Skin is an important and extensive organ of human body, covering the whole human body. It is used to protect internal organs and prevent harmful chemicals and dangerous pathogens from entering the human body. This is why when a person burns in a large area, it is easy to cause death if there is no rapid and effective medical intervention.
Therefore, dermatology plays a vital role in medical practice.
"Dermatology is a great and unique specialty, because it allows you to diagnose and evaluate health problems just by looking at the skin," said Dr. Marisa Gasick, a committee-certified dermatologist in new york MDCS Dermatology Clinic and the chief medical reporter of Dri antiperspirant OTC Company.
"A person's skin condition can tell you a lot about his health condition, and usually you can also use skin to help you better understand other medical problems," said Garsik, clinical assistant professor of dermatology at Cornell University's Weill Cornell Medical College.
If doctors are interested in this major, they should know the definition of dermatology, why this field is very important, and what it's like to be a dermatologist.
Clear definition: What is a dermatologist?
Dermatologists are experts in treating health conditions affecting skin, hair and nails, and also experts in understanding the symptoms of general health conditions. They are good at determining whether the cause of rash or other skin abnormalities comes from external factors, such as sunlight, or from internal causes, such as lupus erythematosus.
Dr Richard Edelson, head of dermatology at Yale University School of Medicine in Connecticut, said that part of the reason why so many medical students choose this major is that it covers a wide range, because these students often have "claustrophobia in other majors".
Edelson said that people generally mistakenly believe that dermatology is a "narrow specialty", but in fact dermatology is a highly complex medical field.
He said: "In terms of its disciplines and branches, dermatology is the most extensive (specialty), not the narrowest (specialty)." He also said that dermatologists can focus on children's dermatology, adult dermatology, surgery or pathology, or health conditions such as allergies and cancer.
"Textbooks on dermatology are even bigger than textbooks on cancer," said edelson, an influential dermatologist and former director of Yale University Cancer Center.
Garshick agrees that dermatology is a diversified medical specialty. "As a dermatologist, you should receive training, perform surgery, solve complex medical needs, take drugs, diagnose and treat skin cancer, do plastic surgery including injections and lasers, and take care of children and adults, so that you can take the whole family, from babies to grandparents," she said.
Dermatologists say that a common misunderstanding in this field is that they believe that their medical field is to optimize and improve their appearance through selective cosmetic surgery. Although some dermatologists focus on beauty, and many also provide selective beauty treatment, dermatologists are trained to perform many medically necessary operations unrelated to beauty, such as removing skin cancer.
Dermatologists say that another common misunderstanding is that the requirements for entering this field are lower than those in other medical fields. Dermatologists say that although most of their work is done in outpatient clinics, there are few emergency operations, but this work is very energy-consuming.
"Most people mistakenly believe that our lifestyle is simple," Dr. Erum Ilyas, a board-certified dermatologist at Montgomery Dermatology Co., Ltd., Pennsylvania, wrote in an email. "Although I admit that considering the outpatient nature of our clinic, we have more control over our lifestyle, the reality is that the absolute scale of the service demand we have to manage is not suitable for everyone."
Ilias said that as a dermatologist, her job is very difficult but meaningful.
"We have seen many patients," she said. "I never rest. I didn't sit down for lunch. I have been walking room by room all day. I often change shifts. I can screen from skin cancer in one room to acne in the next room, melanoma removal, psoriasis in the next room, Botox, warts, autoimmune rashes, boils, lasers-all in a few hours. This job has never stopped me. "
Future dermatologists can expect a high salary. According to Medscape dermatologist's salary report, the average salary of American dermatologists in 20 19 was $465,438+$9,000, which was $27,000 higher than that in 20 18.
Why is skin problem so important?
Skin is highly visible, which means that skin diseases can shape self-awareness and affect the way people show themselves to the world. In addition, the size of the skin means that one of its major problems may cause obvious discomfort all over the body.
Just like every part of the human body, a person's skin may be the place where serious and fatal diseases begin to fester, including cancer. In addition, because it covers the whole body, skin is often the most obvious place for serious systemic diseases-immune system disorder, genetic abnormality, infectious diseases and malignant tumors.
Edelson discovered the mechanism behind the skin disease formerly known as mycosis, and he renamed it cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, which is a kind of cancer. Later, he designed the phototherapy for this kind of cancer.
Edelson pointed out that based on scientific discoveries in immunology, genetics and molecular biology, the field of dermatology is making rapid progress.
How to become a dermatologist
Dermatology is a highly selective major, so people who want to enter this field should know that if they want to start their career in this field, they need a first-class medical college diploma.
The faculty specializing in dermatology in medical college said that to obtain the qualification of dermatological resident, it usually requires outstanding medical school achievements, high internship examination scores, solid performance in clinical rotation, eye-catching recommendation letters and impressive research experience.
Dr. William L. Kemp Jr., assistant professor of dermatology at case western reserve university Medical College in Ohio, said: "When we interview applicants, I am always surprised that so many people have nearly perfect scores."
Kemp is a board-certified dermatologist and the founder and medical director of Lucent Dermatology and Dermatosurgery Center in Beechwood, Ohio. He estimated that about half of the people who were selected as dermatological residents were members of the Alpha-Omega-Alpha Academic Honor Society.
Kemp said that those who dream of becoming dermatologists should aim to enter medical school, because medical schools often offer strong dermatology courses, influential teachers and a lot of ongoing research. He said that having access to potential dermatologists can involve you in their research projects and write letters of recommendation for you, which is a good way to increase your chances of entering a highly competitive career.
Kemp added that a positive sign of the medical school is that it has received a lot of funds from the National Institutes of Health for dermatological research.
Dermatologists say that those who wish to join them should see if the future medical school will provide clinical rotation in dermatology. They said that the sooner medical students complete clinical rotation in dermatology, the better.
How to determine whether dermatological study is suitable for you?
Dermatologists say that this major needs meticulous and well-trained attitudes and methods, and it can't be done well without strong visual observation ability. In addition, this major needs to have a strong interest in medical science, because new technologies are rapidly changing this field, for example, introducing more effective treatment methods for psoriasis and other previously incurable diseases.
Dermatologists add that their major needs encyclopedic memory of thousands of health problems that may occur on skin, hair and nails, and the ability to identify the symptoms of these diseases.
"A lot of content in dermatology pays great attention to details, which requires everyone to find these details exciting and interesting," Dr. Robin Evans, a certified dermatologist at the private dermatological clinic in Southern Connecticut, wrote in an email.
Evans added: "Dermatology requires individuals to feel good about making people look more beautiful." Evans is both a clinical lecturer at Einstein College of Medicine in new york and a medical staff member at Stanford Hospital in Connecticut.
Dr. Peterson Pierre is a certified dermatologist at Pierre Institute of Skin Care in California. He said: "Dermatology is an" extraordinary field of vision "and needs the ability to accurately explain the visible symptoms of diseases. You must be able to process information only by observation. "
Pierre added that dermatologists not only need a compassionate personality so that they can provide comfort to patients in trouble, but also need a "curious heart" to help them solve medical mysteries. He said: "Many times, you have to work hard to solve this mystery. The patient developed some symptoms. You must find out what happened. "