Tips for prospective med student in getting into derm

[ckdgusdl88]

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Hi,

I have been accepted by a top medical school that grades P/F and either does not have AOA or waits to award AOAs after residency match (am not sure which is actually the case).

I have become quite convinced that derm is the way to go. It simply has that fantastic combination of lifestyle and compensation. I won't look at any specialty that has a terrible lifestyle, and among thoses with great lifestyles derm appears to be best compensated on average!

In addition to great USMLEs a successful derm applicant has excellent letters of recommendation and research experiences in dermatology.

How does one go about finding research opportunities and get to know the attendings in derm? Do I just email them and tell them I'm interested? I would like to get some research done before I start rotations.

Any tips would be appreciated! 🙂

 

[smiley737]

If you're at a top med school, you'll prob realize that medicine is a masochistic field. My advice would be to never mention "lifestyle" or "compensation" to any resident or attending you encounter. It is also very important that you get good grades during your clinical years (which is not P/F), and you will probably not be graded well in rotations if people think you're not enthusiastic/hardcore about their field of medicine.

 

[ckdgusdl88]

Absolutely. The reason I did not reveal any more identifying details is because I do not wish to be known as being after lifestyle and pay. But the way I see it is, if you are going to be a doctor, why not get a specialty that provides great pay+lifestyle combination?

So, how do I get to know the derm people in my school, as a first year student?

 

[Dral]

I came across a site once that listed avg. hours per week worked for physicians. I then went to a site that listed average yearly income. Some simple math led me to the conclusion that Ophtho is actually the best compensation for hours (and it is a ROAD specialty, so it's a good lifestyle field).

So in conclusion, you should probably do Ophtho instead of Derm.


Facetiousness aside, while lifestyle does play into it, make sure you pick something that will keep you happy 'on the job' for your life. Most, if not all of us, will admit that lifestyle and compensation have something to do with our choices at least in part. However, you still have to really want to wake up in the morning and do what you do.

It's great you've identified an interest in Derm early...and you should follow up on it. Just don't put blinders on at this point. Especially because it seems nothing other than time and money have really influenced you. Again...fine, just be sure to verify that you have a genuine interest in the field.

To help accomplish that, I'd send a simple email to your Dermatology program department chair introducing yourself. Ask if you can shadow and do research. Also, you can reach out to community Dermatologists for shadowing opportunities.

 

[ckdgusdl88]

Thanks for the tip! Ophtho is my second choice haha.

As for Ophtho, I actually think it has lower salary.... no?
Sure, some high volume LASIK and cataract practices are very lucrative (if you are the owner), but most salaried ophtho ppl don't seem to make much.

As for reasons for going into derm (and also ranking ophtho high up there), there are also factors other than simple pay/lifestyle:

1. Judging from the docs I've encountered derms are less likely to be malignant than docs in many other specialties. This is important becauce even derm residencies are indentured servitude - i.e. I am stuck with the same attendings and fellow residents for years!
2. Judging from an ophtho practice I've visited, patients tend to be rational, normal people who have the ability to listen and follow directions. I suspect the same could be said for most derm patients. The same CANNOT be said to the patient pool for many other specialties.
3. Both derm and ophtho mix medicine with some minor surgeries/procedures. The beauty is that the procedures are minor enough to be outpatient. So you get to do some surgery too but no need to look after inpatients!
4. Both allow for human interaction the way rad, rad-onc, and anesth do not. I enjoy interacting with people.