Research years--an attending perspective
Hello,
I am an attending at a top derm program. I want to give you some practical advice about research years.
Research years can help your application. If you have a borderline application, having a productive research year with quality letters and papers does make you stand out. If you have red flags, a research year will not help (i.e. disciplinary issues, course failures, really low step score).
If you come from a low-tier med school, you will probably not match at a top-tier program (even if you have an amazing research year). This is a brutal reality, but it is true. When I read comments from med students, there seems to be anger directed at programs that don't match their fellows. The reality is that the top-tier programs get the best candidates. These candidates have impeccable pedigrees, life stories, boards scores, and LORs. Your research year is not going to surpass this. Yes, there are exceptions, but they are uncommon.
Make sure you get to know all the residents. The biggest cheerleaders for applicants are the residents. If the residents like you, when it comes time to rank candidates, they will let us know.
You get what you give. Research years can be highly productive or a waste of time. Be prepared to work hard and get projects across the finish line. If you mentor isn't giving you enough work, politely ask them if you can reach out to other faculty to get projects going.
Be careful about doing a research year with someone who takes more than one fellow. When I read residency applications, if a specific physician writes an LOR for more than one candidate, I can compare them. Invariably, one letter will be stronger than another, and if I must whittle down a stack of applications, the person with the weaker LOR gets the axe.
Take Step 2 before your research year. With the growing importance of Step 2, please take it after you finish your third year. It is an absolute waste to have an amazing research year and then bomb step 2 because you took it a year later that you should have.
A few other general pearls
- The best training programs have a university, VA, and county hospital clinic
- In the real world, where you did your residency matters a lot less than you think
- Pediatric dermatologists are BRUTAL. If you think you are interested in peds derm, you must be 100% committed on your application and during your interview. If you want to go an extra-mile, apply to peds prelim years, and make sure derm programs know this. Peds derm faculty are often skeptical of applicants who want to go into their field; if you can convince them that you are legit, they will support you. However, if they suspect you are faking an interest in their field to boost your application, they will be the first to shoot you down. The single greatest mistake you can make in your application is faking an interest in peds derm; don't do it!
- Too many applicants are interested in rheum-derm/CTCL/HS/onco-derm. If you want to standout, emphasize an interest in something different, such as vulvar, acne/rosacea, nails, patch testing, urticaria, psoriasis.