First Year Interested In Dermatology

[Buca]

I just started medical school and have always been interested in dermatology for personal reasons. I just found out that it is one of the most competitive specialities, which is making me nervous. What can I do to best set myself up for derm from the beginning? Should I begin to do observerships in derm? Do I need to do seem research? At my medical school we only spend a very short time on derm and that to in second year, so should I read a derm book earlier than that?

[ralk]

Really just start by getting some exposure to Dermatology (through observerships, interest groups, etc) and make connections with some Dermatologists. If you're set on Derm, doing some research would be a very good idea - they are highly competitive programs that all value research. Reading up on Derm concepts is a good idea, but not likely to mean a whole lot at this stage - no one's going to test you on your in-depth Derm knowledge beyond your class material at the pre-clerkship stage. Doing some reading online for your own interest and keeping up with new developments in Dermatology would probably be more valuable. Once you make some contacts in Dermatology, listen to their advice on what, if anything, you should be reading.

 

Also, don't freak out too much about the fact that Dermatology is competitive. Students who apply broadly have a reasonable match rate and there are reasonable back-up options. Our main Dermatology instructor was a Family Physician who focused her practice on Dermatological conditions - obviously her role wasn't quite the same as a dedicated Dermatologist, but she was very knowledgeable and spent a decent amount of her time on skin conditions. With a relatively high demand for Dermatology services but low supply, quite a few Family Medicine doctors are filling that role in the community.