Write an article based on this "Get matched. Obtain a one-year internship. Start your three-year dermatology residency upon completing your internship. Pursue a fellowship. Sit for your board exam. Obtain your medical license."
In 1952, the NRMP (National Residency Matching Program) began. Luckily for you, placement rates are getting higher and higher. Think of it as going Greek. You interview with some hospitals and at the end of the day you both fill out who you want to work with. If you're both on each other's list, you got it! You want to be trained by them and they want to train you. Excellent. You'll have a list of hospitals ranked in order of preference. You can include a combination of preliminary, transitional, categorical and advanced programs. So in the months prior (this is usually started in June or July), do your research and get to interviewing! Not all grads have to do a preliminary year, but dermatologists do. This is technically part of your residency, but it's viewed as just an internship (and can be done at a different hospital) and you'll be working in surgery or internal medicine (probably). But hey, you're out of school and on the right path! Super. Now it's time to prove that you've learned your stuff. Some choose to take a transitional year (or TY). However, this is generally viewed as less academic (read: easier) and those that do it struggle when they get to their actual residency. Do a prelim year in pediatrics, general medicine, or whatever you could tolerate doing another year of! Getting an internship and residency is primo. Like mentioned above, plenty of people don't make it. If you don't have the stuff, it won't happen -- and it definitely won't fall into your lap. This needs to be a goal of yours from the get-go. You may be able to continue at your current school but chances are you'll end up moving to another city and starting a new teaching program for your residency. In the United States, the school must be accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) or the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) and in Canada, it must have accreditation from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. The American Board of Dermatology requires that a Preliminary Registration Form be completed by you within 30 days of starting your dermatology residency. In addition, your training director must fill out the Yearly Report Form on an annual basis to attest that you're completing the program properly. This is time well-spent learning from your mentors and finding your niche. You'll still be supervised as you're a newbie doctor, but you're a doctor nonetheless. Though technically you're done at this juncture (apart from taking the last and final exam to get certified), some people decide to pursue a fellowship to establish a specialty. This is another spent devoted to working just in the one specific branch of dermatology that speaks to you. You have a plethora of options -- everything from working with children to senior citizens, to skin cancer to removing tattoos. Your near decade of work in the area should give you a pretty good idea as to what you want to do! Passing this will give you your certification by the American Board of Dermatology or the American Osteopathic Board of Dermatology. You will then hold the title of board-certified dermatologist. Congratulations! Check out the American Board of Dermatology's website for more information. They have links on test dates and procedures you'll need to know to complete your certification. The regulations on licensure vary by state, so check with your local Department of Health for the requirements. After the application fee and assembling your qualifications, you should be good to go! For now, that is. You'll need to retake (and pass) your boards every decade and take CME (continuing medical education) classes to stay up-to-date. It's all for the good will of your patients! Worth it.