How can I match into derm?

[Bearie]

Hello all,

I will be attending medical school next year and have shadowed a number of dermatologists. I'm sure the common response is "your opinion will change throughout medical school," but I'm pretty sure I want to go into derm. I know I need high Step 1 scores and should do research in field, but beyond that I have a few questions that I was hoping someone could answer.

1) I've heard ridiculously low estimates of how many derm slots there exist each year (i.e 10). But, I know this can't be the case simply by looking at some matchlists from schools that send 2-4 into the field ecah year. Exactly how many derm slots are there and how many applicants are there for these slots?

2) Where can I view a list of every derm program in the US? Is this it? https://services.aamc.org/eras/erasstats/par/display8.cfm?NAV_ROW=PAR&SPEC_CD=080
How many people are in each program?

3) What medical school should I attend? I've been accepted to Pitt, Michigan, and SUNY Downstate and waiting to hear from several other top 20 schools. I would like to go to medical school in NYC, but if my only NYC option is Downstate, how important would it be to sacrifice location and go somewhere like Pitt or Penn? How important is prestige of school in matching into derm? I imagine it also helps to go to a med school with a derm residency so that I can get to know program director and do research in field?

4) Is there anything else I should know? I know I'm early, but I also know derm is competitive and I would like to get started as soon as possible.

Thank you very much for any help!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Dral]

I haven't applied yet, but I think I can answer some of your questions.

1. I don't have exact numbers, but I believe there are 300 and some Derm residency openings per year. There are approximately 1100 or 1200 people vying for those spots, with 500 to 600 of those applicants being 4th year American Allo grads (the people who get the overwhelming majority of the spots).

2. You can go through this document to find out which institutions offer spots and how many per year.
http://www.nrmp.org/data/resultsanddata2009.pdf

3. I don't think this matters TOO much. Just go to a good school and work hard. However, I believe it helps for the school to have a dermatology program so you have opportunities to get clinical experience, research experience, lor's, and most importantly, someone to 'go to bat' for you. By this, I mean dermatology is a small field, people talk, you want someone to have good things to say about you to program directors...especially someone whom those PD's know personally.

4. Work hard...if you work toward a good Step I score, your preclinical grades should fall into line (these grades don't matter as much though). Try to get AOA if your school offers it. Get to know your home derm faculty and housestaff. Do well in your 3rd and 4th year rotations...try to honor as much as you can, especially medicine and surgery. Try to honor your derm and derm related 4th year rotations. Do derm related research and try to present/publish that research. Very importantly, go into whatever you do with the interest in using what you learn and explore as the basis for building your career...don't just look at it as a means to an end. As far as derm specific things go, this should naturally occur if you're honestly interested in the field. Finally, practice being a good social person. Residents and Faculty want to work with nice, outgoing, social, good people!

Not everyone can do all that, but there are a good amount that can. But if you are lacking in something, you can make up in another. For instance, someone who isn't AOA can have a kick butt research record and not suffer too much of a set back in their competitiveness. Step I is really important as you already know. It's unfortunate that some otherwise stellar would be Dermatologists get weeded out by this pesky exam.

Whew! Yes, it's A LOT of work and takes a lot of dedication...which is a good segue into...

Finally, you are right about keeping an open mind. Dermatology is one of the most competitive specialties, so if you find you enjoy something else more, you may be better off going that other route. There are plenty of other fields (especially primary care) where you don't have to be a practicing dermatologist to enjoy treating derm conditions on at least some levels. As an example as a specialist who works with derm related conditions, if you find you love love love surgery above cutaneous/Mohs procedures and still love derm, you can train in general surgery, fellow in onc, and end up being a melanoma surgeon. We have someone at my institution who does that and he does stellar things for patients and in advancing knowledge in the field.

Good luck!

 

[mohderm]

Hello all,

I will be attending medical school next year and have shadowed a number of dermatologists. I'm sure the common response is "your opinion will change throughout medical school," but I'm pretty sure I want to go into derm. I know I need high Step 1 scores and should do research in field, but beyond that I have a few questions that I was hoping someone could answer.

1) I've heard ridiculously low estimates of how many derm slots there exist each year (i.e 10). But, I know this can't be the case simply by looking at some matchlists from schools that send 2-4 into the field ecah year. Exactly how many derm slots are there and how many applicants are there for these slots?

2) Where can I view a list of every derm program in the US? Is this it? https://services.aamc.org/eras/erasstats/par/display8.cfm?NAV_ROW=PAR&SPEC_CD=080
How many people are in each program?

3) What medical school should I attend? I've been accepted to Pitt, Michigan, and SUNY Downstate and waiting to hear from several other top 20 schools. I would like to go to medical school in NYC, but if my only NYC option is Downstate, how important would it be to sacrifice location and go somewhere like Pitt or Penn? How important is prestige of school in matching into derm? I imagine it also helps to go to a med school with a derm residency so that I can get to know program director and do research in field?

4) Is there anything else I should know? I know I'm early, but I also know derm is competitive and I would like to get started as soon as possible.

Thank you very much for any help!

1. Yeah not sure exactly where you got that info but there are around 330ish positions each year. (not sure about the exact number) Last year the match rate for US grads was about 60%

2. Google FRIEDA. It is a listing of all programs for all specialites.

3. All are great schools. Of the ones you mentioned I like UMich. They have a very well respected derm program and offer atleast 5 spots each year which is alot for a derm program. I think you always have the best shot of matching your home program.

4. Study hard and rock step1. Try to be normal and relate well with your colleagues and patients. (sounds easy but you will see so many of your classmates lack basic people skills). Most of all, have a life outside of school, it is possible.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[Bearie]

1. Yeah not sure exactly where you got that info but there are around 330ish positions each year. (not sure about the exact number) Last year the match rate for US grads was about 60%

2. Google FRIEDA. It is a listing of all programs for all specialites.

3. All are great schools. Of the ones you mentioned I like UMich. They have a very well respected derm program and offer atleast 5 spots each year which is alot for a derm program. I think you always have the best shot of matching your home program.

4. Study hard and rock step1. Try to be normal and relate well with your colleagues and patients. (sounds easy but you will see so many of your classmates lack basic people skills). Most of all, have a life outside of school, it is possible.

Just my 2 cents.

Thank you all very much. The only thing I'm still wondering about is the school prestige/ranking factor. Hopefully I will get into more NYC schools (it is still early in cycle), but suppose Downstate is my only NYC option and I chose to stay here for personal and family reasons. SUNY Downstate does have a derm residency, which seems to take mostly Downstate graduates.

If I want to do my residency in one of the Manhattan Hospitals (NYU, Sinai, Columbia, or Cornell), and get the same board score and grades at Downstate compared to Michigan or Pitt, how much of a disadvantage would I be at by choosing Downstate? I know something like this is hard to quantify, but on an artificial scale of choosing Downstate over Pitt/Michigan having no difference, a minimal difference, a sizable but overcomable difference, or a truly significant difference in terms of matching into one of the Manhattan hospitals, what is your honest opinion?

Thank you very for any insight!

 

[dermRus]

Research is key to getting into derm and so see if you like particular faculty members at the schools and if you could start working with one of them early. I might almost make that the determining factor because prestige of school only plays a small part in the grand picture (a very small part if you'd taken all of the other right steps).

You need great scores with Step 1, AOA, Honors in clinical rotations, blah blah but i know a lot of people that did not do research and have a hard time matching because of it. So I would make that a priority. Find out how much free time you get during the first two years to explore outside of lecture time or required small groups sessions at each of your med school choices.

UMich sounds attractive at first glance but dig a lot deeper beyond superficial rankings because in the end it's the individual...