dermatology impossible?

[glue]

---

Members do not see this ad.

hey derm docs, i need advice.

i'm an M2 getting ready to take the boards. i've always been interested in derm but only started honoring all my classes this year (still to my disbelief) and thus only started realistically considering going into derm as a career. unfortunately this means, i've never done any reasearch in the area (or any other, for that matter) and feel like i'm way behind in building a strong CV. i realize a lot of the strength behind my application will be based on board scores and M3 grades, but what can i do besides studying my butt off now and praying for the best to help me get into the field? all the derm ppl i've heard about took a year off and did some amazing prize research or were #1 in their class or published a book, or something else ridiculous. what should i be doing? should i take a year off to do research (i'm already 27! - did business before med school)? what boards scores do i need to get? what makes a winning personal statement? are extracurrics important? i'm still feeling like derm is this impossible dream, so for those of you who made it, what made you stand out?

thanks for your help,
M2

 

[bigfrank]

Try and rock Step I, your honors during the 2nd year will definitely help in any specialty. You can do research in the 3rd year (many of my derm-bound friends did), early 4th year, or not any research at all. Step I will prove to be very important in getting interviews. But don't consider taking a year off to do research to improve your chances until some more "facts" regading your application are in. And good luck. Derm is a tough match, but interest in the 2nd year is by no means too late. Go talk to your school's PD, start/join an interest group, etc.

 

[bigfrank]

The actual Step I you'll need is impossible to know. People certainly match with Step I scores <240, but they also tend to have a great deal of connections, extracurriculars, research, etc.

If I were applying to derm, I'd want a Step I score >240, probably >245.

 

[MrHide]

personally, i'm not a huge advocate of taking a year off to do research. people have had mixed results going that route and i've had pd's tell me that it's not really necessary. do what you can, write up a case report with someone in your department. my advice in order of importance:

1. do well on the boards. pd's have told me that they set cutoffs at 235.
2. get to know your department ... now! many people match at their own program. and for those matching elsewhere, your home department plays a huge role in going to bat for you in the politicking of the match.
3. Get AOA. If not AOA, at least honor the biggies (Medicine, Surgery).
4. Choose your away rotations very carefully. do your research about the history of that program interviewing rotators, etc.

Check out this infamous derm forum. filter out the vitriol and flaming and there are bits of useful info: http://p204.ezboard.com/bdermatology

by no means are you late. then again, the sooner you have a plan the better. 😉

 

[PathOne]

Agree with alll of the above posts. There's no "model" application in Derm, although, as others have indicated, proportion of AOA's and Honors are much higher among Derm residents than in most other specialties.
Consider talking to one of your Derm profs and show him/her your resume. They can probably identify what you'd need to work most on. However, generally speaking, Derm PD's would be looking at a strong interest in Derm, research or clinical, and I certainly don't think it's too late to show that.
Agree with others that you should only consider taking a year off for research if you genuinely like research, and can find a good opportunity. Doing it solely to augment an application, to Derm or another specialty, is likely to cause you more pain than gain.