Preparing for Fellowship in Internal Medicine, with a Focus on Pulmonary and/or Critical Care Medicine – Major Principles and New Realities

In this manuscript, the authors provide guidance for applicants to any subspecialty in the medical specialties matching program with a particular focus on those seeking a match into a Pulmonary and/or Critical Care Medicine training program. The PAIR-Match steps (preparation, application, interview, ranking, match) are used to discuss available literature that informs this process. Preparing a fellowship application is discussed in terms of personal career goals, and specific strategies are suggested that can help a candidate assess a program’s fit with those goals. In addition to review of recent data on virtual interviewing and interview questioning, the authors provide practical recommendations for candidates seeking to maximize their success in the current interview environment. Finally, key points about generating a rank order list are summarized. This resource will prove useful to any candidate pursuing medical subspecialty training in the current era