I'm a Derm resident thinking about specializing in dermpath. Can anyone please shed some light on the job market. I'll prefer to do a combination of general derm/dermpath.
Thanks.
Thanks.
Dermatopathology
- Thread starter Gracile
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I'm a current fellow. My program director says the market has improved, but it's still not great.
I think you'll be in good shape if you want to practice Dermpath a day or so a week and practice clinical Derm the rest.
You can find positions with more dermpath, but they are more difficult to find.
In this last month, I've seen 5 or so postings for jobs involving varying amounts of dermpath with clinical, but my director is really good at being on top of that sorta thing and passing them along.
I think you'll be in good shape if you want to practice Dermpath a day or so a week and practice clinical Derm the rest.
You can find positions with more dermpath, but they are more difficult to find.
In this last month, I've seen 5 or so postings for jobs involving varying amounts of dermpath with clinical, but my director is really good at being on top of that sorta thing and passing them along.
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If you are geographically limited it may be tough. The major cities (and more desirable areas) are often full up on dermpaths, and the open jobs are in less desirable and more rural areas. There's always a chance you land a spot where you want to be, but it's by no means a guarantee. Much easier if you are willing to move wherever the jobs are.
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The current fellows will be best able to answer that. When I was a fellow in 2012-2013, the market was horrendous. I think it is marginally improved, but full-time Dermpath jobs are about as rare (if not more rare) than full-time private practice mohs jobs. The big labs aren't hiring. Small Derm groups will probably be happy to let you do their group's work as long as they don't already have a Dermpath person and you do mostly clinical Derm.
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Hello guys, I am AP/CP resident in an academic hospital with good reputation, interested in pursuing a career as Dermatopathologist, I am really in love with the field. I am pretty much interested in opening my own full time Dermpath practice after training, that is my ultimate goal. I wonder how realistic is this goal with the current market?. How difficult is to open your own dermpath lab?
Does it make it different if I was a dermatologist-dermatopathologist interested in doing full time Dermpath?
Does my income would be better if I have a Derm-Dermpath practice instead of a full time Dermpath practice? I was thinking in maybe find a partner or do a second residency in dermatology, I love both the same but my crush is Dermpath. I am 27 year old, starting my second year of training.
I don't care about the location, If I have to move out the city to a random place where I can develop my practice I would do it.
Appreciate the comments and advices
Does it make it different if I was a dermatologist-dermatopathologist interested in doing full time Dermpath?
Does my income would be better if I have a Derm-Dermpath practice instead of a full time Dermpath practice? I was thinking in maybe find a partner or do a second residency in dermatology, I love both the same but my crush is Dermpath. I am 27 year old, starting my second year of training.
I don't care about the location, If I have to move out the city to a random place where I can develop my practice I would do it.
Appreciate the comments and advices
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I think you'll get better responses from the path forum.
In speaking with colleagues who are in dermpath, I don't think opening your own dermpath lab is very commonplace.
Most of my colleagues have difficulty finding all dermpath jobs, being derm/dermpath allows you to spend some clinical time seeing patients (and potentially providing yourself with specimens to read)
Your question on income depends on how much volume you are seeing in both derm and dermpath. Doing a second residency in dermatology after pathology is neither common nor easy.
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[QUOTE="I am pretty much interested in opening my own full time Dermpath practice after training, that is my ultimate goal. I wonder how realistic is this goal with the current market?. How difficult is to open your own dermpath lab?
[/QUOTE]
The question is how are you going to sell to practices the idea that you, as the new guy in town, are better than who they already use? The broader theme is that we, as doctors, have to understand the market forces and business ideas behind our decisions. Unlike the 70s, 80s and 90s where a doc could put up his/her shingle anywhere and expect to have a bustling practice with a good salary, the overhead costs implemented by new regulations on both the record keeping and lab certification aspects necessitate that you have a good business plan otherwise that loan the bank gave you will have you bankrupt in no time.
I think your aspirations are good but look at your practice now as a restaurant. If you open up a sushi place and there's ten businesses in town doing sushi very well, where's your business going to come from? As docs, and especially as ancillary docs, we are no longer entitled to a steady stream of business. To answer your question about the possibility of opening your own practice, the answer is yes. This is America. You can do anything. Just plan to be more accurate, more marketable, friendlier, more accommodating, more efficient, and more business savvy than the guy/gal next door and you can succeed at anything.
[/QUOTE]
The question is how are you going to sell to practices the idea that you, as the new guy in town, are better than who they already use? The broader theme is that we, as doctors, have to understand the market forces and business ideas behind our decisions. Unlike the 70s, 80s and 90s where a doc could put up his/her shingle anywhere and expect to have a bustling practice with a good salary, the overhead costs implemented by new regulations on both the record keeping and lab certification aspects necessitate that you have a good business plan otherwise that loan the bank gave you will have you bankrupt in no time.
I think your aspirations are good but look at your practice now as a restaurant. If you open up a sushi place and there's ten businesses in town doing sushi very well, where's your business going to come from? As docs, and especially as ancillary docs, we are no longer entitled to a steady stream of business. To answer your question about the possibility of opening your own practice, the answer is yes. This is America. You can do anything. Just plan to be more accurate, more marketable, friendlier, more accommodating, more efficient, and more business savvy than the guy/gal next door and you can succeed at anything.
It's incredibly hard and borderline unrealistic for a new fellow to start their own lab.
Unless you are willing to invest at least 200K for a new lab, then wait for years for business to pick up (which it never might), then be willing to accept constant reimbursement cuts and increased regulations, then fight the competition from established dermpaths and big labs, then yes, go for it. Also, good luck in convincing your local dermatologists to send to you over a derm-trained dermpaths.
I've seen 1 AP/CP trained dermpath who has done it successfully. A derm-trained dermpaths would have an easier time for obvious reasons.
You might not care about location, but the location doesn' t care about you. Slides travel easily, and you will be competing with every other dermatopathologist in the continental US.
