Indentured servitude or junior faculty extension of a residency? An ethical evaluation of the 3 + 3 program structure

Despite a growing push by dermatology residencies for program graduates to pursue careers in academic dermatology, the vast majority of dermatology graduates work in private practice.1 In response to this, some programs have taken novel measures to increase the number of their graduates working in academics. Some of these programs involve combined internal medicine-dermatology residencies and extended research tracks and have been lauded for their ingenuity; others like the 3 + 3 program highlighted in this case scenario have caused concern amongst members of the dermatology community.