Hi everyone,
First off, I wanted to apologize if my post seems uninformed or ignorant in anyway in advance. I had always had an interest in non-cosmetic dermatology but my interest grew within this past year when I was inflicted with a serious injury in my axillary region during my first year of medical school.
I understand that I don't have enough exposure to fully ascertain that this is what I will ultimately pursue. However, the limited shadowing experience I have had prior to starting medical school, and the recent interaction I have had with several dermatologists has left me with a very positive outlook.
Given the current climate in the Osteopathic world with regards to post-graduate work, I have been a little worried as to the implications it would have on the opportunities that would be a available to me. Obviously good COMLEX and USMLE scores would be necessary. However, the amount of spots available for DO Dermatology spots is quite limited and I think I would have better luck with allopathic programs.
Are there any allopathic programs which are more DO friendly? Would attempting to arrange a rotation in these programs be beneficial to my application? I wanted to tentatively plan some away rotations outside of my scheduled area (my hometown/Southern California), but I wanted to find out which programs/hospital it would be advantageous to do so? I don't have any particular regional preference and I am quite flexible in moving anywhere.
My family practitioner knows a DO Dermatologist who would love to have me shadow him over this summer, I am going to do this as I feel it will give me more exposure so as to determine whether I will truly be able to do this later on in life. However, would this be beneficial from an application perspective?
Additionally, although I attend a very competitive DO school, I feel as if I am in the bottom 50% of my class, even though my grades are very decent and I don't feel like I will make AOA. Will this be a big obstacle? I also don't have a particular interest in conducting research as I did it for 2 years in undergrad at my alma mater (which is a Famous research hub).
Are there any resources that ranks the programs in order of unfilled spots yearly? Or popularity? Although I am not aiming at going into a sub-par program by any means, I feel like I may have to do so as the current prospects for DO graduates are looking unstable at the moment. Does the NRMP have this information?
Lastly, any tips for transitional year programs that would be helpful in facilitating a transition into a Dermatology residency?
I truly appreciate any feedback and I apologize if my post does seem uninformed in any way. I want to make sure that I will be applying wisely where I would have a realistic chance considering the costs of ERAS application as well as the overwhelming debt I will be in. I also hope I didn't offend anyone with my DO comments, I love the philosophy and don't regret my choice to attend a DO program, but I also want to make sure that I do whatever I can to maximize my future prospects.
Thanks in advance.
First off, I wanted to apologize if my post seems uninformed or ignorant in anyway in advance. I had always had an interest in non-cosmetic dermatology but my interest grew within this past year when I was inflicted with a serious injury in my axillary region during my first year of medical school.
I understand that I don't have enough exposure to fully ascertain that this is what I will ultimately pursue. However, the limited shadowing experience I have had prior to starting medical school, and the recent interaction I have had with several dermatologists has left me with a very positive outlook.
Given the current climate in the Osteopathic world with regards to post-graduate work, I have been a little worried as to the implications it would have on the opportunities that would be a available to me. Obviously good COMLEX and USMLE scores would be necessary. However, the amount of spots available for DO Dermatology spots is quite limited and I think I would have better luck with allopathic programs.
Are there any allopathic programs which are more DO friendly? Would attempting to arrange a rotation in these programs be beneficial to my application? I wanted to tentatively plan some away rotations outside of my scheduled area (my hometown/Southern California), but I wanted to find out which programs/hospital it would be advantageous to do so? I don't have any particular regional preference and I am quite flexible in moving anywhere.
My family practitioner knows a DO Dermatologist who would love to have me shadow him over this summer, I am going to do this as I feel it will give me more exposure so as to determine whether I will truly be able to do this later on in life. However, would this be beneficial from an application perspective?
Additionally, although I attend a very competitive DO school, I feel as if I am in the bottom 50% of my class, even though my grades are very decent and I don't feel like I will make AOA. Will this be a big obstacle? I also don't have a particular interest in conducting research as I did it for 2 years in undergrad at my alma mater (which is a Famous research hub).
Are there any resources that ranks the programs in order of unfilled spots yearly? Or popularity? Although I am not aiming at going into a sub-par program by any means, I feel like I may have to do so as the current prospects for DO graduates are looking unstable at the moment. Does the NRMP have this information?
Lastly, any tips for transitional year programs that would be helpful in facilitating a transition into a Dermatology residency?
I truly appreciate any feedback and I apologize if my post does seem uninformed in any way. I want to make sure that I will be applying wisely where I would have a realistic chance considering the costs of ERAS application as well as the overwhelming debt I will be in. I also hope I didn't offend anyone with my DO comments, I love the philosophy and don't regret my choice to attend a DO program, but I also want to make sure that I do whatever I can to maximize my future prospects.
Thanks in advance.
