Can derm be boring?

[deleted74029]

I see all the time how this is the ultimate quality of life specialty, but it just seems that it would be uber boring. Anyone else think this?

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[rowerlauren]

I don't actually know since I am just a lowly pre-med... but in my mind I think it could get very repetitive. I mean how many steroid creams do you want to prescribe a day... or for bad cases prednisone.
But then again I hate being bored to the very extreme.

 

[unsung]

I don't actually know since I am just a lowly pre-med... but in my mind I think it could get very repetitive. I mean how many steroid creams do you want to prescribe a day... or for bad cases prednisone.
But then again I hate being bored to the very extreme.

Yeah, to me the most boring part about it would be that all the problems you'd have to solve would be problems you can SEE. I mean, sure there might be some exotic weird-looking diseases every once in a while. But it's not like you'd ever have to diagnose a hidden brain tumor based on totally misleading symptoms. It's the skin, after all.

So... that would defuse all of the fun of medicine for me right there. Then again, the specialty I'm interested in is neurology, which is probably as far from derm as you can get.

 

[Law2Doc]

I see all the time how this is the ultimate quality of life specialty, but it just seems that it would be uber boring. Anyone else think this?

Any field can be boring or repetitive unless you enjoy it. IM will be folks with the same dozen things over and over again (Diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, HIV, etc). Peds will be ear aches, asthma, diarrhea and respiratory infections, etc over and over again. If you go into GI, there are only so many conditions you are going to see through your endoscope. Surgeons regularly do a small set of procedures over and over again. OBs deliver babies the same way without complications the majority of the time. So I'm afraid derm is no better or worse than any of these, in terms of boredom. To do well in medicine, you have to do many hours of the same stuff. That's how you get good at it, and that's what your bread and butter business is going to be.

If you are an ADD type who always needs something new coming in the door, then perhaps something like EM will be more your style. But bear in mind that medicine is about the people, not the procedures. The people will all be different. The procedures in much of medicine are routine. It's not like TV, where they cull through thousands of conditions to find an interesting one to feature on this week's episode. Most of medicine is horses, not zebras. And horses are boring. Whether it's derm or something else.

So yeah, given that most of medicine is routine, and given that derm offers a better salary and better hours, it's not so surprising it is considered the ultimate lifestyle specialty.

 

[patekpremed]

I see all the time how this is the ultimate quality of life specialty, but it just seems that it would be uber boring. Anyone else think this?

I think the more appropriate question is "Can derm NOT be boring"? This would probably be the most boring specialty to me (aside from Pathology). At least you get to see patients (unlike Pathology).

But hey, whatever floats your boat....

 

[Law2Doc]

I think the more appropriate question is "Can derm NOT be boring"?

Wait till you get to med school and see some of the freaky blistering rashes, festering boils, oozing abscesses and fish-like scales some of these patients have. As well as various parasites some folks have moving around under the skin. Mixed in with a variety of pimples and cancers. I totally get why folks might find this the opposite of boring -- almost a carnival show of skin oddities and nastiness.

 

[coldweatherblue]

yeah everything settles into a routine after a while. I think EM would have a lot of variety, after all you see some crazy cases occasionally. However even EM gets a lot of chest pain, headaches, etc

With derm though, you may see a lot of the same stuff, but you're working 9-5 and pulling in 300k while you do it, so it's not so bad. And you DO occasionally see crazy stuff in derm, necrotizing fasciitis, etc.

(MS0's perspective, take as you will.)

 

[Picklesali]

if it's wet, dry it
if it's dry, wet it


what's boring about that?

I agree with whoever said that it was like a carnival of oddities - I guess some would find that cool, but ... not me

 

[Law2Doc]

if it's wet, dry it
if it's dry, wet it

The first thing every dermatologist tells you when they lecture is that this was perhaps the rule back in the 60s, but is no longer considered accurate.

 

[Ashers]

I think the more appropriate question is "Can derm NOT be boring"? This would probably be the most boring specialty to me (aside from Pathology). At least you get to see patients (unlike Pathology).

