Dr. Tim McConn

Fellow at Weil Foot, Ankle & Orthopedic InstituteAdvanced Surgical Fellowship

 

“I knew I wanted to do a fellowship since my first year of podiatry school.”

Knowing From The Start
Tim McConn, DPM, AACFAS

Starting as a sales representative for Arthrex, a major orthopedic medical device company, Dr. McConn was exposed to the field of surgery, even before matriculation at Dr. William M. Scholl College of Podiatric Medicine. The experience inspired him to make a commitment to become a fellowship-trained podiatric surgeon as early as the 1st year of podiatry school. Upon completion of his residency at the renowned West Penn Hospital Foot & Ankle Surgical Residency, where he served as Chief Resident his 3rd year, he was set to find a fellowship that fit his interests and were aligned with his goals.

Now, Dr. McConn is a Fellow at Weil Foot, Ankle & Orthopedic Institute Advanced Surgical Fellowship.

He explains the invaluable qualities of fellowship training, which include, but are not limited to:

1. An extra year of specialty training
2. Excellent experience with the billing and coding arena
3. An increased advantage for self-marketing
4. Explicit mentorship and sense of camaraderie
5. Interprofessional relationships with orthopedics

“When applying for a fellowship, it is important to know what you want.”

Furthermore, it is critical to identify the role that fellowship training will play in one’s career. “When applying for a fellowship, it is important to know what you want,” explains Dr. McConn. There are different types of fellowships that can be found on the ABFAS and ACFAS websites, and with each type comes a different concentration. Dr. McConn has had opportunities with both orthopedic and private practice groups where he is the main foot and ankle expert, so it is only logical that he chose to join the Weil Foot, Ankle & Orthopedic Institute Advanced Surgical Fellowship.

“Depending on your goals, fellowships may not be a good fit for everyone.”

Although Dr. McConn is very pro-fellowship, he understands that fellowships do not pertain to everyone’s wishes. The role of fellowship training in one’s career is dependent on one’s goals. It seems that fellowships have evolved beyond a fail-safe into a mechanism that propels fellows toward leadership within higher education and specialty within our field. As Dr. McConn looks toward the future, he aspires to join the ACFAS lecture circuit, and he believes his fellowship training can assist him with regards to that goal.

By Timothy Cheung, MS, CPT
Scholl College of Podiatric Medicine

the fellows

Special edition
Vol 1.

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