writerelly82

· 16 Dec 2021

Follow Following

What are Fellowships

The term fellowship (sometimes spelled fellowship) refers to two things: to some degree, it’s synonymous with the term collaboration. The two terms are sometimes used interchangeably, but the difference between them lies in their more precise meanings and in how they’re used in popular language and culture. A fellowship, according to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, is an association of persons with common interests or who have been admitted to membership on the basis of similar qualifications.

A fellowship is an academic scholarship, a stipend for study, research, or artistic creation. Fellowship can also be a special kind of appointment, often at a university. When you’re appointed to a fellowship in a given year, it means that you’ve been admitted as someone who will be teaching and researching with limited duties and responsibilities.

A research or teaching position, often in academia, that involves collaboration between people with similar interests. In academia, a postdoctoral researcher may be funded as a fellow of a higher education institution, society or government agency. The term fellow comes from old English freoge and Latin frater (brother), meaning brother or friar, originally was used to mean someone who was admitted to the residence at a monastery. The first fellowships were established in late 17th century England for gifted scholars and graduate students to study natural philosophy (science) away from universities' towns and cities.

Types of fellowship
There are several different types of fellowships. Some of these include research and teaching fellowships, postdoctoral fellowships, and clinical research fellowships. Postdoctoral fellowships allow graduate students who have already completed their Ph.D., to continue working on a specific research project or area that interests them. Clinical Research Fellowships enable medical professionals with a strong interest in clinical medicine to work on developing new techniques for treating patients more effectively.
Teaching fellowships provide educators with an opportunity to instruct college-level courses while gaining experience in real classroom situations. One can earn either Master’s degrees or Doctoral degrees as part of most teaching programs, as long as they meet all academic requirements necessary for both degree levels.

The best way to determine which type of fellowship you would like to pursue is by first researching which opportunities are available through various organizations and funding agencies, then determining your career goals and desired areas of focus. Once you find potential matches between your needs and wants, create a list so you can decide which offers fit into your financial situation best.

Disadvantages of a fellowship
While it’s true that they can be beneficial to some doctors and in some situations, fellowships do have some disadvantages. For one thing, being a fellow doesn’t always mean you are going to make more money. Many fellowships pay little or nothing at all, which is only going to add to your mountain of student debt if you are forced to fund it yourself. Some fellowships don’t count toward board certification. And for any specialty that requires a residency, such as surgery or dermatology, there isn’t really an option—you must complete an additional period of training even though you may already be working as a physician.