Dermatologist Profession Essay Example

📌Category: HealthCare, Profession
📌Words: 672
📌Pages: 3
📌Published: 07 April 2021

Dermatologists are doctors who are responsible for recognizing and treating skin, hair, and nails, so their patients consist of all ages. This type of doctor needs to be able to identify and treat over 3,000 medical conditions and ailments. Meaning they can pinpoint symptoms of internal diseases that first appear on the skin, such as different liver conditions and cancer. They also know how to manage cosmetic skin issues, like acne, hair loss, and scars.

These doctors work in clinics and hospitals like most doctors and spend most of their day working with patients and co-workers. Their average day can range from 10-12 hours, sometimes with 2-3 hours on the weekend, with appointments booked with around 60-70 patients per day. A dermatologist might diagnose and treat melanoma, a deadly type of skin cancer, perform surgery, and remove a young child's birthmark that threatens their eyesight, all in one day. 

Dermatologists are self-employed, which means that they usually work alone or in group practices with other health care specialists. Others work for hospitals and clinics, also work in colleges as professors while teaching medical students and doing research. I would like to work in a clinic instead of college.

Education and Training

Dermatologists require general medical skills, surgical skills, and interpersonal skills. Some of them study ways to prevent skin conditions from occurring like malignant melanoma, a kind of skin cancer. Other parts of the job consist of emotional support, surgery, teaching medical students, or pediatric dermatology.

They need at least 11-years of post-secondary education and training, and requirements include a four-year bachelor's degree as well as four years of medical school and, depending on which state you are in, three or four years in an assigned residency.

To acquire the expected education, you must be admitted to medical school and then into a dermatology residency program. Both are extremely competitive, with bright, ambitious students fighting for a spot in the class. In addition to having a completed education, a dermatologist may also have to pass additional exams to become certified.

Many different Universities are known for their medical programs. Some of the best dermatology schools include Stanford University, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of California San Francisco, and Emory University. I want to go to a good university, but high-grade medical school matters even more.

Salary and Benefits

A doctor makes around $313,000 per year, but dermatologists get paid a salary of $100,000 - $300,000 per year depending on training and qualifications. Dermatology residents get paid $50,000 - $70,000 with the requirements of a Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree, and acceptance into a residency program while they have the responsibility of a treating patient, but only under the supervision of a licensed dermatologist. An attending dermatologist gets paid more because they have completed more training and qualified for different licenses, and so on with the Department of Head and the Chief of Dermatology.

Just by being a doctor, you have benefits like job security, a good salary, and the satisfaction of making a positive impact on people. Though health insurance and a retirement plan are not guaranteed, most employers will offer dermatologists hard benefits. 

Opportunity for Advancement

Almost every dermatologist starts off as a Dermatology Resident and is paid $50,000 - $70,000 per year. They have their Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree, they were accepted into a residency program and can treat hospital inpatients under the supervision of licensed dermatologists. 

Then, once a Dermatology Resident is licensed by their state, certified by the American Board of Dermatology, and completes their residency, which takes a minimum of 3 years, they become an Attending Dermatologist. Then they can teach and supervise medical students and dermatology residents while also diagnosing and treating patients. So with more responsibility, this level of dermatologist gets paid $200,000 - $400,000 per year. 

One of the last advancements this type of doctor can take is becoming a Department Head or a Chief of Dermatology. They have the responsibility to run clinical research, teaching programs, running the dermatology department, overseeing attending physicians, managing the departmental budget, and supervise, hire, and evaluate personnel while getting paid $300,000 - $500,000.

Attributes

Every doctor needs the desire to help others, along with compassion, commitment, and empathy. Working with others is also a major skill in a hospital because you're always surrounded by others. If it's a receptionist, nurse, or surgeon, a single doctor still needs their co-workers to help a patient.

 

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