1st year fooling around with thoughts of DERM

[IzzyMD09]

I see that a post M.D. fellowship is going to be the only way this IMG is going to ever get a derm residency, ( i mean I am a first year, but i am trying to maintain a certain degree of reality)so now the barrage of questions concerning a fellowship,

1 year vs. 2

Best programs...are they always great for getting a residency

what kind of research is it?

Would I be able to be a first author, I mean are my chances of being first author better in a fellowship?

Any other great tips would help, I just want something to aim for at this juncture...

IzzyMD09

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[cdql]

Hmm...I would start off with, "Hi! I'm a med student interested in derm. Is there any research that I could get involved with?"

If you start off the bat with wanting to write case reports and trying to get published, you might come off as someone who is solely interested in adding to your resume. (This is just my opinion. Maybe someone who matched in derm could give some more accurate advice? Do you need to be pushy when it comes to publishing? Or could you wait a bit, do some research first, get the staff to know you, and then ask for a case report type project?)

 

[IzzyMD09]

So what is the supposed time table here, I am about to go home for the summer, but by the end of this semester, in July I will have been going on rounds since mid-May, is it still to early to ask if I ask at the end of the summer? If they say yes, what exactly do I do? I mean I have read case reports but do I have access to pathological specimens as a student?

Help!!!!!!

Is there time in my second year (systems) to do a case report (just got elected class representative) ?

Also, since I am at an International School I have been told it is impossible to get a Derm Residency of the bat, so should I be looking for research fellowships post 4th year?

Don't Tell me what score I need to get on the USMLE, I will worry about that next spring, rest assured I will continue to study my ass off.

Thanks for all your help.

 

[Don'tbeagunner]

Honestly, a case report will do nothing for you. It's kind of like a poster presentation. Sure, it is always great to get a first author pub on you CV/application, but it does not demonstrate your skill or prowess as an investigative dermatologist. t's not like an interviewer will ask you about your case report or be impressed by it. Rather, if you get a first author basic science or clinical research pub in a reputable journal (JAAD, JID, and especially Science or Nature), then you got something to discuss, but such work takes a time and effort.
However, your greatest obstacle is the fact that your are a FMG. Realistically, you have no chance coming straight out of an international institution. If you are truly serious about derm, I would suggest doing a 2 year fellowship, not necessarily at a top academic institution (NYU, UCSF, Stanford), but rather at a program where they historically take fellows such as UCI, Emory, Case Western, etc. I am sure I will get slammed for being harsh, but honestly, if someone on this board tells you otherwise, he or she is full of **** and is unrealisticaly optimistic.
Applicants going in to derm are superstars at U.S. schools. Many are MD/PhDs, top of their classes, or have done fellowships/years of research. Look at the current match list. It is good that you are starting somewhat early, but you have a long road ahead of you. Approx. 1/3 of applicants do not match 1st time round (ie many of the aforementioned superstars) so don't give up if this is what you truly want. Derm is a fantastic field and definitely worth the fight.
best of luck

oh and by the way, being class rep will not help you at all so if it gets in the way of pursuing research or making derm contacts, drop it like a bad habit. Extracurriculars that would help are true leadership roles like pres. of a medical society or founder/pres. of a volunteer organization.

So what is the supposed time table here, I am about to go home for the summer, but by the end of this semester, in July I will have been going on rounds since mid-May, is it still to early to ask if I ask at the end of the summer? If they say yes, what exactly do I do? I mean I have read case reports but do I have access to pathological specimens as a student?

Help!!!!!!

Is there time in my second year (systems) to do a case report (just got elected class representative) ?

Also, since I am at an International School I have been told it is impossible to get a Derm Residency of the bat, so should I be looking for research fellowships post 4th year?

Don't Tell me what score I need to get on the USMLE, I will worry about that next spring, rest assured I will continue to study my ass off.

Thanks for all your help.

 

[IzzyMD09]

Honestly, a case report will do nothing for you. It's kind of like a poster presentation. Sure, it is always great to get a first author pub on you CV/application, but it does not demonstrate your skill or prowess as an investigative dermatologist. t's not like an interviewer will ask you about your case report or be impressed by it. Rather, if you get a first author basic science or clinical research pub in a reputable journal (JAAD, JID, and especially Science or Nature), then you got something to discuss, but such work takes a time and effort.
However, your greatest obstacle is the fact that your are a FMG. Realistically, you have no chance coming straight out of an international institution. If you are truly serious about derm, I would suggest doing a 2 year fellowship, not necessarily at a top academic institution (NYU, UCSF, Stanford), but rather at a program where they historically take fellows such as UCI, Emory, Case Western, etc. I am sure I will get slammed for being harsh, but honestly, if someone on this board tells you otherwise, he or she is full of **** and is unrealisticaly optimistic.
Applicants going in to derm are superstars at U.S. schools. Many are MD/PhDs, top of their classes, or have done fellowships/years of research. Look at the current match list. It is good that you are starting somewhat early, but you have a long road ahead of you. Approx. 1/3 of applicants do not match 1st time round (ie many of the aforementioned superstars) so don't give up if this is what you truly want. Derm is a fantastic field and definitely worth the fight.
best of luck

oh and by the way, being class rep will not help you at all so if it gets in the way of pursuing research or making derm contacts, drop it like a bad habit. Extracurriculars that would help are true leadership roles like pres. of a medical society or founder/pres. of a volunteer organization.

Honesty is the best, and thats what I needed to hear, so 2 year fellowship, that should come after I get my MD degree correct?

Also I am leading a group of students to Kenya during our Succot vacation to work in a Clinic, hows that for volunteer leaderships.

 

[IzzyMD09]

Ok so now I have the physicians I go on rounds with offering some interesting cases for me to do a case report on.

THE BIG QUESTION IS how do I write a case report, is there a general format somewhere, I mean I have some from other journals, but what are the guidelines.

I have written research papers before, mostly thesis, but how do I organize the information.

thanks for the help

p.s. What are the best books for Gross Anatomy in terms of passing the class and doing well on the USMLE?