But hey, whatever floats your boat....

For me, boring would be IM, peds, psych, FP, OB/gyn, neuro. 😉 I totally agree with L2D, and I was going to say the same thing, that anything will be boring unless you like it. I've got friends who were super bored on anesthesia, (and even 1 friend who did an ortho sub-I and felt it was boring!) 😱

I'll be doing a derm rotation in July. I've always thought of derm as really nasty, not boring, but like most of the stuff we do in med school, it's important to learn.

 

[Picklesali]

The first thing every dermatologist tells you when they lecture is that this was perhaps the rule back in the 60s, but is no longer considered accurate.

That's sad 🙁

 

[pianola]

Well, when I went to see a derm today, he wasn't actually there. He was enjoying his summer vacation on his yacht. I think his office is run by PAs.

Not so boring if you're somewhere off the coast sailing now is it?

 

[MDPrincess]

I'm seriously considering Derm. They have a great lifestyle and I don't think it's always boring. You can go do research, possibly coming up with new creams (such as anti-aging)/other treatments if seeing patients isn't your thing.

 

[Depakote]

The first thing every dermatologist tells you when they lecture is that this was perhaps the rule back in the 60s, but is no longer considered accurate.

Yeah, now they throw steroids at everything.

 

[Hyperstudyosis]

I agree with you. I guess some people are into derm, but I think it would be boring. I want something more exciting like cardiology or oncology.

 

[mike1618]

You also need to take into consideration the business aspect of Derm. It seems like you have a lot more freedom to run your practice than some of the other specialties. You can also add some cosmetics for a little extra income boost.

 

[DwyaneWade]

Like L2D mentioned, pretty much every field has its staples that become routine over time.

Derm will look a lot less 'boring' once you actually start working.

 

[Giddyup5]

Any field can be boring or repetitive unless you enjoy it. IM will be folks with the same dozen things over and over again (Diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, HIV, etc). Peds will be ear aches, asthma, diarrhea and respiratory infections, etc over and over again. If you go into GI, there are only so many conditions you are going to see through your endoscope. Surgeons regularly do a small set of procedures over and over again. OBs deliver babies the same way without complications the majority of the time. So I'm afraid derm is no better or worse than any of these, in terms of boredom. To do well in medicine, you have to do many hours of the same stuff. That's how you get good at it, and that's what your bread and butter business is going to be.

If you are an ADD type who always needs something new coming in the door, then perhaps something like EM will be more your style. But bear in mind that medicine is about the people, not the procedures. The people will all be different. The procedures in much of medicine are routine. It's not like TV, where they cull through thousands of conditions to find an interesting one to feature on this week's episode. Most of medicine is horses, not zebras. And horses are boring. Whether it's derm or something else.

So yeah, given that most of medicine is routine, and given that derm offers a better salary and better hours, it's not so surprising it is considered the ultimate lifestyle specialty.

great post!

 

[45408]

The first thing every dermatologist tells you when they lecture is that this was perhaps the rule back in the 60s, but is no longer considered accurate.

Okay, you can tack this on at the end "And if in doubt, put steroid cream on it."

 

[Bahadur]

It's a personal preference thing. I've shadowed two dermatologists before and currently work for one. 95% of the time they see patients with acne/some-sort-of-bizarre-rash/allergy. I also got to see a few cases of skin cancer.

It's something you have to try and do for yourself. My boss and one of the ones i shadowed don't really seem too interested in the field/dermatology itself... but then again who can accurately judge another's perspective/feelings/likes/etc.

I guess any job gets old after a while. Unless you're some awesome celebrity. But even that can get old (or you get old instead, haha).

MDPrincess:

You do not have to be a dermatologist, or even a doctor/PhD to develop anti-aging/acne/skincare creams. One of the most successful, up and coming brands (S-Solutions) is actually researched and created by a 20-something year old (who wasn't even a bio/science major). There are a few other similar ones that i can't think of the top of my head right now.

