SKIN November 2018 Volume 2 Issue 6 Copyright 2018 The National Society for Cutaneous Medicine 404 RESEARCH LETTER Why Dermatology? A Survey of Factors Influencing Resident Physician Selection of a Career in Dermatology Chinelo Ikpeama, MD, MBA1, Krystina Gleghorn, MD1, Tara Akunna, BBA2, Michael Ryan, BS2, Michael Wilkerson, MD1 1Department of Dermatology, The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 2School of Medicine, The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX Choosing a medical specialty is an important decision, and each specialty has unique characteristics. Dermatology, a field specialized in the treatment of skin, hair, and nails, has widespread appeal. This widespread appeal is supported by the competitive residency selection process and consistently high career satisfaction rates. In Medscape’s 2017 physician compensation report, dermatologists reported a high career satisfaction rate. Additionally, 80% of dermatologists would choose the same specialty again.1 Currently, there are no studies in literature that address the reasons why residents choose dermatology as a career. This study will help determine what influenced dermatology residents and fellows to pursue a dermatology career. A 13-question web-based survey (www.surveymonkey.com/r/whyderm) was emailed to the residency program directors and coordinators of 121 Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)-approved dermatology residency programs. The residency program directors and/or coordinators then forwarded the survey to eligible residents and fellows. The email was sent in July 2017 and resent in October 2017. A total of 242 responses were received. The mean age of responses was 29.54 years old. Of the responses, 41% were postgraduate- year two. Residency geographic regions were diverse. Eighty percent of responders had been to the dermatology clinic as a patient. Of these responders, 66% were seen for acne (Table I). Table I: Respondent characteristics. % of Respondents (n = 242) Age of respondents 29.54 years Age of first exposure to dermatology 16.91 years Dermatology Year PGY2 40.9% PGY3 26.4% PGY4 28.9% Fellow 3.7% Area of Country Northwest 2.1% Northeast 19.3% Midwest 27.7% East 2.9% West 10.5% South 19.7% Southeast 12.6% Southwest 5.0% Marital Status Single 39.0% Married 57.1% Engaged 2.5% Partnered 0.01% SKIN November 2018 Volume 2 Issue 6 Copyright 2018 The National Society for Cutaneous Medicine 405 Table I Continued: Resident and fellow survey responses. % of Respondents (n = 242) Do you have children? Yes 18.4% No 81.5% Do you have siblings? Yes 93.6% No 6.3% Are you the: Only child 5.9% Oldest child 40.4% Middle child 20.8% Youngest child 32.7% Have you been to dermatology as a patient? Yes 80.1% No 19.8% Reason for first dermatology visit Acne 66.9% Dysplastic Nevus 23.4% Warts 13.0% Atopic Dermatitis 8.6% Acne and Dysplastic Nevi 4.3% Alopecia/Hair 4.3% Seborrheic dermatitis 4.3% Skin Exam 3.4% Basal cell carcinoma 2.6% Cyst 2.6% Respondents were told to rank in descending order their top five factors in choosing a career in dermatology. In descending order, lifestyle, personal interest in dermatology, positive dermatology clerkship experience, dermatology mentor, and future job opportunities garnered the most responses (Table II). Ninety-nine percent of respondents would choose dermatology as a specialty again (Table I). The dermatology match is competitive, but the reasons why residents choose it as a specialty has not been evaluated in literature. Interestingly, financial rewards and career prestige were not in the top five choices selected. Table 2: Respondents’ top 5 reasons for choosing Dermatology. No. of Respondents (n = 242) Lifestyle 191 Personal interest in dermatology 184 Positive dermatology clerkship experience 159 Influence from a mentor 131 Future job opportunities in the field 118 Financial rewards 116 Career prestige 74 Past personal history of a skin condition 67 Family history of a skin condition 38 Family exposure to the career 31 Current personal history of a skin condition 27 Geographical location 25 Our survey was similar to other surveys that demonstrate that dermatology has a high career satisfaction rate1, as 99% of respondents would choose dermatology as a career again. In conclusion, our study demonstrates that surveyed residents and fellows are highly satisfied with their choice of dermatology as a medical career. Lifestyle, personal interest in the field of dermatology, a positive dermatology clerkship experience, an exceptional mentor, and future dermatological job opportunities were the top five reasons why residents and fellows chose dermatology as a career in our survey. Our data can help medical students who are contemplating dermatology as their future medical career. Conflict of Interest Disclosures: None. Funding: None. SKIN November 2018 Volume 2 Issue 6 Copyright 2018 The National Society for Cutaneous Medicine 406 Corresponding Author: Chinelo Ikpeama, MD, MBA 17903 West Lake Houston Blvd Humble, TX 77346 Email: chinelo.ikpeama@gmail.com References: 1. Grisham S. Medscape Physician Compensation Report 2017. Medscape.com Website. April 5, 2017. https://www.medscape.com/slideshow/c ompensation-2017-overview-6008547. Accessed April 9, 2018. 2. Pruthi S, Pandey R, Singh S, et. al. Why does an undergraduate student choose medicine as a career? The National Medical Journal of India. 2013; 23(3): 147. 3. West CP, Dupras DM. General medicine vs. subspecialty career plans among internal medicine residents. JAMA. 2012 Dec 5;308(21)2241-7. Mostaghimi A, Wanat K, Crotty BH, Rosenbach M. A national survey of residents in combined Internal Medicine and Dermatology residency programs: educational experience and future plans. Dermatol Online J. 2015 Oct 16;21(10). mailto:chinelo.ikpeama@gmail.com