Mohs Fellowship Interviews

[kettle12]

I was wondering if anyone had an advice regarding Mohs surgery interviews. What type of questions do you get asked during the interview? Any advice to help stand out?

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[asmallchild]

I was wondering if anyone had an advice regarding Mohs surgery interviews. What type of questions do you get asked during the interview? Any advice to help stand out?

I found it to be a more relaxed interview process than residency although I'm not sure if the competitiveness is on the rise again. In general, since most program directors only take 1 - 2 fellows and work very closely with the fellow, I think they're looking for someone they would enjoy spending a year with rather than trying to squeeze in the absolute best candidate.

For smaller private practice style fellowships, I would use common sense. It's very common to be asked where you want to settle down afterwards. Obviously no one likes training their own competition. I wouldn't advocate lying but I would be intentionally vague if you want to set up shop close to where you train.

I don't know if malpractice issues prohibit this practice now but I was asked to assist with surgeries during some interview days. I don't think they expect you to be able to perform a forehead flap from start to finish on your own but you'll want to make sure you brush up on anatomy and basic surgical competencies.

Finally, it depends on how badly you want the fellowship, but I was turned off by programs that asked stupid questions like "What is your biggest weakness" or seemed to enjoy being malignant to the fellow. As a dermatology residency graduate, I think you carry a very viable backup option of starting a lucrative career as a dermatologist. I would not put up with abuse for the "privilege" of being a surgical fellow. (For full disclosure, I LOVED my surgical fellowship and would encourage everyone to do a fellowship if it fit with their personal and professional goals. But I would have been very happy as a general dermatologist as well and would not put up with the nonsense that some of my peers struggled through during their fellowships)

 

[PhillyMed777]

I found it to be a more relaxed interview process than residency although I'm not sure if the competitiveness is on the rise again. In general, since most program directors only take 1 - 2 fellows and work very closely with the fellow, I think they're looking for someone they would enjoy spending a year with rather than trying to squeeze in the absolute best candidate.

For smaller private practice style fellowships, I would use common sense. It's very common to be asked where you want to settle down afterwards. Obviously no one likes training their own competition. I wouldn't advocate lying but I would be intentionally vague if you want to set up shop close to where you train.

I don't know if malpractice issues prohibit this practice now but I was asked to assist with surgeries during some interview days. I don't think they expect you to be able to perform a forehead flap from start to finish on your own but you'll want to make sure you brush up on anatomy and basic surgical competencies.

Finally, it depends on how badly you want the fellowship, but I was turned off by programs that asked stupid questions like "What is your biggest weakness" or seemed to enjoy being malignant to the fellow. As a dermatology residency graduate, I think you carry a very viable backup option of starting a lucrative career as a dermatologist. I would not put up with abuse for the "privilege" of being a surgical fellow. (For full disclosure, I LOVED my surgical fellowship and would encourage everyone to do a fellowship if it fit with their personal and professional goals. But I would have been very happy as a general dermatologist as well and would not put up with the nonsense that some of my peers struggled through during their fellowships)

like the transition from med school -> residency, does going to a "top" residency help getting a mohs fellowship?

 

[asmallchild]

like the transition from med school -> residency, does going to a "top" residency help getting a mohs fellowship?

Not necessarily

Some PDs are drawn to a fellow coming from a top residency but I think the biggest factor is how they perceive the fit to be.

 

[Skindoc83]

In my experience fellowship was more of a crap shoot than residency but ultimately came down to personality and letters of rec. Going to a big name place helps, because if you have a letter from John zitelli, Chris miller, etc that counts for a lot. When I was going through it a lot of spots were filled outside the match either with an internal candidate or with an external candidate known to that fellowship director. So if there’s someone that you’re interested in training with, I would try contacting them early and doing an away or research with them. But a lot of it just comes down to fit, as stated above. Is this someone the fellowship director wants to work closely with for a year?

Addendum - and yes I think a lot of programs are interested in taking fellows that aren’t planning on staying in the area so as not to risk training their competition.

 

[bizdr]

From what I saw, fit mattered more than anything - once you got the interview. A friend of mine got a fellowship even though he wasn't very strong at all on paper. He was a real "bro" and the attendings were also. They had only women the past 2-3 years, so they just decided they wanted someone different, who they would get along better with personally. I only know this because I was rotating through the service as a resident during this time, and the 2 of them would talk in front of me all the time (they didn't know he was my friend).

 

[caltigers]

What is the timeline for when interviews are offered? Better yet, when can we expect most of the invitations have been sent?

 

[PhillyMed777]

From what I saw, fit mattered more than anything - once you got the interview. A friend of mine got a fellowship even though he wasn't very strong at all on paper. He was a real "bro" and the attendings were also. They had only women the past 2-3 years, so they just decided they wanted someone different, who they would get along better with personally. I only know this because I was rotating through the service as a resident during this time, and the 2 of them would talk in front of me all the time (they didn't know he was my friend).

But what matters most to get the interview?

 

[asmallchild]

What is the timeline for when interviews are offered? Better yet, when can we expect most of the invitations have been sent?

Hopefully someone more recent to the process can comment. I seem to remember interviews being offered starting now and rolling all the way until Thanksgiving. I did remember completing my final interview the day before Thanksgiving.

 

[asmallchild]

But what matters most to get the interview?

Luck, # of places applied to, regional status, connections, away rotations

 

[Skindoc83]

But what matters most to get the interview?

Prestige (meaning how well they are known in the mohs community) of the person who writes your letter of rec

 

[MrBigglesworth]

Current fellow here.

Personal connections or having a faculty member advocate for you is HUGE. LOR matter too, but generally, everyone knows each other.

Going to a place with a connected Mohs guy/girl makes a big difference. If you don't have one, it will be tough.

 

[ShadowDoc]

Sorry to necro this thread but how much does research matter? Should I actively be doing research in residency if my overall research stats are relatively low to begin with? And correct me if I am wrong, but I assume step 3 doesn't play that big of a role, correct?

 

[asmallchild]

Sorry to necro this thread but how much does research matter? Should I actively be doing research in residency if my overall research stats are relatively low to begin with? And correct me if I am wrong, but I assume step 3 doesn't play that big of a role, correct?

I think it depends on the program you are targeting. There are programs that are more "academic" in nature and research is going to be important.

Just like being a medical student, research often times allows you to develop a deeper relationship with a surgical mentor.

There are programs out there that "insist" on the research being done with them. (e.g. you do a year of research for them after your PGY4 year before continuing on as their fellow)

Step 3 doesn't play a big role but that assumes you passed Step 3. I typically recommend completing Step 3 during internship so you don't have to worry about it as a resident. I was under the impression most programs required a completed Step 3 before you started your PGY2 year.

FWIW, I had some small research projects here and there but ended up matching into a Mohs fellowship that was more "private practice" in nature. There, it was more of a "did I fit in with the group" type interview as opposed to them grilling me on what my research entailed and who my surgical mentors were.

 

[hopefulderm88]

Trying to pick interview dates... Does it matter whether you interview earlier (Aug/Sept) or later in the cycle (Oct/Nov)?

 

[asmallchild]

I don't think it makes a big difference. That being said, at my fellowship program, we would create the rank order list near the end of interview season so if you can pick, I would pick later in the cycle for programs where you are more interested. It will also give you a chance to work out the butterflies at places/interviews you may not be as excited about.