Analysis of the Internship Year Experience in Dermatology Training

Introduction: Since internship years for dermatology residents are typically separate from the dermatology program and managed by other specialties, information on specialties and skills interns gain exposure to is sparse. Objective: To investigate the intern year experiences of dermatologists. Methods: An anonymous multiple-choice survey distributed through the Association of Professors of Dermatology listserv. Results: The most common internships were preliminary medicine (PM) (61%) and transitional year (TY) (24%). They were more important to interns’ development as physicians than as dermatologists. PM and TY interns felt equally prepared for dermatology residency (P > 0.05), with most (69%) feeling “slightly” to “moderately” prepared. Among current residents, 32% felt “not at all” prepared. However, TY interns reported more experience in relevant sub-specialties (P = 0.004) and opportunities to learn procedural skills (P = 0.004). When queried what type of program they would choose were they to repeat their internship, respondents most often chose PM (35%), categorical dermatology (28%), or TY (26%) and slightly preferred an internship at the same institution as their dermatology training (53%). Conclusion: Our findings show interns are likely to feel equally prepared for dermatology residency, though there are different opportunities to improve this depending on internship type. TY may allow for greater experience in relevant sub-specialties and more opportunities to gain procedural skills. Respondents indicated interest in categorical dermatology programs, which may similarly provide more opportunity for experiences complementary to interns’ future dermatology training, though concerns about linking intern and residency institution were common.