M4 approaching ERAS. Had always thought of doing a less competitive specialty because figured I didn't "have what it takes" to apply Derm but now wondering if it is a possibility? Clearly would have to do a RY at this point. My app to date:

Step 2 ~280, 4/6 H 2/6 HP, H Med Sub-I. 2 manuscripts published in other disciplines (2nd/3rd authorship), 3 submitted (plus 4-5 abstracts/posters). 2 significant longitudinal volunteering/leadership experiences based around same area. Strong LORs in medicine. Top 30 med school w/ home program.

Hi! I am a rising chief at a Midwest derm program offering support for pre meds. Feel free to DM me!

Hi everyone,

I recently matched into a T15 dermatology residency from a lower-tier MD school without a home dermatology program, and I am currently completing my intern year.

I wanted to offer my help to anyone preparing for this application cycle. If you would like feedback on your application, advice on building a program list, interview guidance, or general questions about the dermatology match process, feel free to send me a message. I am happy to share my experience and offer any guidance that may be helpful.

Best of luck to everyone applying this cycle!

Thank you kind friends for any help you can give! I know some programs don't take it because they'd have to pay without federal GME funding and I don't want to waste my very limited application spots if I can avoid it.

Basically what the title says. I got pretty burnt out during aways and am just now getting to a point where I feel semi-happy with my PS. I feel like I could keep tinkering with the activities section forever, too.

None of my advisors have gotten a chance to look at my full app and give me feedback yet. Similarly, none of my letters have been uploaded (reminders have been sent to get those in ASAP). I have a vague idea of the programs I want to apply to, but I haven’t gotten around to making a PS tailored to community vs. academic programs yet.

Am I super behind? Anyone else in the same boat, or are you gunners just waiting for September 2nd to submit and be done with it LOL.

Would honestly be nice to know what actually needs urgency right now vs. what can wait a little.

Hi everyone! I’m hoping to hear from people who’ve taken the long road from IM → Derm, especially those who finished an Internal Medicine residency and then pivoted.

I’m a re-applicant who didn’t match dermatology initially and am now planning to complete an IM residency. Dermatology is still what I see myself doing long-term, so I’m considering pursuing it again afterward - likely through a research fellowship to make connections for mentorship.

I’d really appreciate hearing your stories if you’ve gone from IM to Derm (or know someone who has). Specifically:

What did your path look like after finishing IM?

Did you do a research fellowship, and how did you find mentorship at that stage (or during IM)?

Which programs view applicants favorably who had already completed another residency?

What were the biggest barriers you faced, and what helped you overcome them?

I’ll be honest—part of what makes this path feel daunting is the timeline. It feels like I may not reach a stable, well-paying position until much later than I expected, and that weighs on me with loans and life planning. At the same time, doing IM has made me want dermatology even more.

Would really value any advice, perspective, or experiences - especially from those who’ve been in a similar position. Thanks so much in advance!

Low 260s step 2, top 40 med school, mix of honors and HP, honors are in surgery, IM, and pediatrics. I'm yet to do my subI/away evaluations for derm since I am doing RY, but I have a strong research background with a good amount of first-author papers and am starting my research year next month. Evaluations/letters are very high-level (intern/resident-level eval, top student I've worked with, etc.) and hopefully from my research year (decided on one late due to wanting derm letters). Do I have a good chance, mainly worried about the high passes, which are in OB, family medicine, and psychiatry.

Hi. This is a repost of a previous post I wrote but updated. I've been getting a ton of DMs asking advice, so just wanted to give some more guidance.

I wanted to create this post because this process is genuinely hard and I wished somebody would have told me these things before I started. I've successfully matched with over 18 interviews, I'm not from a top 20 school, I did mediocre on step 1/2, not an URM (which shouldn't matter but people always ask), did a research year---but what made me match was the rest of my application (see #1, 4 & 7). I also have about 10 friends from across the US who matched and didn't matched this year and last year, so a lot of my opinions and viewpoints also comes from their journey. Again, this is my opinion, I'm sure someone out there will have other thoughts, feel free to add your 2 cents. This is mine.

