Research article number

[blockrudder1]

Hi !

What number of research articles is competitive for a student w/o a research year? I'm confused by the charting outcomes, seeing as some indicate the numbers are inflated due to post-grad degree applicants.

I'm very interested and have done some derm specific research, but it would be nice to branch out a little from derm journals if I've already "checked the box" - interested in some wet lab too! 🙃

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[dermie1985]

Hi !

What number of research articles is competitive for a student w/o a research year? I'm confused by the charting outcomes, seeing as some indicate the numbers are inflated due to post-grad degree applicants.

I'm very interested and have done some derm specific research, but it would be nice to branch out a little from derm journals if I've already "checked the box" - interested in some wet lab too! 🙃

There is no real "minimum" and research/publications are not required to match in derm. Derm is general is switching to a more holistic review approach and changing. I would research more as an opportunity to develop a mentorship relationship and contribute to the field. And, if interested in academics - to develop your resume/research credentials and gain new skills.
Non-derm publications are generally given less weight. What other areas are you trying to "branch out too?"
Wet lab? I generally discourage medical students from basic science research. It's time consuming, takes years to get a publication, and few if any non-MD PhDs go into basic science research anymore. Generally the things you should be doing in medical school are experiences that will contribute to your career. My question to you in an interview would be "why did you do wet lab research if you don't plan to use these skills?"

 

[blockrudder1]

There is no real "minimum" and research/publications are not required to match in derm. Derm is general is switching to a more holistic review approach and changing. I would research more as an opportunity to develop a mentorship relationship and contribute to the field. And, if interested in academics - to develop your resume/research credentials and gain new skills.
Non-derm publications are generally given less weight. What other areas are you trying to "branch out too?"
Wet lab? I generally discourage medical students from basic science research. It's time consuming, takes years to get a publication, and few if any non-MD PhDs go into basic science research anymore. Generally the things you should be doing in medical school are experiences that will contribute to your career. My question to you in an interview would be "why did you do wet lab research if you don't plan to use these skills?"

That is an excellent point, I did not think about that! It would be important to show that I can make wise use of my time and contribute in a meaningful way.
So this holistic review approach - does that mean school leadership, extracurricular, etc? Or more background, like "why derm", URM, SES items?

I spent most of my time with studying/research, before I knew Step 1 may be pass/fail for my class. I'm at a T10, so thats not a huge factor.

I appreciate your time, please elaborate at your convenience dermie1985!

 

[dermie1985]

Holistic review is a big topic - but it means de-emphasizing problematic metrics (e.g. test scores) and focusing on specific attributes of individuals (e.g. leadership, diversity, distance traveled) and how they will impact the field (including addressing inequities in derm - like our racial/ethnic diversity issue). The Association of Professors of Dermatology (APD) has a set of guidelines that were distributed to all residency programs to create a more fair review process that hopefully reduces bias. Whether residency programs follow these guidelines is up to them. Plus, the APD guidelines were designed to be tailored to each individual program (e.g. research may be an important attribute for X program, but not for Y program), so they're different at each institution. Suffice to say, with Step 1 going P/F, derm is no longer going to be focused on board scores.

 

[slowthai]

Holistic review is a big topic - but it means de-emphasizing problematic metrics (e.g. test scores) and focusing on specific attributes of individuals (e.g. leadership, diversity, distance traveled) and how they will impact the field (including addressing inequities in derm - like our racial/ethnic diversity issue). The Association of Professors of Dermatology (APD) has a set of guidelines that were distributed to all residency programs to create a more fair review process that hopefully reduces bias. Whether residency programs follow these guidelines is up to them. Plus, the APD guidelines were designed to be tailored to each individual program (e.g. research may be an important attribute for X program, but not for Y program), so they're different at each institution. Suffice to say, with Step 1 going P/F, derm is no longer going to be focused on board scores.

But how are they realistically going to do this without application caps or a massive increase in personnel to be able to sift through these apps with no score cutoffs?

 

[Slack3r]

I suspect they’ll just start using Step 2 CK scores as a step 1 surrogate.

 

[slowthai]

I suspect they’ll just start using Step 2 CK scores as a step 1 surrogate.

Yes, but when dermie said "de-emphasizing board scores", I assume step 2 was included. How are you going to holistically evaluate 10000 apps for 3 spots, lol

 

[Skindoc83]

I think they will switch to step 2 scores. Most Programs aren’t going to overhaul how they pick residents unless they have been unhappy with their resident classes in the past

 

[dermie1985]

To some points raised.

1. Step 2 CK - Every program is different, but I can tell you my own program has no specific plans to require Step 2 CK and had already reduced our Step 1 cut-off to be pretty low (215 or 220). We gave very little weight to board scores in our scoring rubric this past cycle even when they were available. I'd say the best objective measure we use to differentiate people academically is based on clinical grades and MSPE adjectives/etc.

2. Holistic review - Every program is different, but most programs have at least 1 faculty review each application thoroughly. The holistic review process developed by the APD includes a scoring rubric guideline. They provide guidelines for potential criteria to use (e.g. clinical grades, volunteer work, underrepresented status, challenges overcome, research/articles published, etc.) and then ask each program to pick the ones relevant to their program and assign a scoring scale to each variable. When faculty review applications, they then use this scoring rubric to score each applicant. This was meant to make the process more objective and reduce bias, while providing flexibility for each program to define their own "values" for what are important in an applicant. Thus, every program will have a different rubric.

 

[blockrudder1]

To some points raised.

1. Step 2 CK - Every program is different, but I can tell you my own program has no specific plans to require Step 2 CK and had already reduced our Step 1 cut-off to be pretty low (215 or 220). We gave very little weight to board scores in our scoring rubric this past cycle even when they were available. I'd say the best objective measure we use to differentiate people academically is based on clinical grades and MSPE adjectives/etc.

2. Holistic review - Every program is different, but most programs have at least 1 faculty review each application thoroughly. The holistic review process developed by the APD includes a scoring rubric guideline. They provide guidelines for potential criteria to use (e.g. clinical grades, volunteer work, underrepresented status, challenges overcome, research/articles published, etc.) and then ask each program to pick the ones relevant to their program and assign a scoring scale to each variable. When faculty review applications, they then use this scoring rubric to score each applicant. This was meant to make the process more objective and reduce bias, while providing flexibility for each program to define their own "values" for what are important in an applicant. Thus, every program will have a different rubric.

Thank you for all this. My plan is to keep doing what I'm doing. I don't need to be at a top program, I just want good training to practice and do work I enjoy. Anything more is superfluous to me. I appreciate your time