It is an EXTREMELY competitive business, because there is so much saturation in the market. (There are more med spas than starbucks in my area).

btw- There are a a lot companies/pharmaceuticals that actually sell their products to retailers/small business owners, whom then slap on their own made up brand. So there is a high possibility that the product you are using is a really common and generic item that is camouflaged in fancy shmancy marketing labels and shiny stickers.

 

[Bahadur]

Sorry for the long post.

It's just sometimes i wanna yell at customers and tell them they don't need a fraction of the stuff they are purchasing. Just lead a healthy lifestyle, use plenty of sun-protection and your skin will reflect it's own beautiful glow.

But then i realize that every business is someone else's livelihood. And the sustainer of my paycheck. 🙂

 

[Law2Doc]

btw- There are a a lot companies/pharmaceuticals that actually sell their products to retailers/small business owners, whom then slap on their own made up brand. So there is a high possibility that the product you are using is a really common and generic item that is camouflaged in fancy shmancy marketing labels and shiny stickers.

If it doesn't say that fact someplace on the label, it's illegal.

 

[Tiki]

I don't think Derm is boring. You get to see patients of all ages. You get to do a variety of procedures, especially if you do a Mohs fellowship. I've seen the Mohs dermies work magic on reconstructing faces after removing tumors on the faces of patients. Plus the job market is excellent and you get paid well. I enjoyed the four weeks I spent on Derm, although I never considered going into it because of my love for path.

 

[AmoryBlaine]

Keep in mind that what is "exciting" when you are 25 could very well turn out to be "exhausting" when you are 55.

Having a "boring" but extremely well-paying job may be a source of great satisfaction a bit futher down the road.

 

[patekpremed]

Keep in mind that what is "exciting" when you are 25 could very well turn out to be "exhausting" when you are 55.

Having a "boring" but extremely well-paying job may be a source of great satisfaction a bit futher down the road.

"Boring" and "Satisfaction" do not ever occur in the same sentence for me. Just because you are making a pile of money doesn't mean you will be "satisfied." How much would you dread every day if you had to go to a "boring" job every single morning? No thanks.

 

[Nasem]

Any field can be boring or repetitive unless you enjoy it. IM will be folks with the same dozen things over and over again (Diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, HIV, etc). Peds will be ear aches, asthma, diarrhea and respiratory infections, etc over and over again. If you go into GI, there are only so many conditions you are going to see through your endoscope. Surgeons regularly do a small set of procedures over and over again. OBs deliver babies the same way without complications the majority of the time. So I'm afraid derm is no better or worse than any of these, in terms of boredom. To do well in medicine, you have to do many hours of the same stuff. That's how you get good at it, and that's what your bread and butter business is going to be.

If you are an ADD type who always needs something new coming in the door, then perhaps something like EM will be more your style. But bear in mind that medicine is about the people, not the procedures. The people will all be different. The procedures in much of medicine are routine. It's not like TV, where they cull through thousands of conditions to find an interesting one to feature on this week's episode. Most of medicine is horses, not zebras. And horses are boring. Whether it's derm or something else.

So yeah, given that most of medicine is routine, and given that derm offers a better salary and better hours, it's not so surprising it is considered the ultimate lifestyle specialty.

I think this is one of the best posts I've read in a long while

 

[AmoryBlaine]

"Boring" and "Satisfaction" do not ever occur in the same sentence for me. Just because you are making a pile of money doesn't mean you will be "satisfied." How much would you dread every day if you had to go to a "boring" job every single morning? No thanks.

I put "boring" in quote very purposefully to indicate that I meant it in a tongue-in-cheek way. Seeing skin diseases in clinic all day would be considered "boring" by many gung-ho 25 year olds but when you are 55 you may be glad that your career does not involve night shifts, call, and not getting paid.

 

[neuro1617]

If it's wet, keep it dry
If it's dry, keep it wet
If it's not supposed to be there, take it off...
I'm pretty sure I'd find it extremely boring. But I'm interested in neurology soooo to each his own I guess. And I think the attraction for some is the schedule and pay.

