Frequently Asked Questions

How can I apply to your program? 

We accept applications through the ERAS program. 

What documents need to be submitted?

 Curriculum Vitae.
      Letter from current or previous program director.
      Two additional letters of recommendation.
      Medical school transcript.
      Personal statement.
      Copies of USMLE and/or COMLEX board score reports.

Who is eligible to apply?

Applicants must have completed an ACGME-accredited residency or a Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC) or College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC)-accredited residency program.

We consider applicants from ALL types of residency programs. We have accepted clinical informatics fellows who have completed residencies and fellowships in emergency medicine, family medicine, internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, pathology, preventive medicine, physical medicine and rehabilitation, and urology.

Does the fellowship program accept international applicants?

Yes. All applicants must meet the eligibility requirements noted above.

What visas do you support?

We sponsor both J1 and H1B visas.

Is formal informatics experience or training or experience in computer
programming needed?

Like fellowships in other disciplines, core training in the discipline will occur during the fellowship. Also, similar to fellowships in other disciplines, some prior exposure to or documented interest in clinical informatics (for example an elective or project or scientific abstract in clinical informatics) is seen as a plus.

No formal computer science or programming background is required. 

When does the program hold interviews, and what is the deadline to apply?

Interviews are held between September – November with invitations sent on an ongoing basis. Interview days fill up on a first come, first served basis.

Applications received by October 31 at midnight EST will be reviewed.

What can I expect if I interview? 

Interviews are held virtually.  An interview day generally consists of the following:

1. An overview of our Clinical Informatics Fellowship program with core faculty.
2. Individual virtual interviews with the Program Director, at least one core faculty member, one current first year and one current second-year Clinical Informatics Fellow, at least one interview with a non-physician member of the informatics or information services teams, and at least one interview with a physician in your clinical area.
3. Group (possibly virtual) lunch.
4. A tour of the MetroHealth System led by the Program Director.

When can I apply for a CI fellowship?

Applications are accepted during the July cycle in ERAS. The program start date will be the July following interviews.

Do you limit applications only to candidates who are currently house staff in
residency programs?

No. We accept clinical informatics fellows directly from residency programs and those who graduated from their residency program many years ago who are interested in informatics training.

Does your program participate in the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP)?

Clinical informatics programs participate in the AMIA match. The match process will be discussed on your interview day.

How many fellows does the program have? 

We are accredited for a total of ten fellows. There are five fellows per year for two years. 

What is the salary?

This depends on your post-graduate year. Please see Salary and Benefits.

Are there moonlighting opportunities available?

We allow moonlighting in our clinical informatics fellowship program. We do not provide specific clinical informatics related moonlighting opportunities. Many of our clinical informatics fellows pursue a variety of moonlighting opportunities related to their clinical specialty.

How often do I need to be on call?

Our clinical informatics fellows do not participate in any clinical informatics related call. As part of their 30% clinical effort as an attending physician in their clinical field they would participate in prorated (30%) call for their clinical area.

What supervision is required?

Fellows are credentialed as attendings in their clinical specialty. They see patients independently without any supervision.

What EHR do you use?

We are an Epic enterprise customer and use the Epic electronic health record for all our medical records, which we first went live with in 1999. We were the first public/safety-net healthcare system to ever install the Epic electronic health record and just celebrated our 20th anniversary of our first Epic go-live with Epic Founder and CEO Judy Faulkner in the fall of 2019.

What is it like to live in Cleveland?

Cleveland is a great city to live in, having the pros of living in big metropolitan area with few cons. There are plenty of restaurants, parks, museums, festivals, and things to do around the city whether you are single or will be arriving with a family. Cleveland is especially beautiful in the summer. Cost of living is very reasonable, traffic isn’t something we worry about. For more information, see Living in Cleveland.

Additional Questions?

For more information, contact the Program Coordinator.
You may also contact David Kaelber, MD, PhD, MPH, FACMI, Clinical Informatics Fellowship Program Director at [email protected].