Frequently Asked Questions

• 2-year Clinician-Educator Leadership Track- 1049146F1
• 3-year Research Track- 1049146F0 

 Does the program support J or H visas? 

We enthusiastically support individuals requiring J visas to apply to our Clinician Educator track.Unfortunately our Research track is partially supported through several NIH Training Grants, therefore, we cannot offer a position to any person who is not a US Citizen or US Permanent Resident. We will continue to advocate for this rule to be changed.  

How is weekend call coverage determined? 

During the first year, fellows work 15 weekend days in total (across 30 weekends).  Fellows only cover 1 service on the weekend (i.e., they do not cover multiple services, nor do they cover multiple hospitals). During the second year and beyond, fellows work 6-10 weekend days in total (across 6-10 weekends). Fellows only cover 1 service on the weekend (i.e., they do not cover multiple services, nor do they cover multiple hospitals)  

How are evenings covered?

Our fellows do not take in-house call.  Fellows do not take overnight pager call until 3-4 months into fellowship. All evening/overnight call is pager or phone call from home. After hours starts at 7pm. Approval for restricted antimicrobials is not required between the hours of 7pm and 7am; this minimizes the number of after hour pages for our fellows.  Fellows are responsible for answering pages overnight for urgent ID questions and the Attending on service is always available overnight to assist the fellow with questions.  The number of overnight pages ranges from 0 to 3.  It is exceedingly rare that a fellow would need to go into the hospital overnight.  

How does vacation work? 

Our institution provides a total of 20 business days of vacation per year for all fellows and fellows can take vacation in 1- or 2-week blocks. To allow fairness among the first-year fellows, vacation during winter holidays (November, December, January) and the last week of the year are generally not permitted. Exceptions may be discussed with the Program Directors. First year clinical fellows are allotted 3-4 days of leave around in-training and board exam dates. Senior fellows are also allotted up to one week of leave to attend conferences. 

What type of mentorship does the program offer? 

First year fellows are assigned a "career mentor" upon entry into the program.  This mentor provides guidance during the first year of fellowship, ensuring that the fellow is meeting clinical milestones and adjusting to fellowship. This mentor also explores career and research areas of interest and introduces the fellow to potential research mentors. 

First year fellows are encouraged (and have time blocked) to meet with potential research and clinical mentors during their first year of fellowship.  Fellows meet with the PD, APD, and their career mentor to identify a primary research and/or clinical mentor with whom they will conduct their research or extended clinical subspecialty training during their second and third years of fellowship.  Research mentors do not have to be the ID/GPH division and we encourage fellows to connect with faculty most suited to his/her research interests, even if outside the ID division.  

Fellows are also assigned to "peer mentoring families."  These are groups of fellows (one fellow from each class) who meet three times a year to provide near-peer mentoring and social support. 

I'm interested in many research topics.  Do I need to know which area I want to focus my career on before the fellowship interview? 

Infectious Diseases encompasses a vast array of topical areas of interest and we're happy to help you develop in the area of most interest to you.  

I'm not sure if I'm more interested in the clinician educator or the research pathway.  When do I need to decide, and can I apply to both? 

The clinician educator and research pathways are two separate tracks within the fellowship program.  Fellows can apply to one of the pathways or both, based on their interests. Once a fellow has matched into a pathway (clinician educator or research) they cannot change to a different track. 

I am a Med/Peds resident and am interested in completing both an Adult ID and Peds ID fellowship.  Is this possible at UCSD? 

YES! We have completed a formal combined Adult/Peds ID fellowship program that spans the course of four years and satisfies ACGME requirements for both Adult and Peds ID fellowship. Applicants interested in the combined training program should apply to both the Adult ID Research Track and the Pediatric ID Fellowship since they will interview with both programs.  Applicants can rank both the Adult ID Research Track and the Pediatric ID Fellowship programs, and they should rank the program they would like to start with first higher. The combined training program is not compatible with the Adult Clinician Educator track. 

Can I moonlight during fellowship? 

Fellows in their first clinical year are not able to moonlight as this may result in a violation of work hour rules. During the 2nd and 3rd years, moonlighting is allowed within reason, and it must be approved by the Program Director and Associate Director.

Do we get to hang out/see our Co-Fellows? 

Fellows frequently hang out after Thursday conference as their schedules allowed and on weekends, fellows frequently get together and enjoy sunny San Diego and its surroundings. The program and the chief ID fellows provide opportunities for fellows to get together to socialize. We also have an annual ID Fellow Retreat during which all fellows are excused from clinical and research requirements and spend the day together doing a variety of activities around San Diego (brunch, stand-up paddle boarding, yoga, harbor cruise, happy hour, etc). 

Can I go surfing while on call? 

Make sure to secure your pager in a ziplock bag! 

If you have additional questions about our training program, please reach out to the Program Coordinator, Jenna Middlebrooks.​