Information for Applicants

Due to Covid 19, our expectations for applicants will be different this year.  In the past many applicants did dermatology rotations at multiple external institutions, and had opportunities to meet many attending dermatologists, and to do research or publish with them.  This year, due to the virus, these opportunities have been largely eliminated. 

External Dermatology Rotations

Due to the pandemic, all external rotations at UC Davis have been cancelled for the year.  As a matter of public health, multiple outside rotations are to be actively discouraged.  We would recommend that applicants use this time to rotate in other areas of general medicine at their home institution.  Once you become a dermatology resident, there will be plenty of time to learn dermatology, but this is your last opportunity as a student to broaden your knowledge of other areas of medicine.

Publications

We understand that the lack of external rotations will affect the number and quality of publication opportunities that a student may have.  This will be taken into consideration in our application process. 

Letters of Recommendation

The limitations on external rotations may also affect opportunities to get letters of recommendation.  Traditionally, applicants felt the need to get multiple letters written by dermatologists, and often by prominent faculty members or department chairmen.  This is not what we are looking for.  The best letters are ones from faculty who know you well and have worked with you extensively.  These can be from general medicine, surgery, or any other field.  We never have had any requirement regarding letter writers, and this year we would expect that most applicants would have only one or two letters from a dermatologist.

Meet/greet

The lack of external rotations makes it difficult for prospective applicants to get a feel for our program.   We are actively in the process of updating our website to give current and complete information – please check back frequently as updates are ongoing.   We are considering some sort of online meet and greet with faculty and residents, but we haven’t figured out how to do this yet – check back periodically. 

Virtual interviews

We are planning to conduct all interviews online (even local applicants).  Our interview dates are listed above.  We are still in the planning stages of this – we will post more information as it becomes available.  All interviews are by invitation only. 

VA Selective Service requirement

In order to work at the VA, all male applicants are required to have registered for Selective Service.  This must occur between ages 18 and 25.  Since our program includes extensive rotations at the VA clinics, Selective Service registration is a requirement to be accepted into our program.  If you have not done so, please register before applying.  For more information go to www.sss.gov..

Diversity

UC Davis is committed to actively recruiting and fully fostering the development of a physician workforce that reflects the rich diversity of our nation and our world — a workforce wholly equipped to serve and care for all people, vigorously committed to reducing health disparities, and passionately dedicated to the goal of achieving true health equity.

Diversity in Medicine Visiting Elective Program

Fourth-year medical students from other schools may choose to take an away rotation at UC Davis School of Medicine, especially if they are interested in matching into a UC Davis residency program. The Diversity in Medicine Visiting Elective Program provides support for fourth-year students who are underrepresented in medicine and/or from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

https://health.ucdavis.edu/diversity/resident/prospective.html