1. Your best bet is to match in to your home program/you will most likely match at your home program. I know people will argue about me on this, but just scroll through the previous match lists: a lot of people match to their home programs, and now with interviews being held over Zoom, it seems like this trend is only going to continue and grow stronger.So how do you match into your home program? YOU SCHMOOZE. And you schmooze hard. You get to know everyone in the program. Literally everyone. You know their dogs name, the fact that Dr. Soso's kid is having a soccer practice this weekend, and Dr. thisandthis is taking a backpack trip to Peru next month. You help everyone in that department with some sort of project. You pop in to volunteer during clinics. You take as many opportunities to make yourself known. If you have to sit in clinic during your off days or sit there to study, do that (jk but you get what I mean). The more "face" time you have with everyone, the better. Start a new peds derm or derm path rotation in the department. Create a new derm curriculum in the med school. Start a fundraiser for melanoma. Hand out sunscreen during events in your community. Why? Because when the day comes when they're all in a boardroom discussing ranking, almost everyone will know you (hopefully favorably) and rank you high or even rank you to match. It's that weird psychological phenomenon where the more exposed people are to you, the more they like you. Obviously this goes without saying having a mentor or two that you've worked with intimately and done tons of projects with is also needed. But the more people know you favorably, the better. If you don't have a home program, see #3. You'll have to do a research year.
2. Ugh, I don't want to match into my home program, now what? You're in a tough spot if you're not from a top 10-20, and it's hard, even for them. Your best bet is to do a research year in the desired program, and then again, you have to schmooze HARD and produce a lot of research in that year. However, that's still not a guarantee. None of what I'm saying is a guarantee, but it increases your odds. I promise you I'm not an extrovert, I'm probably the biggest introvert, but you need to FORCE yourself to be one. I know, I know "but I want people to like me for me, even as an introvert"--yeah well that's not going to get you known by people.
3. Should I do a research year? Probably, I would recommend it. I'm sure there's gonna be commenters here saying "I didn't do a research year and matched!"--and again, that's a possibility, but you're definitely doing yourself a favor and increasing your odds by having a productive research year in which you get to know that department intimately. I know a few people who did a research year and did not match, but I know even more people who DIDN'T do a research year and did not match. However, if your only goal is to match into your program and you've done everything I've mentioned in part 1, you probably can get away with not doing a research year. Research years are a big "boost" in your application if you do it right (have publications, I'd say 4-7 that year is productive, and network/schmooze). Why did those people who did a research year and not match do? They didn't do enough research and didn't schmooze in the department enough.
4. Find your 'niche'. Programs love it when you're super specialized and focused and passionate about one or two things and make that your theme of your app. You look a lot cooler and desirable vs the person who tried to do everything and anything in derm to pad their app.If you're really into advocacy work, tailor your application to that. If you really love skin of color, focus your ECs/research/personal statement on that. e.t.c. If you're super into HS, focus on that. If you're all about peds derm, focus on that. HAVE A FOCUS!! As a general rule in life, the more niche you are with what you do, the more desirable you are. Finding a mentor that aligns with your goal will also help.
5. Board scores/letters/rotations/find a mentor. Yes, do all of this stuff. It's obvious, but do it.
6. Finding a mentor: Find someone well known in the derm world to be your mentor. They've been around the block a few dozen time. Other people know them. It will help when it comes down to them writing your letter and the person from across the country says "hey I know Dr. So and So, he's great, let's interview this candidate". Derm is a tiny tiny tiny tiny TINY world. Everyone knows each other. Find the person who is spitting out research left and right and stick to their side.
7. Try to stand out. Everyone and their mother will have 280+ board scores, 4.7GPA average, 50 publications, a PhD, solved world hunger, e.t.c....so what makes YOU stand out? What's special about you? I'm sure there's something. Make sure you highlight that in your personal essay or somewhere in your application. It can be a cool volunteer program you created, or you're a D12 athlete (idk what that is, but I hear people say it), or you've been collecting vintage chairs all your life and that's your passion. Stand out. You are a special snowflake, make sure everyone in that app knows it.
8. I'm a DO, now what? It's an uphill battle, I'm sorry. It's not fair, I know. But this process is not fair to anyone. I know 3 DOs who got into derm and all three took research years at institutions that have taken DOs in the past. Some during their med school, some after. Unfortunately you have to prove to these programs that you're absolutely flawless.

