In keeping with the job search trend going on: I am currently at a no-name program, but have aspirations to work at a powerhouse. Looking at faculty profiles for these places indicates that most faculty come from stellar residencies. How can I get my foot in the door? Looking at gen derm gigs with teaching responsibilities.
I figured I would merge these threads because of the similarities: desire to remain in academics either in a powerhouse program or a desirable location
I think the answer is probably similar in both cases:
1) There are some instances where it will be very easy. I did my residency one town away from a powerhouse academic program. From a financial viewpoint, I don't know how they recruited people, they offered a starting salary that was nearly 50% lower than that of my residency program's starting salary (I stayed on to teach for a few years). That being said, it had the name cache and still had plenty of applicants.
2) I think how competitive a position is also depends on what the position entails. As others have noted, there are academic positions at satellite clinics with minimal teaching/research responsibilities (my position was similar. It felt like an isolated, very low-paying private practice gig)
3) Becoming an expert in a niche area (or when you are just starting out, demonstrating a genuine interest in a niche area) can give you a leg up on the competition
4) Network: pursue a scholarship program, do an away elective either at a program where you would like to work or any big name academic program just to see how they run things, do research that will encourage collaboration with people at other institutions where you may want to work
5) Fellowship: I believe someone mentioned the clinician education fellowship @ Penn and I do believe there are a few other programs that offer something similar. As someone now in private practice, something like that would not interest me. That being said, I have heard positive things about that fellowship and if it is an entire year, I would have to think it would offer something that you couldn't simply pick up on your own (or at the very least, expedite the process). It would also be a unique feather in your cap that no one else has
6) Start early: I had co-residents who had a private practice job lined up by the end of their 2nd year of residency. If you are looking at a powerhouse program, you may want to send out feelers that early (or even earlier) as hiring environments change all the time. Even with the interviewing/hiring process completed, the earlier you can lock everything in, the better given the intrinsic inefficiencies present in many academic practices (e.g. it took me nearly 5 months to get credentialed at my first job)
7) As someone else mentioned, the VA can be a backdoor into academia. I found the VA patient population among the most rewarding to work with (at least with derm-specific complaints). It was one of my fondest memories as a resident and I certainly had the most hands-on training during the VA clinics. It wasn't the most popular clinic for the attendings to staff and we often had to rely on volunteer faculty. This could be another unique way into academia and would allow for meaningful resident interaction (my favorite attending during residency was actually one of our volunteer faculty at the VA)
