FMG: derm residency now or fellowship later?

[Sedmic]

Hi,

I have a cousin who is currently in her first year of dermatology in another country. She would like to immigrate into the US and has asked me for advice. I am a PGY-2 in Int Med and don't know how Derm works. She would like to know if it's better to come to the US, spend a year or two in research, and apply for Derm or if it's best to finish Derm there and then tyr for a 2-yr fellowship or clinical training in order to get licensure.

I realize that there are only a handful of FMGs who match into Derm residencies, and walking on water is often not enough. Is the fellowship approach reasonable? Can one get board certified via that approach?

I'd love to hear any suggestions you might have. I realize this is very much an uphill battle. Thanks!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Dermguy]

Hi,

I have a cousin who is currently in her first year of dermatology in another country. She would like to immigrate into the US and has asked me for advice. I am a PGY-2 in Int Med and don't know how Derm works. She would like to know if it's better to come to the US, spend a year or two in research, and apply for Derm or if it's best to finish Derm there and then tyr for a 2-yr fellowship or clinical training in order to get licensure.

I realize that there are only a handful of FMGs who match into Derm residencies, and walking on water is often not enough. Is the fellowship approach reasonable? Can one get board certified via that approach?

I'd love to hear any suggestions you might have. I realize this is very much an uphill battle. Thanks!

Most people do fellowships to try to get to know faculty so they will eventually match into derm residency. You can't do a fellowship without residency and get board certified.

It's tough to say what would give her the best chance at matching. Probably a research fellowship would be good. Sometimes people who did foreign derm residencies can apply for a waiver of a year of U.S. derm residency, but she would still have to come here and do an internship and probably do a research fellowship.

 

[Sedmic]

In IntMed, there are subspecialty fellowships such as in Infectious Disease, Nephrology, etc. I think some FMGs finish their medicine training in their home country and then come here for subspecialty training which counts as their two years of clinical training. Is that possible in derm too, or is residency the only way to get board-certified?

 

[doctalaughs]

In IntMed, there are subspecialty fellowships such as in Infectious Disease, Nephrology, etc. I think some FMGs finish their medicine training in their home country and then come here for subspecialty training which counts as their two years of clinical training. Is that possible in derm too, or is residency the only way to get board-certified?

I'm pretty sure a US residency in derm is the only way to get board certified. Unlike medicine fellowships, derm fellowships are only 1 year and therefore don't really define your scope of practice as much as GI, renal, cards etc.

The three defined fellowships are peds-derm, dermpath and procedural derm (which is only being defined now, and was mohs before). Since many genderms do a good subset of each of these you need a US residency to be board certified. Besides, all these are about as competitive as residency.

 

[KWTRCSI]

In IntMed, there are subspecialty fellowships such as in Infectious Disease, Nephrology, etc. I think some FMGs finish their medicine training in their home country and then come here for subspecialty training which counts as their two years of clinical training. Is that possible in derm too, or is residency the only way to get board-certified?

It depends on the speciality and its governing board ;

While the american board of radiology can certify doctors trained outside the US/canada ( theabr.org )

the american board of dermatology rules are more strict and it only certify doctors who have completed both of their internship year and residency in the US/canada (www.abderm.org )