Is Dual Certification for You?
Pros
Dr. Kumar: If you like the broad perspective of knowing the entire spectrum of immune dysfunction from immunodeficiency to autoimmunity, then this is something to consider. People will look to you to help solve challenging diagnostic dilemmas.
Dr. Melehani: [As a dual-certified rheumatologist], one more readily becomes the go-to person for rheumatologic diseases from the pulmonary side, and for pulmonary disease questions from the rheumatology side. The most important part is to really think deeply about why you want to do a combined training and what you’re looking to achieve.
Dr. Wilfong: I think the people who really benefit from going through the full dual training are people who want to be able to attend in the ICU.
Cons
Dr. Kumar: Doing a combined fellowship can be difficult on an ad hoc basis. It really requires that program directors have 100% investment in your path.
Dr. Melehani: For someone who wants to do general clinical practice, particularly in the private setting, this may not be the best combination because it’s so narrowly tailored.
Dr. Wilfong: When people ask me, ‘Should I dual train?’ I actually discourage it, because if you don’t want to be an ICU attending, I don’t know that it’s worth the extra years of brutal hours.”
References
- Kumar B. Dual certification: Is 1 head better than 2? The Rheumatologist. 2019 May 19.
- Henkel G. Dual-trained rheumatologists take multidisciplinary approach to their patients. The Rheumatologist. 2015 Oct 14.