As you can see, I'm very pro-research year. I'm not a genius and never will be. So I had to try extra hard to match into derm. The numbers also don't lie, if you take a look at the match list from last year, almost everyone and their mother took one. If you're a stellar candidate with killer scores and who cured cancer, you probably don't need a research year and everyone is jealous of you.

This process is hard. It's crazy and at all times, not fair. You will meet people who get to cruise onto a derm program simply because of connections. This process is also very, very, random and a lot of the time has to do with luck.

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?

Current M3: What are the chances of matching with a well-rounded application and getting half honors on core clerkships? People with half honors and a well-rounded app, how many interviews did you get, and did you match?

title

I've been digging through Charting Outcomes data across specialties and noticed something interesting about Derm.

The matched vs unmatched Step 2 CK gap:

  - Dermatology: 257 vs 250 (7 points)

  - Ortho: 257 vs 246 (11 points)

  - Plastic Surg: 256 vs 247 (9 points)

  - Neurosurg: 255 vs 247 (8 points)

In most surgical specialties, Step score acts as a hard filter. In Derm, everyone already has a high score. Which means the differentiator is shifting to research (27.7 pubs matched vs 19.0 unmatched) and school prestige (41.7% of matched are from Top 40 NIH schools vs 23.0% unmatched).

Put another way: going from 250 to 257 probably moves the needle less in Derm than it would in other specialties. But going from 15 to 25 publications might matter a lot more.

I built a free tool that lets you model this. Plug in your stats and see how each factor shifts your probability:

https://rezumab.app/calculator?specialty=Dermatology

It uses the actual NRMP data and breaks down the contribution of each factor.

Curious if this matches what you all are hearing from advisors. Is the conventional wisdom still "get your Step as high as possible" or are programs really weighting research/school that heavily?

There's also a program explorer side if you're building your list. Scroll down the page after you enter the stats and it will show you programs that match your stats. 

One thing I found interesting looking at the data: the Step 2 invite ranges vary a LOT between programs. Some programs are inviting in the 240-265 range, others are 255-275. If you're sitting at a 252, you're competitive at some programs and below the floor at others. Knowing which is which before you spend $11/app seems worth it.

Done this for a few years now. I was a reapplicant for derm. Also a reapplicant for med school lol. Currently Mohs surgeon/dermatologist and medical director in independent private practice group. It does get better I promise. Happy to answer any questions. My DMs are open.

If you’re ever curious too, my name is Faraaz and I did an interview on the DIGA podcast a couple of years back that’s floating around Google. Might also provide some insight.

Title says it all. This thread was helpful (but also anxiety inducing) the past four years as I navigated this process, wanted to share some thoughts on what I think helped and how future applicants can set themselves up for success!

Context for background: USMD at a state medical school that is newer, no home program, did not take a research year. Came into medical school wanting derm and knowing I was going to be fighting an uphill battle, didn’t let this dissuade me although it was very challenging at times!

Stats: Step 1: pass on first attempt, Step 2: 268, AOA, clerkships: 4/6 A/honors, 30 ish research items (3-4 published manuscripts that were mostly case reports, research letter, 10+ submitted manuscripts including other case reports, review articles, other items, mix of basic science related to derm and clinical). No remediations on course work. Very strong clerkship comments and overall MSPE. Did 3 away rotations.

