Comment and Controversy Edited by Stephen P. Stone, MD Applying to dermatology residency without a home program: Advice to medical students in the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

Abstract

Dermatology has historically been one of the most competitive residencies for matching. Successful candidates generally have stellar United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) scores, often with significant amounts of research and excellent letters of recommendation.1,2 One factor often overlooked is the importance of having mentors in the field, as they have experience guiding successful applicants and can provide great insight for what residency programs are looking . While many mentor-mentee relationships naturally occur due to home affiliations, students who do not have home dermatology programs (NHDPs) may struggle to form these relationships and subsequently obtain proper guidance. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic has made it even more challenging for NHDPs given limited shadowing and away rotation opportunities. Wee share advice on how NHDPs can form strong mentor-mentee relationships during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond in order to obtain the proper guidance needed to match into dermatology.