An Analysis of Dermatologist Migration Patterns After Residency Training

Abstract

To evaluate the migration patterns of dermatologists from residency training to eventual clinical practice to assess whether certain programs or regions were more likely to populate their own areas with graduates. Design: Analysis of existing data from the American Academy of Dermatology's membership database. Setting: The United States and Puerto Rico. Participants: Graduates of US dermatology residency programs completing training before 2005 and actively practicing in 2009. Data from 7067 practicing dermatologists were analyzed. Main Outcome Measures: Distance from training to practice site and state locations of training and practice sites. Results: Almost half (43%) of dermatologists practice within 100 miles of their residency training site, although substantial variation was observed in distance (mean, 538 miles; median, 189 miles). More than 70% of graduates from all but 1 New York City program remain within a 100-mile radius, and several California and Florida programs were most likely to retain trainees in state. The Midwest was a net exporter of residents to the West and South. Conclusions: The relationships between residency and eventual practice locations are complex, but certain regions and training programs have distinct graduate migration patterns. To the extent that further expansions in residency positions are undertaken with local supply and demand of dermatology services in mind, these patterns are among many factors that should be considered.

There’s no place like home: an analysis of migration patterns of dermatology residents prior to, during, and after their training

“…Primary care specialties have shown better retention of their Southern residency graduates than the other regions, a finding that was confirmed in this study as well [13]. Interestingly, our data revealed that the MW both retains a significant portion of their recent residency graduates and receives a significant portion of graduates from the NE and West, which is contrary to what has been reported in other studies both in and outside dermatology [2,13]. However, the study by Resneck and Kostecki, which demonstrated poor MW retention of trainees, only surveyed dermatologists that completed residency prior to 2005.…”

“…An annual survey was administered between 2008 and 2013 to participants of the board examination review courses organized by Galderma Laboratories in August or September of each year. The anonymous survey instrument is exempt from institutional review board monitoring under Federal Register regulation 56 FR 28012, 28021, Subpart A, Section 97.101(b) (2).…”

“…Although previous studies have demonstrated a strong correlation between residency training location and future practice location and have illustrated important factors in deciding first job choice, there has been little to no investigation on the impact of preresidency locations on future practice locations [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]. Multiple surveys have shown that despite the popularity of a residency in dermatology, the United States (US) dermatology workforce has been challenged by shortages; a low density of dermatologists has been reported in certain geographic areas, which has produced imbalances in supply and demand [9][10][11].…”

Regional Differences in Hospitalizations and Cholecystectomies for Biliary Dyskinesia

“…Beyond factors examined in this study, regional differences in the organization of healthcare delivery or the health insurance market may contribute to this pitcture. Lastly, similarities between neighboring states described above may be a reflection of similarities in medical training, which does not only affect medical decision making, forming a culture of medical reasoning and decision-making, but also practice locations, as the majority of physicians choose practices in relatively close proximity to the location of their residency 5,6…”

Incorporating resident research into the dermatology residency program

“…During our most recent site visit by the dermatology residency review committee site visitor, this research program for dermatology residents received several positive comments and a request that this information be disseminated to other dermatology residency programs. Although most of our residents enter private dermatology practices more than 100 miles from Galveston,19 the additional dimension in research training during dermatology residency adds to their depth of experience in the specialty. In addition, the adoption of the scholarly project requirement has resulted in a cultural shift within the department that is more supportive of and enthusiastic for dermatology research by the residents and faculty.…”