Hi all,
I havent been on these boards since my interviewing days. I graduated from one of the most toxic derm programs in the country on July 1. Life is so much better now that Im done and passed the boards. I wish I had asked a few things when I was interviewing so that I could have matched into a kinder program
Ive compiled a list of questions that ALL of you should be asking so you can end up in good derm residency programs. During interviews, residents and faculty get so bored by the same unimportant questions that these ones will actually be a breath of fresh air. These are the questions that really matter to you on a day by day basis as a resident.
Remember that during recruitment time, all programs put on a happy face so that they can recruit you. They want to match all their spots with good candidates so read into body language as well and ask followup questions.
Questions for current RESIDENTS
-Do you feel like the faculty are supportive of resident life?
Remember life events occur for EVERYONE in residency (weddings, births, deaths, accidents) so this is an important one. Do residents feel like their program understands these realities and is supportive? This is key. One way to gauge this is to ask this question of residents with children.
-Do you feel valued by the faculty? Is your input as a resident valued? This is a biggie. Ask all the residents this question youd be surprised by the answers.
-Are all clinics resident based? REALLY IMPORTANT QUESTION. Be very cautious of programs that have only resident run clinics i.e. no faculty-only clinics. If all clinics are resident-run, that means that whenever they want to create a clinic or increase patient numbers to a clinic, residents will suffer the consequences of more work. I cant stress this one enough. You need time to study for your boards, so if all clinics are resident run, you are not going to have enough time to study.
-Do you feel safe making comments/suggestions without fear of payback by the faculty? It sounds stupid to ask this but its a really important basic question.
-How do residents do on the yearly in-training exam? If not well, why? Do they have adequate study time? If not, why? Are residents not able to study because of the demands placed on them by patient care, number of clinics, etc?
-What is the dynamic between faculty and residents? Are faculty supportive of residents goals?
-Do you get enough hands on surgeries? Do you get hands on Mohs surgery? What is your role in Mohs? Observer? Participant?
-How much cosmetics training do you get? How much of that is hands-on cosmetics?
Be very careful of places that dont give you much hands-on experience. Remember you have to get a job after you are done and most employers want a combination of general derm AND cosmetics these days. Cant tell you how many of my colleagues got passed up for jobs because we didnt have enough experience with cosmetics at our program.
-Do you feel confident in having the skills to get a job anywhere in the country? Make sure you ask all residents this question especially the ones closest to graduation or the ones planning on working in competitive job markets like NYC.
-Is the department helpful in trying to place residents in positions/jobs at graduation? Will they make phone calls for you? Write you supportive letters.
This sounds silly but our faculty didnt care to support us in finding jobs. So ask this question from the graduating seniors.
-If you could do it all over again, would you choose this program?
-Are you happy at this program? Sounds like a stupid question but you will be surprised by answers.
-Is resident teaching a priority?
-Is there open communication between residents/faculty? Do changes in the department occur based on resident suggestions? A REALLY IMPORTANT QUESTION.
-What are the weaknesses of the program? Strengths of the program?
-Do you have any late night or weekend clinics? Are residents expected to work those clinics? This one is important. Our program was talking about having late night and weekend clinics. If there is talk of late night/weekend clinics, this is a huge negative because you need time to study for boards.
Questions for FACULTY
-Are you supportive of residents when they have life events?
-Do you feel that residents are happy here? Do you think that the faculty value residents?
-Do you feel that resident happiness is a priority among faculty?
-Do you feel that resident teaching is a priority? Be careful if the answers you get are not the same among residents and faculty on this one. Believe the residents because attending always think they are fabulous teachers.
-How do residents do on the yearly in-training exam?
-Is the department open to suggestions/comments made by residents? Is there open communication and do changes occur based on residents needs/suggestions? HUGE one. Our department didnt care about residents no matter how overworked or unhappy we were.
-What is the dynamic between faculty and residents? Be careful if the residents and faculty say different thingsbelieve the residents view of this one if they differ.
-Is the department supportive in helping residents find employment/positions?
I would love it for the new applicants to match into programs where they will be happy. Dont be afraid to ask these questions, especially from the residents.
If any of you have questions about this list, PM me.
