The 2013 NRMP for dermatology continued to be extremely competitive, and it does not seem likely that this will change in the immediate future. Some top applicants fortunate to match, will wonder why they did not get a residency with their top choice programs. An article from the Wall Street Journal by Lauren Weber (“Didn’t Get the Job? You’ll Never Know Why,” WSJ, 6/5/13, page B6) lends some understanding about why this happens. The most common employer criticism of applicants was that they were unable to communicate what they would contribute to the enterprise if hired during the interview. Could this be happening during residency interviews too? What contributions do dermatology residency programs expect from their residents?
Since residency program quality is evaluated on their specialty board certification examination pass rates, residency programs must be confident that their residents will be able to pass this important test on the first attempt. Applicants who have high Step I scores and are AOA members (approximately 50% of dermatology matches) are at the top of the list, since they typically do well on standardized tests.
Most residency programs have an interest in research, presentation of new findings and publication to advance the specialty and program reputation. Applicants with proven track records in research will receive special interest from admissions committees due to their potential contributions in these areas to the program. Those who hold additional academic degrees (MA, MS, PhD, etc), and those who have been awarded grants or who have won academic awards/competitions are considered for the research contributions they may be able to make to the program as future residents.
Teamwork is a top priority at many dermatology residency programs. How is this demonstrated? Home and away rotations give programs insight about how well an applicant performs in the work environment. This may be the reason why approximately 50% of dermatology applicants match at their home program or at a program where they have rotated and created a good impression with residents, staff and faculty.
Some residency programs can gain special skills by matching with a resident that will serve a specific program need. For example, a program without a full time dermatopathologist would probably be interested in a dermatology applicant who was already board certified in pathology and dermatopathology. Other examples of this also exist for physicians with additional dermatology expertise through previous clinical dermatology fellowships, or residencies/fellowships in plastic surgery, internal medicine, rheumatology, allergy, pediatrics, otolaryngology, and oncology. However, those with previous residency completion will discover that many residency programs cannot consider their application due to institutional funding restrictions.
Remember that an invitation to interview is your opportunity to communicate what you will be able to contribute to the program if you match there.