Step 2 CS Discontinued

On January 26, 2021, the USMLE announced that they are cancelling plans to relaunch a modified Step 2 Clinical Skills exam due to the COVID-19 pandemic and have decided to permanently discontinue Step 2 CS. In the statement, the USMLE states: "We have no plans to bring back Step 2 CS, but we intend to take this opportunity to focus on working with our colleagues in medical education and at the state medical boards to determine innovative ways to assess clinical skills." 

Link to the official announcement can be found here.

UTMB PGY3 Dermatology Residents Win Poster Competition

Congratulations to UTMB PGY3 Dermatology residents Drs. Morgan Arnold and Paige Hoyer for winning first place for their poster, “Clinical and Dermoscopic Improvement of Cutaneous Collagenous Vasculopathy with IPL” awarded at the 2021 ARTE (Advanced Resident Training and Education) Poster Competition at ODAC (Orlando Dermatology Aesthetic & Clinical Conference). Their coauthors on the poster were UTMB faculty Dr. Brandon Goodwin and Dr. Janice Wilson and MS4 Elise Weisert. 

January 2021 Hats for the Homeless

Thanks to all of our DIG volunteers for making our January 2021 Hats for the Homeless program a success!

From left the right: Will Meyer (MS2), Olivia Arriaza (MS1), Lilly Villarreal (MS2), and Andrea Francis (MS2)

UTMB MS2 Presents Stay Shady at Trinity Episcopal

UTMB DIG continues virtual "Stay Shady" presentations amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Thank you to MS2 Andrea Francis, who presented Stay Shady to the students of Trinity Episcopal school on January 8th. 

 

Dermatology Residency Applications with No Step 1 Score

Dermatology Online Journal (2020, Volume 26, Issue 12) has published an interesting article of particular interest to medical students who will apply to dermatology residency programs without a Step 1 score (see https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4k1570vj ). In addition to traditional selections factors, the authors also include “the extras” on applications including, “Past   experiences   such   as   being   class   president, engaging in Step 1 tutoring, receiving the Gold    Humanism    Honor    Society    (GHHS)    award,    starting    a    nonprofit    organization,    obtaining    a    Masters  of  Public  Health  degree,  or  having  had  an  entirely  different  career  before  coming  to  medical  school …” as important.

How Burnout Impacts Dermatology Resident Career Choice

 Bottom line: “Residents with higher levels of burnout reported they were significantly less likely to pursue academia, full-time work, clinical research, and fellowships after residency. The results showed opposite effects for residents with higher qualities of life.” See https://escholarship.org/uc/item/26v1h7gc for additional information about this survey (DOJ Volume 26, Issue 12)

Continued Accreditation for All UTMB Dermatology Programs

The ACGME Review Committee for Dermatology met this month and determined that all three of UTMB‘s Dermatology Graduate Education Programs in dermatology, dermatopathology, and micrographic surgery/dermatologic oncology receive continued accreditation. The ACGME reviews every residency program in the United States every year.

Volunteers Needed for January St. Vincent's Dermatology Night

Five student volunteers are still needed for St. Vincent's Dermatology Night on January 7 starting at 5:30 pm. Interested volunteers may sign up here.

Hats for the Homeless Program Continues into 2021

UTMB MS2 Andrea Francis is organizing the Hats for the Homeless Program in Galveston during 2021. The current scheduled dates for this volunteer activity (7:50 am to 9 am) are:

1/16/2021

2/20/2021

3/6/2021

4/3/2021

5/15/2021

6/12/2021

 

Please contact her if you would like to participate!

UTMB PGY3 Dermatology Resident Receives Prestigious Thayer Award

Congratulations to UTMB PGY3 Dermatology Resident Dr. Paige Hoyer for her recent receipt of the fall 2020 UTMB Thayer Award for Excellence in Teaching. This recognition is sponsored by the John P. McGovern Academy of Oslerian Medicine and is awarded to residents and fellows nominated by medical students and selected by Osler Student Scholars. More information about this award is available at https://www.utmb.edu/osler/awards/thayer-award-for-excellence

Thayer Award for Excellence - utmb.edu William S. Thayer, M.D. William S. Thayer was born in Milton, Massachusetts and received his B.A. in 1885, and his M.D. in 1889, both from Harvard University. www.utmb.edu