How do I get a dermatology residency interview at UTMB?

Dermatology interviews are completed for the upcoming 2011 NRMP match cycle and MS4s across the country are awaiting Match Day on Thursday March 17th, so it seems to be good time to review applicant strategies for those who are especially interested in the dermatology residency program at UTMB. Dermatology applicants at UTMB fall into four categories:

1)UTMB MS4s: UTMB MS4s are automatically interviewed, usually in December and January of the application cycle. Six UTMB MS4s applied during the last cycle. Four were in AOA with Step 1 scores of 250 or greater.

2) UTMB house staff: UTMB house staff who apply for a dermatology residency at UTMB are automatically interviewed, usually in December and January of the application cycle. Three UTMB house staff applied during the last application cycle.

3) Visiting MS4s who take a dermatology rotation in Galveston: All visiting dermatology rotators are invited to interview with dermatology faculty and residents while they are taking their 4 week dermatology rotation in Galveston. During the last application cycle, there were 3 such visiting students during the 2010-2011 academic year from three different medical schools.

4) Outside applicants: UTMB received over 300 completed applications during the last cycle for 3 NRMP positions. 31 were invited to interview, and 24 accepted. All but one of the 24 were AOA members, with Step 1 scores ranging from 236 to 268 (mean = 255), and Step 2 scores ranging from 241 to 281 (when available). They were from 18 different medical schools in 13 states. There was one re-applicant in this group.

These statistics taken from our home program indicate that there are no pure “cut off” scores, because there are several different routes to a dermatology interview at UTMB that are independent of AOA membership and Step 1 score. However, applicants who are not AOA and who have a lower than average Step 1 score for dermatology programs may possibly find themselves with fewer interviews at programs where they had no prior contact, thus limiting their opportunities for a successful dermatology match. Students from medical schools other than UTMB will be interviewed during their away dermatology rotation in Galveston, so if there is a particularly strong interest in the UTMB Dermatology Residency, an away rotation at UTMB should be considered. Likewise, UTMB PGY1 (and beyond) house staff are automatically interviewed, so UTMB should strongly be considered for the PGY1 year if a dermatology career is the ultimate goal.