Advice needed for getting in to a Derm Residency

[cherish]

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Hello Everyone,

I'm currently a MS0 student and going to start my MS1 year this August. I'm interested in Dermatology but I have heard that it's a super competitive specialty, a 250+ on Step1, AOA, and research are pretty much required for you to get in to a Derm residency. So for all of you who have got into this specialty, I was wondering if you could give me some advice on what I should do to better prepare myself to get into this specialty starting from day 1 in medical school? Should I start research from 1st year in medical school? How many publications should I have? What kind of extracurricular activities should I do to maximize my learning experience in this field? Should I find a Dermatologist as a mentor and shadow him/her from 1st year in med school? What should I do in the summer between 1st and 2nd year to best utilize my last summer break. Thanks a lot!

PS. I hope you guys not think of me as a gunner. I'm really not. 😳 For my lack of information, I made many mistakes and took many wrong paths when I applied for med schools in undergrade. I think I'm very luck to still get into a med school. So this time, I want to take the lesson from the past, to start early to better prepare myself. 🙂 Thanks again!

 

[Substance]

Things you need to do:

1. Look the part. Derm residents are generally attractive. A hot residency demands hot people. This means get a nice hairstyle and expensive clothes, and get in hot shape. If the only thing differentiating two entirely equal applicants is looks, the good looking one will win.

2. Network. Get to know the top dogs. Show interest and work ethic. Looks will help you.

3. Do well on Step I. Kill it. Start now. THis means you need to dig far deeper than just FIRST AID FOR STEP I.

4. FInd out how your school does AOA and then go for that too.

5. Start some research now. The best method is to piggyback an existing project. Remember, you're not trying to win a Nobel Prize. You're trying to get your name in print. Don't start a project up because those take too long to finish, and make sure the project is doable. Remember, if its not published, it never happened.

6. Become skilled in oral pleasure giving.

 

[cherish]

Thank you for your advice, Substance🙂. but I was wondering if I really could not publish any paper from my research, is it ok that if I do presentations, posters or publish an abstract? Would those work? and also...this may sound stupid.... but how do I ask a PI to join an existing project? Because I have done research in other field before, and my PI didn't allow me to join existing projects, becasue it seems like I would take part of trophy away from the others who started the projects 🙁. So I had to start my own project in my previous lab. .... So, are there any strategies to ask for joining existing projects?? or should I just tell the PI straight forward that I need to publish papers to get into Derm residency, so please let me join an existing projects?? 😕 Thanks a lot!

 

[sensitive skin]

LOL

Things you need to do:

1. Look the part. Derm residents are generally attractive. A hot residency demands hot people. This means get a nice hairstyle and expensive clothes, and get in hot shape. If the only thing differentiating two entirely equal applicants is looks, the good looking one will win.

I think this is more true for programs in big cities. In any case it's a good idea to get in good shape...BMI <20 looks fab.

Also, cannot stress enough that your skin must be ~luminous~ like egg whites, like tofu. Fix your skin now before interview season. Get rid of that tan (so gross), avoid the sun, wear sunscreen (duh), wear sun-protective clothing and a hat even inside the car, get IPL to remove any hyperpigmentation from past sun damage, start a retinoid, and get some Botox if you need it. If you have severe acne, it might be a good idea to get on Accutane (assuming you've exhausted all topical treatments)...you've got 5 months before interviews start. Also, fix your teeth if there are any problems.

If you are female, get some makeup application tips for the "natural," but glowing look. Avoid heavy foundation and let your skin shine through.

If anything, attain perfect skin and get your BMI <20. The hot expensive clothes can wait.

2. Network. Get to know the top dogs. Show interest and work ethic. Looks will help you.

Definitely. Meet with the top dermatologists at your home institution or on aways. Ask them for help. Do anything and everything your residents ask of you, always smile, and go the extra mile. Don't backstab the other applicants (karma), but don't help them unnecessarily either (ie, don't tell them you're meeting with the PD...).

3. Do well on Step I. Kill it. Start now. THis means you need to dig far deeper than just FIRST AID FOR STEP I.

YES. Aim for 240+.

4. FInd out how your school does AOA and then go for that too.

Programs can't brag about their residents' board scores, but they CAN brag about their AOA residents. Think about that. It's all about ~image.~ This is even more important if you're coming from a non-top 40 school.

5. Start some research now. The best method is to piggyback an existing project. Remember, you're not trying to win a Nobel Prize. You're trying to get your name in print. Don't start a project up because those take too long to finish, and make sure the project is doable. Remember, if its not published, it never happened.

Last sentence, so true. Even if you can get a few case reports in, this is better than a whole year of research without a pub.

6. Become skilled in oral pleasure giving.

Hmm, I'm learning something new every day...

 

[cherish]

haha, I see, appearance is an important factor for getting into dermatology. Thanks a lot for the tip! ........ and thank god, I do have good skin! 😀

 

[asmallchild]

haha, I see, appearance is an important factor for getting into dermatology. Thanks a lot for the tip! ........ and thank god, I do have good skin! 😀

It's nice to have but not the end-all-be-all. I ended up matching at a place where I was suffering from a massive acne breakout during the interview. Admittedly, not something I would recommend (or that I would want to endure again) 😀

 

[eviljafar]

is this all for real, or are you guys being a bit tongue and cheek? i've noticed a lot of derm. residents are good looking but a lot are pretty regular too. are you guys implying, that being good looking really puts you at a great advantage?

 

[Doublecortin]

is this all for real, or are you guys being a bit tongue and cheek? i've noticed a lot of derm. residents are good looking but a lot are pretty regular too. are you guys implying, that being good looking really puts you at a great advantage?

I certainly hope not 😱

 

[goodies]

i agree with all of the above. and by oral pleasure giving, you gotta do a lot of that. how else do u get outstanding letters of rec and honors during ur clinical years? and by oral pleasure giving, it's not necessarily anything gross.. but you gotta learn early how to talk well, how to network, kiss a lot of ass without being obvious, its a skill to be able to impress attendings, say the right things to connect with ppl well, etc. communication and interpersonal skills are extremely important. the more connections you make without being an obnoxious gunner, the better.

 

[dermaphobe]

read the commentary...

http://dermatology-s10.cdlib.org/1507/