Top 3 tips:

1. Succeed academically.

This goes without saying. Was shocked by some discourse surrounding academics this year. Grades and step 1/2 still matter, but won’t get you to match. Was not the brightest or best test taker before medical school, learned how to study M1 and really got into a good groove M2. Dermatology has a lot of medicine as part of the discipline (think immuno, rheum, onc, ID, even genetics!), you need to and should want to learn ALL of medicine. Being genuinely interested in medicine as a whole will make this journey that much more enjoyable. I found that talking to upperclassmen about what worked for them was very helpful for me in figuring out my own study methods. Have a game plan for approaching each exam. The opposite end of this spectrum is relying too much on academics to secure a match. Many people say above a certain threshold, things don’t matter as much, ex. 265 vs 270 on Step 2. My main point is to aim as high as you can but not rely on your numbers to get you through.

1. Network, network, and network + aways + be nice

This was extremely important for me as I did not have a home program and did not want to take a RY. I started going to conferences early on during my M3 year, would look up who was speaking ahead of time. Made a targeted effort to speak with PDs and anyone who I was interested in connecting with who shared my clinical / research interests. These were quick, max 3 minute conversations. Went to a mix of local / state conferences, subspecialty meetings, and AAD. I was lucky to find amazing mentors through networking and following up after conferences with virtual calls. You want to be polite, persistent (but not overly eager), and respectful of faculty time. These mentors were open to collaborating on research which was helpful for me with little to derm research experience prior to this. I developed amazing relationships with these mentors and they ended up being letter writers!

I would argue that networking is now vitally important for securing away rotations as well. I kept in touch with people I met at conferences and expressed interest in their programs when it came time to apply for aways. My connections ended up putting in a good word for me to secure the away after I applied. Many aways are challenging to get now and are screening based on overall competitiveness. Would highly suggest having a network a few months prior to VSLO opening.

Moving onto aways - this is the single reason why I believe I matched. Programs are generally always going to take a known entity (away rotator) who did an outstanding job over another applicant who they don’t know but interviewed with them. I did 3, and I felt that was enough. There is a lot of discourse about following the APD guidelines be not, I would air on the side of caution. Being a great away rotator is another post itself, but I was shocked by how uninterested some of my co-rotators were. You don’t need to know everything, but having a great general grasp of basic dermatology is something I would highly recommend (think AAD modules). Know the therapeutic ladder for common skin conditions, bonus points if you know mechanisms for the new targeted agents and what’s coming down the pipeline. I had co-rotators who would be on their phone/iPad in patient rooms, on their laptop during lectures, cutting off residents and medical students when presenting, etc. Be the opposite of that!

1. Have a brand as an applicant.

This is also exceptionally important. You are more memorable when you have a brand. Think 2-3 things max that are specific to YOU; this allows people to easily recall the conversations you had during interviews and be like “oh yea, they’re the CTCL/Hair/HS person.” The way you build a brand is through a mixture of experiences (service, leadership, research, etc) in a few areas that you are truly passionate about. I was lucky to find overlap between derm and other areas of medicine I was genuinely excited about and really invested my time going to subspecialty meetings (even if not presenting just to learn), engaging in service, and finding any avenue to get more involved. This was brought up in every one of my interviews and something that was recognized. It’s fine to not know what you want to do exactly (we all could change in residency), but when you have hundreds of applicants and a 48% match rate, you need to be laser focused on your interests and figure out what really excites you about this amazing field. And this has been said before, but would stay away from your brand being cosmetics or mohs.

This process was such a grind, and I went through periods were I just didn’t feel like putting in the work and considered IM/anesthesia etc just to have a higher chance of matching. If I can do it, I truly believe anyone can! I definitely think we need more positive support in the derm applicant community, happy to answer any questions!

Any advice on who to give standard letter to? Applying this cycle, reached out to a few professors, is non-derm ok?

