What Is a Fellow?

A doctor mastering knowledge.

In healthcare, a fellow is a medical doctor who is training in a sub-specialty, or area, of medicine, such as knee surgery.

Your care may involve a fellow if you are in a teaching hospital.

A fellow will probably have completed 3 to 7 years in a residency in a specialty of medicine. Fellows have also graduated from 4 years of undergraduate college and 4 years of medical school. Fellowships often add an additional 1 to 3 years of on-the-job training, practicing on real patients with real health problems.

Fellows can take your medical history, perform a physical exam, order and interpret tests, diagnose health problems, and devise your treatment plan. Depending on the specialty, a fellow can also perform surgery. Fellows typically have passed multiple examinations to practice medicine in their specialty.

Fellows may train with nationally recognized experts to concentrate on and master their knowledge of special surgical techniques.