Least competitive route for cosmetic procedures?

[AndrewRuss84]

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I am really interested in going into cosmetic surgery but am pretty much never going to get into a plastics training program. I am just being honest with myself given that I am a Caribbean grad and my step 1 score was only 218. However, my step 2 score was 255 so it's not that I'm an idiot, I just had a lot going on during step 1 (re: major surgery). I also screwed around a bit in undergrad and didn't do so hot on my MCAT, which is why I ended up being an IMG.

Anyway, I am a second year family medicine resident and am willing to go through great lengths to switch to a surgical path that might lead to legitimately do cosmetic surgery.

I'm aware that many different specialties can do a "cosmetic" fellowship (i.e. ENT, Ophtho, gen surg), and I also realize all of these are competitive residencies. If I were to do research for a year or 2, which would these routes would I be most likely to follow? I know this is an uphill battle but I'm willing to put in the work.

I think something like ophtho would be the shortest route, since I did a medicine prelim year (not a surgical prelim) and I think this is the only specialty of the "cosmetic precursors" that I could apply this to.

Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Kahreek]

Your best bet is excisional minor surgeries, something you could do as fp.

 

[ACSurgeon]

I am really interested in going into cosmetic surgery but am pretty much never going to get into a plastics training program. I am just being honest with myself given that I am a Caribbean grad and my step 1 score was only 218. However, my step 2 score was 255 so it's not that I'm an idiot, I just had a lot going on during step 1 (re: major surgery). I also screwed around a bit in undergrad and didn't do so hot on my MCAT, which is why I ended up being an IMG.

Anyway, I am a second year family medicine resident and am willing to go through great lengths to switch to a surgical path that might lead to legitimately do cosmetic surgery.

I'm aware that many different specialties can do a "cosmetic" fellowship (i.e. ENT, Ophtho, gen surg), and I also realize all of these are competitive residencies. If I were to do research for a year or 2, which would these routes would I be most likely to follow? I know this is an uphill battle but I'm willing to put in the work.

I think something like ophtho would be the shortest route, since I did a medicine prelim year (not a surgical prelim) and I think this is the only specialty of the "cosmetic precursors" that I could apply this to.

Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.

While you can try to go about this in a number of ways, you have to realize that the most likely outcome is that you won't be able to match into gen surg/ENT/ophtho as an IMG with a below average step 1 who has already used up a significant portion of alloted GME money for training. I wouldn't say impossible, but you would likely have to stumble upon an opportunity where a program all of a sudden needs a trainee last minute and you happen to hear about it just in time. In the meantime, complete your FM residency, try to network, and maybe even talk to a few program directors in the above mentioned fields to get a better idea of your chances, and how to maximize your chances.