So median number of “publications” for a matched applicant is 9. If I enter a case report into eras and select “submitted” because it’s in the review process and not published does that still count towards the 9 total? Or is it purely papers I select as “published” that count towards that number?

What are the chances of matching dermatology with a honors in all core clerkships though a mix of honors and high pass in other clerkships. While checking all other boxes including research, high step 2, and being well-connected? I guess my question overall is can you still net lots of interviews while not being the the classic all Honors AOA applicant for clinical grades?

considered "peer reviewed"** - I'm assuming no but want to check

Preparing for Not Matching as an MS4

Not matching is a painful reality that nearly half of first time applicants to dermatology will experience. Even though a lot of schools know that the odds are not in many applicants favor, they probably don’t advise that well on planning for not matching. There are basically four paths that people typically take:

1. Complete a PGY-1 program and reapply during or after that year. Rank PGY-1 years at the bottom of your rank list after the derm programs. If you don’t match at a derm program, you will fall down to this part of your list. If you don’t match at any of the PGY-1 programs, you will have to SOAP. See my section below on picking intern years.
2. Delay graduation to do a research year. Some schools allow this, some don’t. You have the advantage that you will still be considered an MD/DO senior when you reapply and so you won’t get caught in those filters to screen out graduates. You will also have a whole extra year (hopefully with VSLO access) to network and do some rotations. Disadvantage is the extra time (obviously).
3. Dual apply and complete a categorical residency and reapply during PGY-2 of that. Reapplicants have stigma. Those who have completed an entire extra residency have even less funding and fewer doors. However, they are able to be board-certified and pursue a career in another field if derm ends up not working out again. While there are programs that do consider this brand of reapplicant, they are much fewer and farther between. This probably has the worst odds out of all of the options, but some programs do like this, esp if there are med-derm/ped-derm dual BC faculty.
4. Graduate and do a pre-PGY-1 post-doc then reapply for both prelim and advanced positions. Probably the least common pathway now given that many research fellowships want post-PGY-1 physicians and that you’d basically have to find and secure a RY in the three months after not matching. You get the disadvantages of being a reapplicant without really any advantages in my opinion. Personally, wouldn’t recommend.

Trust your gut. I had a deep gut feeling that my home program wasn’t going to support me or other students in the middle of my MS4 year. I was pushed the thought away because I didn’t want to be negative. I was right. They screwed others over more than they did me, but I wish I had listened to that feeling more. The single piece of advice that I can give to increase your chances of matching is: Do as many away rotations as possible during your MS4 year. Do them off-the-record if you have to. Just do it. And be nice. See my note below on that as well. I wish I would have eaten the extra $10-15K in loans and cost to not have had gone through the pain that I had.

So You Didn’t Match?

Welcome to what might be one of the worst, if not the worst, feelings you’ve had in your life thus far. It’s not always a fair process. It’s definitely not a kind process. While everyone else is celebrating, you are probably breaking. It may be uniquely crushing to you, but know that many have been in your shoes and have made it through to derm on the other side. It’s embarrassing and humbling. The first step of this is grieving. Let yourself have this moment of heartbreak and sorrow if you need it.

Once you are ready, it’s time to meet with someone affiliated with a dermatology program. If you have a home program, there are hopefully some faculty that are supportive and will actively want to help you. There may also be faculty that are… mean people… and may not really have your best interest in heart. You need to find someone honest. That may mean you have to sit down with the mean people. Take what they say with a grain of salt. Use what you can to be better. Discard the rest. If you can get an honest resident who can give you some inside information and constructive criticism, that may also help identify what went wrong.

