Do I need a derm research year?

[migi23]

Current M3 at a mid/low tier MD school interested in dermatology.I have 6 peer-reviewed publications (first author), 3 completed projects submitted to JAAD, and 7 ongoing projects which will be submitted in the next 6 months. 5 poster presentations. 4 years of clinical experience as an MA & 3 years working as a med interpreter during college. On the board of the derm interest group at my med school for the past 3 years. Volunteer at a free derm clinic a few times a semester and have been involved in fundraising events for the National Psoriasis Foundation and Melanoma Research Foundation for the past 2 years. My Step 1 is P/F and I passed, have not yet taken Step 2 but assuming I will do well. My school does not do class rank. I am not AOA.

I am not sure if I need a research year...I have publications but I would like to match at a residency program in California or New York. I don't have any ties to these places other than going to university in CA which is not a strong enough tie. Is the research year worth it to help open up more options for residencies since I'm coming from a mid/low tier school?

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[Redpancreas]

1. I love the specifics, but you're likely identifiable with this information. Just an FYI if that bothers you.

2. If your Step 2 CK is 250+ , I think you can match Derm. CA/NYC is a crapshoot because so many people want that area and I don't think doing a research you just so you can try to match there specifically makes sense. The research year would make more sense if you scored idk... 240 and had 1-2 publications. Unfortunately school name matters a lot too and you don't control that so it may be a bottle neck. I'm not saying people haven't done it. Look at match lists or residency pages at top programs and you'll see 1-2 examples per class of someone at an Ivy for a competitive field from a low tier US MD school...just know it's the exception not the rule.

To summarize, cut the details out and a research year won't bump you from an A- to an A+ candidate. It helps bring a C candidate to a B candidate. My thoughts anyway. If you spend 3 years doing research and publish meaningful research, that's different.