Perspectives of Dermatology Program Directors Post Step 1 Pass/Fail
Location
Suwanee, GA
Start Date
3-5-2022 1:00 PM
End Date
3-5-2022 4:00 PM
Description
Introduction: The shift of Step 1 to Pass/Fail has generated several questions and concerns on the future of obtaining residency positions among allopathic and osteopathic students alike. Determining the perspectives of Dermatology Program Directors in regards to post Step 1 Pass/Fail is critical for students to better prepare for matching into dermatology.
Objective:
To assess which aspects of a medical student’s application will become more important after the transition of Step 1 Pass/Fail.
Share what Dermatology Program Directors stated as their most important metrics regarding whether an applicant receives an interview.
Discuss possible reasoning as to why program directors made those choices and how it affects medical students interested in Dermatology.
Methods: After receiving IRB exemption status, the participants were chosen from 144 ACGME and 27 AOA Dermatology programs using contact information found from their respective online database. An eight item survey was constructed on a three-point Likert scale along with one free text response and four demographic questions asking gender, age, position, and number of years in position. The anonymous survey was sent out over a course of three weeks with weekly individualized reminder requests for participation. Data was collected and analyzed using IBM SPSS version 24.
Results: 54.54% of responders had “Letters of Recommendation” in their top 3 choices with 18.18% ranking it as the most important. 45% of responders had “Completed Audition Rotation at Program” in their top 3 choices with 35% ranking it as the most important. 38.09% of responders had “USMLE Step 2 CK Scores” in their top 3 choices with 9.52% ranking it as the most important.
Conclusion: In terms of the osteopathic match, roughly half of responders agreed that DO students will have a more difficult time matching into dermatology. Approximately 50% of responders agreed that all medical students will have more difficulty matching dermatology. The relatively even split of these two survey items suggests that although certain aspects of an application can have increasing importance, how that relates to the relative “ease” of obtaining a dermatology residency remains unclear. Based on the survey study, Dermatology program directors seem to want to focus more on audition rotations. Because each field seems to prioritize different aspects of an application, students should attempt to gain as much exposure to different fields such as through research and shadowing to narrow down their ideal specialties. Consequently, the student will have more time to tailor their applications to what residency admissions are looking for.
Embargo Period
5-31-2022
Perspectives of Dermatology Program Directors Post Step 1 Pass/Fail
Suwanee, GA
Introduction: The shift of Step 1 to Pass/Fail has generated several questions and concerns on the future of obtaining residency positions among allopathic and osteopathic students alike. Determining the perspectives of Dermatology Program Directors in regards to post Step 1 Pass/Fail is critical for students to better prepare for matching into dermatology.
Objective:
To assess which aspects of a medical student’s application will become more important after the transition of Step 1 Pass/Fail.
Share what Dermatology Program Directors stated as their most important metrics regarding whether an applicant receives an interview.
Discuss possible reasoning as to why program directors made those choices and how it affects medical students interested in Dermatology.
Methods: After receiving IRB exemption status, the participants were chosen from 144 ACGME and 27 AOA Dermatology programs using contact information found from their respective online database. An eight item survey was constructed on a three-point Likert scale along with one free text response and four demographic questions asking gender, age, position, and number of years in position. The anonymous survey was sent out over a course of three weeks with weekly individualized reminder requests for participation. Data was collected and analyzed using IBM SPSS version 24.
Results: 54.54% of responders had “Letters of Recommendation” in their top 3 choices with 18.18% ranking it as the most important. 45% of responders had “Completed Audition Rotation at Program” in their top 3 choices with 35% ranking it as the most important. 38.09% of responders had “USMLE Step 2 CK Scores” in their top 3 choices with 9.52% ranking it as the most important.
Conclusion: In terms of the osteopathic match, roughly half of responders agreed that DO students will have a more difficult time matching into dermatology. Approximately 50% of responders agreed that all medical students will have more difficulty matching dermatology. The relatively even split of these two survey items suggests that although certain aspects of an application can have increasing importance, how that relates to the relative “ease” of obtaining a dermatology residency remains unclear. Based on the survey study, Dermatology program directors seem to want to focus more on audition rotations. Because each field seems to prioritize different aspects of an application, students should attempt to gain as much exposure to different fields such as through research and shadowing to narrow down their ideal specialties. Consequently, the student will have more time to tailor their applications to what residency admissions are looking for.