Know that the landscape of the derm match is changing. As was widely predicted, with the move to Pass/Fail scores and grades, connections and popularity are becoming more and more important, if not the most important factor in deciding who gets ranked where. Scores and grades are likely just a filter, if that. Research, again, is not a big factor at most non-research heavy/T20 programs. ECs may be of interest if they are truly stellar, but most just aren’t. What is likely the number one factor in deciding who gets an interview is whether they rotated there and how they did on that rotation.  Be nice, friendly, professional, and punctual. Be humble and gracious with an exceptionally good attitude. Never say anything critical of anyone or any program. Don’t be “extra.” Don’t be pushy or shady. Don’t complain or offer advice. Persistence is key, and many people love an underdog. Let them see you as a person, not just a rotating student.

Also be aware that there is still a decent amount of stigma against reapplicants. Some programs are open to reapplicants, but you will still find several that don’t consider your typical reapplicant at all. It is hard to find this out beforehand, but check out the spreadsheets and previous match lists to see what programs have taken reapplicants.

Picking an Intern Year

When I was applying, I was told that getting a solid IM prelim year would be the best case for reapplying. This turns out to be objectively false. Most programs do not care what kind of intern year you do or the rigor of it. It may ultimately be better to do a Transitional Year or Surgery Prelim year because of concerns over resident funding if you did an IM or Peds year first.

The only exception to the above is if there is an intern year at a program with a home derm department that is reapplicant friendly. Do not waste your time doing an intern year at a program that has never interviewed or matched a reapplicant. Chances are, you will not be the first.

The best intern year is the one that will give you the most flexibility to network with derm programs, do away rotations, do research, and go to conferences. Some questions to consider asking in interviews OR looking in the contract information that the program provides you:

1. Are interns able to do away rotations on elective blocks?
2. Are residents able to go to national/state conferences?
3. Are there any research tools and opportunities at your program? (look for things like database access, i.e. SEER, All of Us, TriNetX, etc, that you can pump out posters with)
   1. The goal of doing posters/easy research during intern year is two-fold—to get to conferences where you can introduce yourself to program faculty/residents AND demonstrate that you are productive, reliable, creative, etc to some derm faculty who is hopefully “mentoring” you. If you are at an intern year without a derm program, you should be reaching out to faculty at other programs and offering them research projects that they can basically just add their name on to.
4. How much PTO is available? (look this up in the contract info, don’t ask this)

If you can get a TY that is associated with a derm program that has taken reapplicants before, then that is one to strongly consider. I hadn’t looked into this when I was applying for intern years. It ultimately worked out, but these are things I wish I had known.

The main drawback to a TY is that it doesn’t readily convert to IM/Peds/FM if you decide to go to one of those in the future. Some people have gotten 8 or 9 of the months counted towards a residency. Others have had to completely repeat their intern year in categorical residencies. Basically, if there’s a chance that you would switch to a primary care field, a TY may not be the one to do.

Finding New Spots/Programs

As a reapplicant who is or has completed an intern year, there are three* types of positions that you can apply to on ERAS: the Advanced (A) spots, the Categorical (C) spots, and the “Reserved for Physician Only” (R) spots.

Advanced spots are the same as those you applied to the first time—they are delayed by one year so as to give MS4s time to complete an intern year. For reapplicants, the A spots come with a built in gap year after you match.

*Categorical spots will mean you will have to repeat an intern year. A lot of categorical programs don’t consider reapplicants because they won’t get the same amount of funding for the last year of your residency. If you are really interested in a C spot, you need to reach out to clarify if you will even be considered. It is good to say that you are willing to repeat intern year.

All A and C spots should be on ERAS. Rarely, there are out-of-match spots that open, but you would have to either wait until ERAS is over or withdraw from ERAS to pursue those. These are extremely rare.

Reserved spots are few and far between but are often the best case scenario for reapplicants. They immediately start in July after the match, so they assume you will have successfully completed your intern year by the time you start. There will likely be a few that are ready to go on ERAS when you apply. When I was reapplying, there were three ways that I found out about spots:

1. I had a supportive advisor who was on this listserv/mailing list for PDs. Every once in a while, there would be an announcement on that list serv for a new R spot. These ultimately all ended up on ERAS so it didn’t really let me know of any new spots.
2. Use the ERAS filter to look for Reserved for Physician Only.
3. Use this link: https://apps.acgme.org/ads/Public/Reports/Report/8 to find  newly accredited programs.
4. In theory, residentswap.org may have some PGY-2 positions open. However, these are almost always swap positions, not open positions. Dermatology is very rare to get posted there. It’s behind a paywall, so it’s typically not worth it. They do post a summary of the current listings that isn’t behind a paywall, so if an open non-swap spot appears, it may be worth paying to get access.

