Rads to Derm?

[zensurg]

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Is a switch between radiology (or any field) to derm impossible? I'm one year into radiology residency (about to be PGYIII) and wondering if I want to spend the rest of my life in the reading room with minimal patient contact and combative relationships with other physicians. I was a very strong candidate when I finished med school, but I have no derm experience, but I don't think would want to do any other specialty, I like the visual aspect and pattern recognition of both fields.

Thoughts? Thanks.

 

[opencomedo]

This would be extremely difficult and risky...

First off you would need to explain why Derm (especially since you say you have no experience in the field). I know there are people who were able to switch in to dermatology from other fields but they usually had some exposure to it previously (i.e. chose their first specialty over derm initially, or somehow parlayed into it through a medicine or surgery training program). It can be done, usually through doing a research fellowship (which isnt easy to get). A fellowship doesnt guarantee you a residency spot either, so you would be taking a HUGE risk.

I would think long and hard about changing directions.... I would think that the first step would be to meet with the Derm PD at your institution to try to get help finding a research spot somewhere (unless you have a contact elsewhere that can help you). I don't envy you, you are in a tough spot 😱

 

[bonran]

Why dont you just stick it out in radiology & try for a fellowship in one of the more clinical branches of Radiology-VIR or INR? Why dont you try to move to VIR-Direct pathway? It has 2 clincal training years (usually general surgery) & 3 years of VIR+ 2years of imaging? Read about it on the net.

 

[zensurg]

i'm over it. was just curious.

while i appreciate the suggestion for ir, i don't think i need to "read about it on the net." i already passed on a career in surgery, and i don't think the turf-troubled field of ir is a great option. i wouldn't really call it a fantastic patient contact field, breast is probably better for real patient interaction. check it out on the net.

 

[bonran]

I am a non-radiologolist in a VIR fellowship. I dont need to check out anything. Mabe you need to be concrete about where you are going in you career.

 

[Long Dong]

I remember reading a post on the dermboard about a rads guy who switched into derm I'll repost what I posted in another thread down below.

I can tell you about the people I've encountered. At my program a few attendings or residents have completed IM or peds. They seemed to have completed their training at the same institution so the department already knew them. My program is a larger program so funding is not that much of an issue. When I applied there was this pgy3 ent resident I meet at a few interviews, they told me they where getting interviews at larger more research orientated programs.

You might want to ask faculty about this at DIGA: http://www.derminterest.org/phpbb3/viewforum.php?f=8&sid=1b90d723d91271f10c45fec5fa71b52e

Here are some old thread from the dermboard about people switching:

http://dermatology.yuku.com/reply/29763/t/Any-possibilities.html#reply-29763

You can use the search function on dermboard and maybe can find some more threads if you dig deeper. I just searched for a few. It does appear that when people switch into derm some time spent doing derm research might be in order if you already don't have connections to a program or in derm. Hope that helps.

 

[tripleJ]

I am a non-radiologolist in a VIR fellowship. I dont need to check out anything. Mabe you need to be concrete about where you are going in you career.

Not being a toolbag will probably help in that career also, whichever he or she chooses.

 

[Chonson]

Not being a toolbag will probably help in that career also, whichever he or she chooses.

I wonder why he has "combative relationships" with other physicians...

 

[radslooking]

seriously zensurg you might want to change that to dickrads