Disclosing Away Interview Conflicts to Home Program Faculty

UTMB medical students applying for dermatology residencies often have one or more of UTMB’s dermatology faculty mentoring and supporting them through this stressful process. Should medical students voluntarily initiate disclosure about interview conflicts to their home dermatology faculty? Experienced faculty can offer excellent insight and perspective into the interview process, and may be able to offer valuable professional advice. However, do students want their faculty to know where they are receiving interview offers from outside institutions? Interview conflicts typically arise with excellent applicants who are overwhelmed by the positive response they receive from outside dermatology programs. It is not possible to be in three or four places at the same time (or in a constricted time sequence) when competing programs may be thousands of miles apart. Most of our faculty at UTMB are familiar with this type of situation, and are happy to help students make the best scheduling choices. It is unlikely that students diminish their chances for a match at UTMB by disclosing this information to their advisors. The fact that the applicant’s academic potential has been recognized by multiple outside programs is usually a strong indication that the applicant will be successful in the upcoming dermatology match.