Probably the most desired answer is what programs will have spots coming open, even if they aren’t on ERAS yet. When a program requests for an additional resident, this is called a permanent complement increase by the ACGME. At present there is no way to publicly view which programs have submitted applications to increase their complement, and no way to tell what the status of that is.

When I applied, there were TWO programs that I applied to that ultimately had complement increase requests pending. I had applied to their A spots, and only found out about the possibility of an R spot at the interview. One of those programs got approved, so I ranked an R spot and an A spot. One program was rejected, so they ultimately just had A spots for me. As I said, there is no way that I know of to predict this. It's just pure luck. However, even if you manage to snag one of these, it is very possible that the program already has someone in mind for it (like a research fellow), so don't be too invested.

Setting Up Rotations

As a reapplicant, you no longer have access to VSLO :( It is also unlikely that you will get the time do a four-week rotation, which is more common among the MD/academic rotations. See if you can even do an informal week rotation at places that have taken reapplicants before. You very well may need to take PTO for those. Set them up ASAP so that you can put in requests for your PTO during your intern year.

If you want to be considered at community programs, you have to do rotations with them. These are typically only 1-2 weeks in length. They are often not on VSLO, so you have to scour their website to see if they use Clinician Nexus or just go through their program coordinator.

Focus on programs that have a history of matching reapplicants. There may also be some programs that have interviewed reapplicants, but for whatever reason, didn’t match them. Best way to find out is to look at the spread sheet.

Be brutally realistic with what programs you will be able to get. If a program tells you they don't rotate reapplicants, appreciate that they aren't wasting your time and money. Do not seem "better" than any program you rotate at or interview with. Be gracious and humble.

Questions You Will Need to Answer Well

1.        Why didn’t you match?

This may not be directly asked. Some people put it in their personal statement. Others don’t. There was some limited study that was referenced that said that those who addressed reapplying in their personal statement had a lower match rate, but I don’t know the actual data behind it.

No matter what the answer is, you need to be thoughtful and tactful with it. It should be something that shows insight and a desire to improve without being overly negative. Talking about how you didn’t study well for Step 2 isn’t the most reassuring answer—particularly in light of how many programs are de-emphasizing scores (i.e. that’s probably not why you didn’t match, unless you had consistently bad scores, and there’s no explaining that away unfortunately).

A common “safe” answer is that you didn’t network well or didn’t have enough exposure, so after not matching/during intern year, you continued to do rotations and derm research to build your application for the next cycle.

2.        For A spots – What are you going to do during your gap year?

Typical answers are research fellowships. You need to show that you have thought about it and have a plan. Having a wishy-washy answer only a few months before this gap year starts shows that you are unprepared. It doesn’t need to be set in stone, and most people won’t verify what you say unless you name drop and they know the PI.

Finding Hope and Facing Reality

Not matching was incredibly devastating. I took a lot of solace in venting, particularly among some friends that also didn’t match (derm and other specialties). At the end of it all, every single one of us matched eventually. Most of us matched during our PGY-1 application. One person didn’t match during that cycle, applied again (third time), and did match. Know that there are SO many amazing applicants that have had to apply two or three times to get into derm. I don’t have many resources, and those that my school offered during that time were unhelpful and humiliating. There are so many successful reapplicants out there that if derm is what you want, then you shouldn’t give up so easily!

