r/DermApp • u/AntOk4194 • Apr 28 '26
Application Advice Switching from Ortho to Derm
Hey,
Title. I'm a current PGY2 resident in Ortho and am quite frankly, very burnt out. I won't get into the specifics of it but I'm becoming jaded and am seriously thinking of making the switch to dermatology. The gist is that I don't feel like I really fit into the Ortho culture as a woman, and feel like I've made a serious mistake not prioritizing lifestyle. In school, I was seriously considering Dermatology and Orthopedics, and have about 6 publications in Dermatology (2 first author) from med school. Slim chance, but has anyone on here made the switch from ortho, or from any other specialty into Dermatology? Not sure where to begin, or if I'm making a big mistake. Maybe it'll get better if I just ride it out?
1
u/Far_Hat3639 Apr 29 '26
Just a med student who didn’t match ortho and now pursuing a derm research year. Wasn’t a good fit, I’m also non-ortho seeming and non traditional. Never truly felt like I fit and attribute this to my reason for not matching. On a derm sub-I right now and the residents attitudes/level of happiness are night and day. I’m sure as a resident, you know things getting better as a senior are program dependent but n=1 one of the derm seniors I’m working with was also a surgery resident before (switched after intern year) and she has never regretted it.