Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
In the constantly changing world of medical education, one question constantly confuses young doctors: Should I go for a Fellowship or take Senior Residency (SR Ship)?
It’s a life-changing career choice, and both have their own advantages and disadvantages.
Let’s solve this puzzle with some blunt facts and real-world insights.
What is Fellowship?
A medical fellowship is often seen as a glamorous opportunity. You’re stepping into an established system where high-end procedures and advanced technology await. Many dream of entering a reputed centre, working with robotic surgeries, and gaining international exposure.
But here’s the reality:
Fellowships are usually observerships. Your hands-on experience will be minimal. The institute determines your role, and it will usually prefer SRs (Senior Residents) over fellows when it comes to operations.
What is SR Ship?
Senior Residency (SR Ship) is typically performed in the same environment as you’ve had during your postgraduation. It might not be as glamorous, but it provides intense surgical exposure, hands-on experience, and above all, clinical reflex development.
If you haven’t grasped how to put on an external fixator, you’re not yet ready to dive in for robot-assisted knee replacements. That’s where SR Ship comes in—by developing your basic surgical skills.
Why SR Ship is Important in India?
As India is growing, the number of postgraduate medical seats is on the rise, but OT (operating theatre) time is not. That implies that, as a PG, your hands-on cases reduce.
So, how do you acquire confident surgeon skills?
Simple: You extend your residency by 3 additional years via SR Ship.
Consider it this way: Your actual residency is not 3 years, it’s 6 years. “Operating is one thing, following up is another.
My teacher used to tell me—don’t operate, follow up somebody else. That’s the way you learn.”
At SR Ship, you not just operate but also follow up your cases, monitor the results, deal with complications—and that is where real orthopedic training occurs.
Why Jumping Straight to Fellowship Could Backfire?
Yes, fellowships in the best institutes sound exciting. But unless you have good basics, you will not gain much. Suppose you are doing robotic surgeries without having basic orthopedic concepts under your belt—you will find it difficult.
Also, be realistic—most fellowships do not have primary surgeon positions. You will mostly be watching. And the SRs in the same institute will get precedence over you.
So think—what’s the hurry?
First, Select the Branch, Then the College
Numerous students mix up institute fame with career definition.
Let’s keep it simple: The individual you want to marry has nothing to do with the wedding location. You don’t replace your bride for the location—you replace yourself for the individual.
The same is true. Don’t do dermatology at a premier college when you actually want orthopedics. Do what you like—the department is more important than the brand.
I’ve watched students quit their fellowship halfway through because they preferred the institute over the speciality. Believe me, that relationship was dead on arrival.
So, SR Ship or Fellowship?
Here’s what I would do:
✅ Do SR Ship first.
✅ Master managing patients, follow-up cases, and refine your reflexes.
✅ Establish your identity as a surgeon.
Then, after you know exactly what you want to specialise in, do a focused fellowship.
That’s when you’ll drive the maximum benefit from it.
Conclusion: Build Before You Specialise
Fellowship provides you with a seat in a dream system, but not necessarily the knife. SR Ship provides you with the scalpel, the sweat, and the surgical instincts. Don’t buy just the glamour. Establish a good clinical foundation first. Because you can only fly high if your roots are deep. And in surgery, your basics determine your brilliance.