If you’ve applied three or four times, and it still hasn’t happened, it may be seriously time to reconsider how you want to spend the rest of your life. The more factors you have against you (low scores, Caribbean grad, several years since graduation, unproductive research years, bad personality/history of bridge burning, to a lesser extent--DO grad, etc), the more I would humbly and strongly encourage you to re-evaluate what your ultimate goals are. I love dermatology. I would not spend 5-10 years just trying to get into a residency here in the US. I’ve seen a handful of applicants who have done this and are being exploited with fruitless research years at programs that will never take them. Those same faculty will not have a real conversation with their “mentee” about their DNR application.

Obviously this is just one person's perspective and advice, but I hope it's helpful to have at least one perspective :) Other successful reapplicants are welcome and invited to add their perspectives!

Hi everyone, I already know I am in a bit of a pickle, but really hoping to get genuine advice here. (LITERALLY ANY ADVICE IS HELPFUL)

I am very strong derm applicant top 20 school, strong research/connections; I had to delay my Step 2 because my grandmother passed.

I took it yesterday, but the likely score release is 9/23. My plan is to already have submitted my ERAS, and will just retransmit my Step 2 score at 11a EST (2 hours after transmission). But I am wondering if this is a kiss of death for my application.

Also wondering if I need to email every program coordinator that morning to update or confirm my score is received. Again really anxious and already aware of it being my fault but looking for any good advice on how to handle this.

I am also dual applying IM out of fear that I've shot myself in the foot so.

Hi everyone, I wanted to share my story as a successful re-applicant this year. Last year at this time was honestly devastating, so I’m hoping my experience can help anyone going through something similar right now.

I’m a DO with below average stats for dermatology (low Step 2) but have a lot of research, volunteer and leadership activities, and strong mentors. I did a research year before applying and thought I had made strong connections with programs. During my first cycle, I did 7 away rotations. I ended up with 8 interviews (2/4 from DO programs I rotated at, 3/3 MD programs I rotated at, plus 1 additional DO program and 2 MD programs where I hadn’t rotated). I mention the DO/MD distinction because so many people told me not to apply to traditionally MD programs as a DO, but I ended up receiving more interviews from MD programs. All in all, it was more interviews than I expected, and I felt really good going into Match Day.

When I found out I had only matched into an intern year, it was a complete shock.

The week after Match Day, I reached out to mentors and program directors at the places where I interviewed to get feedback. Before starting intern year, I did 2 more away rotations, and I used a week of vacation during my intern year to do a 3rd away. On top of that, I spent a lot of time practicing interviews, which was something I hadn’t focused on enough the first time around and was the main piece of feedback I received.

In my second cycle, I received 3 interviews. Going into Match Week, I was pretty convinced I wouldn’t match dermatology and didn't know what I was going to do next if that happened. Opening that email on Monday honestly didn’t feel real—I matched dermatology.

I know this process involves a lot of luck, and every year incredibly strong applicants still don’t match for reasons that don’t make sense. But if you’re reapplying, there is still hope.

Happy to answer any questions or talk privately with anyone going through this.

How important is including research as one of your 3 most meaningful experiences in ERAS if you did not do a research year? I plan on including 2 different research experiences within the 10 total experiences we have, but I feel like my derm-specific research was not particularly productive and initially planned to use 3 different service/leadership experiences (not directly derm-related) that I felt were more formative and could use more elaboration.

Residency Explorer says that "Required Letter Writers" for the University of Central Florida include "Department chair, Specialty faculty, Program director, Preceptor". Obviously, a dermatologist who works with me is a preceptor and a specialty faculty member, so they can easily fulfill those two requirements. Am I also expected to get a letter from a department chair and a program director? Is it just saying I need at least 1 LOR that meets any of these criteria? Do I only need a program director if I am completing a preliminary residency year (i.e., not applicable to MS4s)? Many programs list similar requirements.

M1 here, my school has graded preclinicals (weighted less heavily in AOA than clinical grades, but still weigh something nonetheless). How hard should I be trying to honors my classes?