Internal Med to Dermatology?

[ss883]

Is it possible to initially match in internal medicine and then go into dermatology via fellowship?

I've been looking up a lot of dermatologists and it looks like many of them did a residency in internal med and then a fellowship in dermatology. Is this route even an option any more?

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[colbgw02]

The ABD has been around for over 80 years, and I know of at least a few dermatology residencies in existence since the early 20th century. So, those internists who claim to have done dermatology via fellowship are 1) extremely old, 2) full of crap, 3) did a full medicine residency followed by a full dermatology residency, or 4) any combination of the above.

 

[kavorca]

I have heard of people going into dermatology through family medicine. I don't know if they are now dermatologists or if they are "dermatologists."

 

[colbgw02]

I have heard of people going into dermatology through family medicine. I don't know if they are now dermatologists or if they are "dermatologists."

"Dermatologists" would fall under the second option.

 

[Winged Scapula]

I suspect they are people who didn't match into Derm the first time around, so finished an IM residency and reapplied. We had one of those at my residency hospital. I couldn't believe when she got a Derm spot - dumb as a box of rocks.

 

[Psai]

I suspect they are people who didn't match into Derm the first time around, so finished an IM residency and reapplied. We had one of those at my residency hospital. I couldn't believe when she got a Derm spot - dumb as a box of rocks.

lolll tell us what you really think

 

[Winged Scapula]

lolll tell us what you really think

I could go on and on but let's just say that since she did her medical school and residency in the same hospital, there were just some things she should have known.

One of my favorite anecdotes about her was when she called a GS consult (as a resident mind you, not a student) with no name, no MR number and no room number. "Oh shes on the 4th floor somewhere". Yeah like we're roaming through dozens of rooms looking for her patient.

 

[Anastomoses]

I have heard of people going into dermatology through family medicine. I don't know if they are now dermatologists or if they are "dermatologists."

I went to a "dermatologist" office this week. Turned out he is a D.O. and they got kind of weird when I asked what he did his residency in. Then she said "he did FM" and "transitioned" into hair restoration or whatever...and now does botox, fillers, skin care, etc.

 

[Chipster.]

I went to a "dermatologist" office this week. Turned out he is a D.O. and they got kind of weird when I asked what he did his residency in. Then she said "he did FM" and "transitioned" into hair restoration or whatever...and now does botox, fillers, skin care, etc.

So I feel like the natural follow-up questions is are you bald or do you get botox?

 

[Anastomoses]

So I feel like the natural follow-up questions is are you bald or do you get botox?

all the above.

 

[Psai]

I went to a "dermatologist" office this week. Turned out he is a D.O. and they got kind of weird when I asked what he did his residency in. Then she said "he did FM" and "transitioned" into hair restoration or whatever...and now does botox, fillers, skin care, etc.

I guess it's better than having "dermatologist" NPs...

 

[WaylonS]

So I feel like the natural follow-up questions is are you bald or do you get botox?

It could also have been filler

 

[username456789]

I went to a "dermatologist" office this week. Turned out he is a D.O. and they got kind of weird when I asked what he did his residency in. Then she said "he did FM" and "transitioned" into hair restoration or whatever...and now does botox, fillers, skin care, etc.

I have a handful of patients who have come to me/our academic Derm center after previously being treated by similar "dermatologists." It's usually a family medicine doctor who did a few weekend courses. The amount of information they don't know that they don't know is scary. Fortunately, I guess, most of them tend to stick with the high paying cash procedures anyway. Ask them how to deal with a difficult or complicated pemphigus patient and suddenly they're really just a family practitioner and that should be managed by an actual dermatologist.

As for the original poster's question, most of these doctors that you see have completed an internal medicine residency followed by an entire dermatology residency.

 

[Modder]

Scary most of the public is oblivious to this "specialty creep"... Also isn't advertising urself as a derm, when u're not a violation of some FTC rule about "truth in advertising"?

 

[DermViser]

Is it possible to initially match in internal medicine and then go into dermatology via fellowship?

I've been looking up a lot of dermatologists and it looks like many of them did a residency in internal med and then a fellowship in dermatology. Is this route even an option any more?

They did an internal medicine residency (3 years) followed by a dermatology residency (3 years). There are some programs that highly prize someone having done internal medicine or pediatric training before completing dermatology. You will see many of the older dermatology academic attendings who have completed both. That being said, this was when hospitals and programs were rolling in Medicare money for funding of residencies post-World War II. Nowadays, that doesn't happen as often, due to the severe drop in Medicare funds for completing a 2nd residency, so while there some programs that swallow the loss in funds, there are many that can't/won't.

 

[DermViser]

I have a handful of patients who have come to me/our academic Derm center after previously being treated by similar "dermatologists." It's usually a family medicine doctor who did a few weekend courses. The amount of information they don't know that they don't know is scary. Fortunately, I guess, most of them tend to stick with the high paying cash procedures anyway. Ask them how to deal with a difficult or complicated pemphigus patient and suddenly they're really just a family practitioner and that should be managed by an actual dermatologist.

As for the original poster's question, most of these doctors that you see have completed an internal medicine residency followed by an entire dermatology residency.

Or one who did a dermatology Family Medicine fellowship: http://familymed.uthscsa.edu/residency08/fellowships.asp

We only have ourselves to blame, bc as a specialty we run those God-forsaken courses: http://medicine.utah.edu/dermatology/PracticalDerm/

 

[DermViser]

I suspect they are people who didn't match into Derm the first time around, so finished an IM residency and reapplied. We had one of those at my residency hospital. I couldn't believe when she got a Derm spot - dumb as a box of rocks.

Did she match into Derm at the same institution she did IM? Something tells me there might have been some tongue action involved. Although to be fair there are TONS of people out there that are masters at doing well on standardized multiple choice questions, but absolutely suck when it comes to actual clinical care. God help us all (I blame the premed pipeline that has remained the same to this day.)

 

[CDI]

I went to a "dermatologist" office this week. Turned out he is a D.O. and they got kind of weird when I asked what he did his residency in. Then she said "he did FM" and "transitioned" into hair restoration or whatever...and now does botox, fillers, skin care, etc.

Check Dr. Ali Vafa. Dude makes bank.