DermatologistOdds of Getting In

The odds of getting in are good as long as you can get into a residency program. Both dermatology and plastic surgery residency programs are highly competitive. Only about 60% of seniors in medical school will receive a residency. There are far fewer positions in dermatology residencies than other fields of medicine, such as internal medicine. Apparently, skin is all the rage.

For instance, there are 320 dermatology residencies compared to 2,600 residencies in family medicine. There are roughly 63 applicants per residency spot. To have a chance, students must earn high scores on their USMLE, be in their honor society and give an amazing interview.

There are a number of reasons dermatology residencies have many suitors. People want to go into this field for the high salary, normal business hours and ability to perform life-saving cancer surgeries. Also, a physician can make $100 dollars an hour for seeing someone with diabetes, while a dermatologist can make over $2,000 an hour to inject Botox. That stat makes us smile. You can’t tell because of all the Botox injections we’ve gotten, but trust us – we’re smiling.