Which derm programs have the best cosmetics training? I've scoured some of the past sheets/SDN and sometimes UCI, Kaiser LA, and Samaritan are mentioned. Any others?
Yes for UCI and Kaiser LA! I'm not familiar with Samaritan
Los Angeles, CA
Applicant sentiment — from 60 anonymous posts, 2017–2027
5.5 / 10
What anonymous posters said
Anonymous posters frequently discussed the application and interview process, citing rejections, waitlists, and confusing automated notifications. Several posts described the cosmetics training positively, and some mentioned competitive compensation with a housing stipend. A few commenters characterized the program as relatively laid-back.
AI-generated summary of opinions expressed in anonymous, unverified posts. It describes what posters wrote, not verified facts about this program. Based on these 60 posts · Updated Aug 2026 · Contest or respond to this entry · Takedown & right of reply
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Which derm programs have the best cosmetics training? I've scoured some of the past sheets/SDN and sometimes UCI, Kaiser LA, and Samaritan are mentioned. Any others?
Yes for UCI and Kaiser LA! I'm not familiar with Samaritan
MS3 here thinking about aways. Are Kaiser and Loma Linda good programs? Does prestige matter at all if you want to be a private practice derm? Thank you!!
no prestige doesnt matter
Loma Linda derm has some of the nicest people i've ever met, I would recommend that away to a friend honestly. Heads up-- if you want a good shot there you got to do an away and signal gold.
How do people at the LA programs survive on those salaries? Rent is just as high as SD/Bay. Very concerned about this, should this be a huge consideration? I have no familial financial support.
i mean if cost of living is a major decider for you then yes
it's rough
UCLA and kaiser residents make 100k+ with housing stipend, more than enough to live in LA
Thoughts on programs that interview all rotators?
depends some places like UF and Emory that interview all their rotators have a good chance of matching there because they are very selective on who they pick and they have a good track record of matching rotators, also they don't have too many rotators - Conversely, programs like UConn who have a ton of rotators and interview all of them, you don't really know if you have a good shot, also based on tea on this spreadsheet there's nepotism rumors, research fellows, etc. so your chances at a program like that may be lower and can give applicants false hope
anyone know about upmc?
UF interviews most of their rotators but also interviews a significant amount of non-rotators, plus away/gold seem to weigh less post-interview there. Certainly better than a lot of other programs but there are programs that only interview internals and more heavily weigh away/gold/etc post-interview as well. ^ It's the best when a program is very selective with away rotators and then interviews them all because it means you already have a high shot at being ranked. Places that take a ton of rotators and intreview all as a courtesy = waste of time for everyone and waste of hope.
what counts as a high number of away rotators? 20+? 30+?
some programs take 6 aways per month so do with that what you will
great bc they give you an interview! Not great if it doesn't correlate with true shot at a decent place on the rank list. But there's no true way to know and we will never know how the pie is made as applicants so whatever
Reapplicant here, from what ive seen from my away rotations and who they matched: my experience, they definitely take at least 1 away rotator depending on number of spots the program has. If they have internals + away rotators with better stats or from better schools with decent personalities, might not go your way. if you are one of those rotators with great stats and they don't have too many internals then you're in a great place to possibly match there
also depends on how the internals rank them - can't assume that all of the internals actually want to go there
. on OP's question, what programs interview all rotators?
Harbor-
not true. would say it's more accurate to say that all applicants interviewed will have done an away rotation. similar to Kaiser LA
where do we find number of away rotators a prgram takes per year?
theres a sidebar on some of the VSLO apps that show how many they accept per month, and then from there you can roughly calculate
Reapplicant here, from what ive seen from my away rotations and who they matched: my experience, they definitely take at least 1 away rotator depending on number of spots the program has. If they have internals + away rotators with better stats or from better schools with decent personalities, might not go your way. if you are one of those rotators with great stats and they don't have too many internals then you're in a great place to possibly match there
also depends on how the internals rank them - can't assume that all of the internals actually want to go there
Harbor-
not true. would say it's more accurate to say that all applicants interviewed will have done an away rotation. similar to Kaiser LA
theres a sidebar on some of the VSLO apps that show how many they accept per month, and then from there you can roughly calculate
For people who rotated at Kaiser LA, what was your experience? is the program mostly geared towards people who want to go into cosmetics?
>bump
POOP
Has anyone gotten an interview from ucla AND harbor-ucla or do people typically get one or the other?
this is possible, yes. especially if you did aways at both.
Oh absolutely, people get both! it’s not a ‘one or the other’ Hunger Games situation. UCLA and Harbor-UCLA aren’t fighting over a single soul in some dramatic showdown. Honestly, it’s more like them high-fiving each other in secret, like, ‘Yup, we both want them.’ So yes, you can totally end up with both interviews and feel like you’ve hacked the derm system
lol this sounds accurate; add in USC to that too. I have no idea what Kaiser LA is doing over there though
lol this sounds accurate; add in USC to that too. I have no idea what Kaiser LA is doing over there though
Does anyone know when UCSF, Henry Ford, Kaiser SCAL, Hackensack or New York Medical College are set to release IIs?
UCSF is 11/17
echoing the henry ford question <3
Kaiser LA Rotation Trade: I have 7/21-8/15. Please text me if you want to trade! 6124064366
I have a rotation at Kaiser LA and am looking to switch dates. I have 7/21-8/15. If interested hit me up 6124064366 thanks!
I have no ties to Cali aside from some non immediate family in the Silicon valley area. I really wanted to do an away on the west coast to establish ties and signal I want to go there. I applied to UCSD on time and a few other programs later (OHSU, UCSF, Kaiser, Loma Linda) but haven’t heard anything… is there like no chance I get an away out west at this point? Is there anywhere else I can add an app to at this point where I might have a chance? I emailed UCSD coordinator once a month ago, is it too much to email again… I got rejected from the peds derm dates but haven’t heard ab the clinical derm
I was also rejected from peds derm dates and ghosted on adult derm so far from UCSD
People have mentioned programs with zero cosmetics training but what programs have decent cosmetics training that wont leave you screwed as an attending?
Kaiser LA actually has pretty good cosmetics training (and I think a lot of the PP residencies do too like samaritan)
Does anyone know kaiser's match list?
former student there - do not bother applying here if you are not Mangold's fellow
any thoughts about Kaiser SF prelim? is it chill or workhorse the schedule looked a bit rough but heard people say it was chill?
does anyone have tea (good or bad) on USC, UCLA, Kaiser-LA, Harbor-UCLA? thank you <3
Anyone gone on any in person interviews?
no but can we make a list of the interviews that we know will be in person?
Hopkins, Yale, Mayo, Louisville Maryland, Tulane, USC, LSU, University of Florida Gainesville, kaiser LA, Univ Miami>these are exactly the programs i would have guessed would have in person interviews
what does that mean lol
I thought in person was just better for vibe check
programs want to be sure you can handle their patient populations and cities
what does it mean to "handle" a patient population...
yeah I dont know what you are saying is true, this is essentially every major city, wytalkin bout
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saw in previous sheets that cosmetics were top-notch at nyu, especially compared to other t5s