to strongly support a more equitable future in cardiovascular medicine and some recommendations on how to achieve this.

This piece entitled “A More Equitable Future of Cardiovascular Medicine - A Vision of Cardiovascular Fellows in Training” which will be published in the 2020 AHA FIT Fall Newsletter. Click here to read our piece.

We are delighted to invite other Fellows in Training throughout the state of Pennsylvania, the leaders of tomorrow, to endorse a change to the PaACC vision to endorse the expanded PaACC vision that will 'build towards an equity-based future.'

Please sign this response as we seek to also publish this addition to our vision within the Pennsylvania Chapter of the ACC website in the next month.  

I look forward to serving our dedicated statewide FIT community for the next year with Dr. Kaitlyn Ibrahim, FIT Representative for Eastern Pennsylvania.

Sincerely, 

Ricardo Andrés Nieves, MD

Cardiology Fellow, PGY-V

FIT Representative, Western Pennsylvania

MEMBERSHIP IN THE PaACC AND THE ACC

FITs receive complimentary membership in the ACC and the Pennsylvania Chapter through training directors, who will submit your information to us so that you may receive complimentary membership in the College for the duration of your training. Questions? Contact ACC’s Kristin West at kwest@acc.org. 

This program features all recordings of the ACC Board Review Course from 2019 + all ACCSAP modules + ECG Drill + Heart Songs auscultation/valve disease program supplemented by live Q+As and continuous response to chat questions to faculty for a very low cost ($299). Gains access to all materials until October 31. Click here for the full details.   

Career Resources and Job Search Tools

Begin your job search with these websites recommended by your peers. All sites have cardiology specialty listings.

• ​ACC Cardiology Careers
• CareerMD
• HEALTHeCAREERS Network
• The New England Journal of Medicine

How is professional social media useful to FITs?

Social media is an important way for Fellows to network, stay current on news and new studies, and build your reputation and circle of influence.  The world of social media can be overwhelming, but it is also informative, engaging, and leads to relationship building. 
 
Twitter: @PaChapterACC
Facebook: business.facebook.com/pachapteracc
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/pennsylvania-chapter-american-college-of-cardiology/
Instagram: @Pennsylvania_ACC_Chapter

If you already have Twitter and Facebook, great!  Make sure you tag us @PaChapterACC on Twitter and Retweet our posts.  A couple hashtags to use on Twitter and Facebook are #PaACCFIT when posting about FIT experiences and #PaACC for general chapter posts.  
 
Below are some ACC Twitter sites, leaders, and journals to follow: 
@ACCCardioED – for ACC Education meetings
@ACCinTouch – ACC Publications, Guidelines, New Studies and News
@CardioSmart – ACC Patient Education
@Cardiology – ACC Advocacy
@Cardio10 – Kim Williams
@HeartBobH – Robert Harrington
@DrMarthaGulati
@DrRandyMarin1
@MinnowWalsh
@Pameladouglas
@JACCJournals
@JAMACardio
@CathLabDigest
 
Social media is the best tool to connect with and learn from healthcare leaders. If you haven’t tried it yet, we hope this information is helpful to get started.