Some training programs allow residents to conduct research under the supervision of a faculty member. The ABD supports these endeavors by providing an Investigative Training Track. The program director is the primary point of contact between the training program and the ABD.
Investigative Training Track candidates still must meet general training requirements for clinical education and experience, but additional research activities are part of the curriculum.
What you need to know:
- An Investigative Training Track is approved by the ABD for a specific candidate, not for a residency program. (Please note: an Investigative Training Track is not available for medical-dermatology residents.)
- Before an application is submitted, the program, faculty sponsor and resident must develop specifications for the research, including topic and amount of time to be devoted to the project.
- The resident’s first year (Dermatology Residency Year 1 or DRY1) must be 100% clinical. If the resident is approved for an investigative training track, then investigative or academic experience can be integrated with the required additional clinical training in subsequent years.
- More specifically, residents must satisfy a requirement for 225% direct patient care time (100% clinical training in DRY1 and the balance of 125% clinical training apportioned over DRY2, DRY3, and/or DRY4).
- Also, the resident must spend the equivalent of one-half day per week in clinic each year until the 225% requirement is met.
- Continuity of patient care should be stressed as much as possible in the clinic experience. Rotations on the inpatient consultation service may be substituted for outpatient clinic time during the special training track years. The amount of time spent in in-clinic consultation rotations as general dermatology residents spend in clinic.
- If the resident’s investigative training track takes 4 years to complete, then the resident may be eligible to take the APPLIED Exam after their third year (DRY3) if they have completed 225% clinical work and passed all four CORE Exams). However, they will not become board certified until they have completed the full residency program. The acceptance letter from the ABD to the program director will specify the month and year when the resident is eligible to sit for the APPLIED Exam if all requirements have been met.
Additional responsibilities for Program Directors:
- Program directors select candidates based on the candidate’s skills and learning capabilities. In other words, the program director must be confident that the candidate can become a competent clinician while still executing their investigative or academic responsibilities. Because program directors need time to assess the resident’s clinical potential, they may not request approval of an Investigative Training Track for an individual resident before January 1 of the resident’s DRY1 year.
- In addition, the program director must:
- Monitor the training of these candidates throughout their residency.
- Validate their clinical and research experiences at the completion of their residencies.
Program directors should contact the ABD if they have questions or need additional information.
Click here to access a form to submit to the ABD office detailing the resident’s activities during the special training track period. (Please fill out the form completely, including the start and end dates each year.)
Submission Deadline:
March 1 of the year preceding the onset of the special track is the final date to submit applications. The application window opens January 1 of that year. For most, this would be during the resident’s first year of training (DRY1). However, applications in later years of residency may be accepted.
Submission Requirements:
- Overview of the intended research from the program director and from the faculty member who will supervise the research.
- A letter of support from the faculty member with whom the resident will work. This letter should include how the resident’s work will be financed and what resources will be available to him/her.
- The resident's CV.
- A detailed schedule of the resident's time commitments for the duration of the training period.
Program directors: If you are submitting requests for multiple residents, polease email them separately to ensure accurate and timely processing.
For more information, please Tish@ABDerm.org.
