Is Dermatology out of reach?

[runningthrumed]

I'm an MS1 and I feel pretty lost at the moment in terms of figuring out what specialty I want to pursue. I know it's early and there's still time right now to explore especially since I'm still navigating the pre-clinical years. I've always been a planner and not having a precise goal to pursue right now is kind of unsettling. I would say I have about 4 specialties I'm contemplating, and one is dermatology.

There are multiple aspects of the specialty that excite me and when I've had the opportunity to shadow, I've enjoyed my experience. Though I do have a strong interest in the specialty, a big part of me feels it might be smart to abandon it. I would not consider myself to be at the top of my class and I know that grades are a huge component of a competitive application. My school is Pass/Fail for pre-clinicals, but I know it takes a lot to get honors on rotations. I'm working on a case report with a Dermatology resident and I've wanted to get more involved with other projects, but I wonder if it's a "waste of time" since matching might be out of reach for me. I would love some wisdom and if anyone can share their experience about how they found the best specialty for them, I would sincerely appreciate it! Also best of luck to the MS4s- I can't imagine how nerve-racking these next days will be and my heart is with you.

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[Redpancreas]

I'm an MS1 and I feel pretty lost at the moment in terms of figuring out what specialty I want to pursue. I know it's early and there's still time right now to explore especially since I'm still navigating the pre-clinical years. I've always been a planner and not having a precise goal to pursue right now is kind of unsettling. I would say I have about 4 specialties I'm contemplating, and one is dermatology.

There are multiple aspects of the specialty that excite me and when I've had the opportunity to shadow, I've enjoyed my experience. Though I do have a strong interest in the specialty, a big part of me feels it might be smart to abandon it. I would not consider myself to be at the top of my class and I know that grades are a huge component of a competitive application. My school is Pass/Fail for pre-clinicals, but I know it takes a lot to get honors on rotations. I'm working on a case report with a Dermatology resident and I've wanted to get more involved with other projects, but I wonder if it's a "waste of time" since matching might be out of reach for me. I would love some wisdom and if anyone can share their experience about how they found the best specialty for them, I would sincerely appreciate it! Also best of luck to the MS4s- I can't imagine how nerve-racking these next days will be and my heart is with you.

No. You may be out of the running for AOA, but there's still tons of stuff to go. Score well on Step 2 CK (250+) and try to honor as many rotations as you can. Keep it up with the case reports. Soon you'll graduate to other research papers. Scholarly activity is huge in Derm. Honestly, publications are publications so if you decide on IM instead they will still be seen favorably for the match and all the effort you put in with put you ahead in whatever field you switch to.

 

[Banco]

Nothing is out of reach for you. Keep at it.

 

[runningthrumed]

No. You may be out of the running for AOA, but there's still tons of stuff to go. Score well on Step 2 CK (250+) and try to honor as many rotations as you can. Keep it up with the case reports. Soon you'll graduate to other research papers. Scholarly activity is huge in Derm. Honestly, publications are publications so if you decide on IM instead they will still be seen favorably for the match.

Thanks so much for the encouragement! I really appreciate it. I'm excited to have at least an opportunity to get started, and it's good also to know that if I change paths the research will still be a positive attribute of my application. Thanks again for your time!

 

[runningthrumed]

Nothing is out of reach for you. Keep at it.

Thank you so much! I definitely want to keep a positive outlook and not count myself out too soon. I know there were many times I did that in undergrad and I still ended up where I wanted to be. Thanks again for the encouragement!

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

Somebody has to match Derm. Might as well be you.

Either way, if you gun for derm and along the way decide you want to do something else you will have put yourself in a very competitive position for just about everything.

 

[runningthrumed]

Somebody has to match Derm. Might as well be you.

Either way, if you gun for derm and along the way decide you want to do something else you will have put yourself in a very competitive position for just about everything.

Thank you! I feel much better about just going for it and seeing what happens- especially knowing it'll be helpful either way. It's so easy for me to tell my friends to shoot for the moon whereas I'm more inclined to see myself as "not good enough" or behind. I guess we're on the journey of discovery now ✌️

 

[runningthrumed]

Also for anyone who might have a clue: I've had the opportunity to be on a few surgery publications as a second author and I wasn't sure if those "counted" to the number of publications that some specialties want you to have when applying. I can imagine it's not one size fits all but I wasn't sure if those were still valid since I was a part of those projects as an undergraduate.

 

[Lawpy]

Also for anyone who might have a clue: I've had the opportunity to be on a few surgery publications as a second author and I wasn't sure if those "counted" to the number of publications that some specialties want you to have when applying. I can imagine it's not one size fits all but I wasn't sure if those were still valid since I was a part of those projects as an undergraduate.

Pubs are pubs. List everything

 

[MICKY MANTLE]

Pubs are pubs. List everything

Not exactly.......sure, publications are good, but the op should focus on the field he wants to go into and then look to start publishing, as many 1st author pubs that he/she can, and yes, all pubs regardless of speciality are listed. Same with research, all research is good per se, but speciality focused research is better.

 

[Lawpy]

Not exactly.......sure, publications are good, but the op should focus on the field he wants to go into and then look to start publishing, as many 1st author pubs that he/she can, and yes, all pubs regardless of speciality are listed. Same with research, all research is good per se, but speciality focused research is better.

I think we agree. OP was wondering if their pubs from undergrad should be listed and the answer is yes. Getting specialty specific research is the next step.

 

[PhillyMed777]

I don't see anything yet to rule you in or out. - we would need more information to decide. You are an MS1, so you have most of the battle ahead of you.