 

[What the pho]

Keep in mind that what is "exciting" when you are 25 could very well turn out to be "exhausting" when you are 55.

Having a "boring" but extremely well-paying job may be a source of great satisfaction a bit futher down the road.

Seriously some of these niave premeds have no idea what they are getting in to. Some of them have never even worked a fulltime job let alone do 80 hours a week, work weekends and holidays or a 30 hour shift every 3rd or 4th day. I too was once brighteyed bushy tailed like so many of these young grasshoppers/padawans. Just go to some of these threads and you well see why so many of the best and brightest go into the ROAD specialties.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=195799

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=530435

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=524809

Trust me at age 50 or at 4 am:
-taking out your 10,000th gallblader gets old.
-being paged for BP of 152/90 gets old.
-working up your 10,000th chest pain rule out MI gets old.
-being paged for a K of 3.3 gets old.
-finding placement for yet another gomer gets old.
-giving aspirin for stroke gets old.
-knowing where the lesion is in the brain and not being able to do anything about it and writing "no neurosurgical intervention at this time" gets old.
-telling another fat ass to lose weight gets old.
-admitting another altered person rule out sepsis/brain bleed/5150 etc gets old.
-telling your dialysis patient to stop smoking crack gets old.
-admitting the guy who had a lung resected for cancer on home O2 who lite a cigerette and blew his face up gets old.
-working up another diabetic foot/amputation/osteomyelitis gets old.
-consulting sugery of abdo pain or medicine for high K gets old.

You guys have to realize that everything you do eventually becomes old hat. There is this joke "find the hottest model and I'll find you a guy who is tired of F!cking her." Being a doctor is job like anyother job, I enjoy it but I don't love it. I love having threesomes with strippers but I can't get paid for that so I have a job that well allow me more time and money to spend with strippers. I have enough excitement in my personal life I don't need the extra stress at work and the frustration that other specialties have.

Trust me when you do an open heart surgery and get reimbursed a few hundred dollars for it while the dentist is getting like 10-15 grand for some veeners, you'll get frustrated with medicine too and realize cash for procedures is the way to go. That's why many go into derm and even the family docs, internist, even ob/gyn's are opening up medical spas so they can get cash for cosmetic procedures. And as a dermie it isn't all about just treating people medically but the procedures that are fun and pay well. These procedures range from: skin cancer excision, cutaneous reconstruction of surgical defects, sclerotherapy, chemical peel, hair transplantation, dermabrasion, small-volume, liposuction, cutaneous soft tissue augmentation with injectable filler material, rhinophyma correction, and laser surgery.

 

[Dr. Xavier]

Seriously some of these niave premeds have no idea what they are getting in to. Some of them have never even worked a fulltime job let alone do 80 hours a week, work weekends and holidays or a 30 hour shift every 3rd or 4th day. I too was once brighteyed bushy tailed like so many of these young grasshoppers/padawans. Just go to some of these threads and you well see why so many of the best and brightest go into the ROAD specialties.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=195799

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=530435

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=524809

Trust me at age 50 or at 4 am:
-taking out your 10,000th gallblader gets old.
-being paged for BP of 152/90 gets old.
-working up your 10,000th chest pain rule out MI gets old.
-being paged for a K of 3.3 gets old.
-finding placement for yet another gomer gets old.
-giving aspirin for stroke gets old.
-knowing where the lesion is in the brain and not being able to do anything about it and writing "no neurosurgical intervention at this time" gets old.
-telling another fat ass to lose weight gets old.
-admitting another altered person rule out sepsis/brain bleed/5150 etc gets old.
-telling your dialysis patient to stop smoking crack gets old.
-admitting the guy who had a lung resected for cancer on home O2 who lite a cigerette and blew his face up gets old.
-working up another diabetic foot/amputation/osteomyelitis gets old.
-consulting sugery of abdo pain or medicine for high K gets old.