I havent been on these boards since my interviewing days. I graduated from one of the most toxic derm programs in the country on July 1. Life is so much better now that Im done and passed the boards. I wish I had asked a few things when I was interviewing so that I could have matched into a kinder program
Ive compiled a list of questions that ALL of you should be asking so you can end up in good derm residency programs. During interviews, residents and faculty get so bored by the same unimportant questions that these ones will actually be a breath of fresh air. These are the questions that really matter to you on a day by day basis as a resident.
Remember that during recruitment time, all programs put on a happy face so that they can recruit you. They want to match all their spots with good candidates so read into body language as well and ask followup questions.
Questions for current RESIDENTS
-Do you feel like the faculty are supportive of resident life?
Remember life events occur for EVERYONE in residency (weddings, births, deaths, accidents) so this is an important one. Do residents feel like their program understands these realities and is supportive? This is key. One way to gauge this is to ask this question of residents with children.
-Do you feel valued by the faculty? Is your input as a resident valued? This is a biggie. Ask all the residents this question youd be surprised by the answers.
-Are all clinics resident based? REALLY IMPORTANT QUESTION. Be very cautious of programs that have only resident run clinics i.e. no faculty-only clinics. If all clinics are resident-run, that means that whenever they want to create a clinic or increase patient numbers to a clinic, residents will suffer the consequences of more work. I cant stress this one enough. You need time to study for your boards, so if all clinics are resident run, you are not going to have enough time to study.
-Do you feel safe making comments/suggestions without fear of payback by the faculty? It sounds stupid to ask this but its a really important basic question.
-How do residents do on the yearly in-training exam? If not well, why? Do they have adequate study time? If not, why? Are residents not able to study because of the demands placed on them by patient care, number of clinics, etc?
-What is the dynamic between faculty and residents? Are faculty supportive of residents goals?
-Do you get enough hands on surgeries? Do you get hands on Mohs surgery? What is your role in Mohs? Observer? Participant?
-How much cosmetics training do you get? How much of that is hands-on cosmetics?
Be very careful of places that dont give you much hands-on experience. Remember you have to get a job after you are done and most employers want a combination of general derm AND cosmetics these days. Cant tell you how many of my colleagues got passed up for jobs because we didnt have enough experience with cosmetics at our program.
-Do you feel confident in having the skills to get a job anywhere in the country? Make sure you ask all residents this question especially the ones closest to graduation or the ones planning on working in competitive job markets like NYC.
-Is the department helpful in trying to place residents in positions/jobs at graduation? Will they make phone calls for you? Write you supportive letters.
This sounds silly but our faculty didnt care to support us in finding jobs. So ask this question from the graduating seniors.
-If you could do it all over again, would you choose this program?
-Are you happy at this program? Sounds like a stupid question but you will be surprised by answers.
-Is resident teaching a priority?
-Is there open communication between residents/faculty? Do changes in the department occur based on resident suggestions? A REALLY IMPORTANT QUESTION.
-What are the weaknesses of the program? Strengths of the program?
-Do you have any late night or weekend clinics? Are residents expected to work those clinics? This one is important. Our program was talking about having late night and weekend clinics. If there is talk of late night/weekend clinics, this is a huge negative because you need time to study for boards.
Questions for FACULTY
-Are you supportive of residents when they have life events?
-Do you feel that residents are happy here? Do you think that the faculty value residents?
-Do you feel that resident happiness is a priority among faculty?
-Do you feel that resident teaching is a priority? Be careful if the answers you get are not the same among residents and faculty on this one. Believe the residents because attending always think they are fabulous teachers.
-How do residents do on the yearly in-training exam?
-Is the department open to suggestions/comments made by residents? Is there open communication and do changes occur based on residents needs/suggestions? HUGE one. Our department didnt care about residents no matter how overworked or unhappy we were.
-What is the dynamic between faculty and residents? Be careful if the residents and faculty say different thingsbelieve the residents view of this one if they differ.
-Is the department supportive in helping residents find employment/positions?
I would love it for the new applicants to match into programs where they will be happy. Dont be afraid to ask these questions, especially from the residents.
If any of you have questions about this list, PM me.
