Residency, fellowship, and choosing your specialty.
Eight guides for the training years: how residency works, picking an institution and a specialty, fellowship, and moonlighting along the way.
Topic hub
8 guides on Training, Residency & Specialty.
The training years hold the biggest career decisions a doctor makes, usually with the least guidance. This hub collects our eight guides on that stretch of the journey: how the Philippine residency system actually works, how to choose where and in what to train, and what fellowship adds.
Start with how residency training works and choosing a training institution. On the biggest question of all, we have three complementary tools: choosing a medical specialty walks through the decision itself, the specialty report card profiles fifteen fields on income, lifestyle, intensity, and competitiveness, and the specialty matcher ranks them against your own priorities. Then the fellowship guide covers subspecialty training, and two guides handle moonlighting work and moonlighting during residency specifically.
One thing worth knowing early: even in training, moonlighting income makes you a taxpayer with filing duties, and Train Smart exists precisely so residents stay compliant for less.
Choosing a Medical Specialty
The five questions that actually decide it, and why to ignore the rankings.
How Residency Training Works
The path from licensure to specialist, and why there's no central match.
Choosing a Training Institution
Accreditation, board pass rates, case volume, and the red flags to watch.
Fellowship and Subspecialty Training
Subspecializing after residency, and whether it's worth the extra years.
Moonlighting During Residency
Earning from extra shifts without wrecking your training or your health.
A Guide to Moonlighting Work
The kinds of work, finding gigs, setting rates, and protecting yourself.
Grading Every Medical Specialty
A perception-based report card on income, work-life balance, intensity, and competitiveness.
Which Specialty Fits You?
An interactive matcher that ranks the specialties by your priorities and explains why each one fits.