You guys have to realize that everything you do eventually becomes old hat. There is this joke "find the hottest model and I'll find you a guy who is tired of F!cking her." Being a doctor is job like anyother job, I enjoy it but I don't love it. I love having threesomes with strippers but I can't get paid for that so I have a job that well allow me more time and money to spend with strippers. I have enough excitement in my personal life I don't need the extra stress at work and the frustration that other specialties have.

Trust me when you do an open heart surgery and get reimbursed a few hundred dollars for it while the dentist is getting like 10-15 grand for some veeners, you'll get frustrated with medicine too and realize cash for procedures is the way to go. That's why many go into derm and even the family docs, internist, even ob/gyn's are opening up medical spas so they can get cash for cosmetic procedures. And as a dermie it isn't all about just treating people medically but the procedures that are fun and pay well. These procedures range from: skin cancer excision, cutaneous reconstruction of surgical defects, sclerotherapy, chemical peel, hair transplantation, dermabrasion, small-volume, liposuction, cutaneous soft tissue augmentation with injectable filler material, rhinophyma correction, and laser surgery.

Agreed a bunch of wet behind the ear premeds with no idea what they are getting into.

 

[Long Dong]

Derm is not boring it is the best specialty in the universe.

 

[MSHell]

If it's wet, keep it dry
If it's dry, keep it wet
If it's not supposed to be there, take it off...
I'm pretty sure I'd find it extremely boring. But I'm interested in neurology soooo to each his own I guess. And I think the attraction for some is the schedule and pay.

And the endless Rx options:

Abx vs. steroids vs both!

I thought all these things people said about derm were because they weren't good enough to match into derm. Well, a derm rotation later, and that's about all you get folks. Few treatment options + a carnival of colorful diseases. Cool for some, but I didn't like it.

 

[QbaLibre]

My aunt is a dermatologist, and all the time I spent with her in her office when I was in high school was... less than interesting. Every patient was one of two things:

a. steroid cream
b. "that looks suspicious, let's scoop it out and biopsy it" (spoiler: it is almost never melanoma)

So it was pretty repetitive and dull, but I guess it could be a lot worse, and the hours/money are pretty good from what I understand. Don't think I would like it myself, though.

 

[coldweatherblue]

"Boring" and "Satisfaction" do not ever occur in the same sentence for me. Just because you are making a pile of money doesn't mean you will be "satisfied." How much would you dread every day if you had to go to a "boring" job every single morning? No thanks.

depending on how easily you can amuse yourself, "boring" can also be "chill". I'd take a chill job that makes a pile of money and lets me work with fly skin-care honeys any day. 😎

 

[abcabc1]

I agree that any field can become repetitive after a while. Dermatology will be the same way, as a large percentage of patients will have similar concerns/issues.

My take on why Dermatology is desirable is not so much that it's 'chill' or the hours are lighter. To do well in Dermatology, one has to see a lot of patients at a fairly quick pace, so the days get busy. I think the nice part about Derm is that, when you're done working for the day, you are truly off until you start your next work day. Many Physicians in other fields are inundated with pages, phone calls, faxes, etc after they come home. It's like they're never really 'off' from work. I guess there are ways to minimize this in group settings, but it would be nice to be in a fields where you hardly ever have to be interrupted after finishing work for the day.

 

[Nilf]

My aunt is a dermatologist, and all the time I spent with her in her office when I was in high school was... less than interesting. Every patient was one of two things:

a. steroid cream
b. "that looks suspicious, let's scoop it out and biopsy it" (spoiler: it is almost never melanoma)

So it was pretty repetitive and dull, but I guess it could be a lot worse, and the hours/money are pretty good from what I understand. Don't think I would like it myself, though.

This is why dermatoPATHOLOGY >>> dermatology > everything else

Oh and I take a huge issue with 'almost never melanoma' part.

 

[paranoid_eyes]

believe it or not, EVERYTHING gets boring after doing it for like 20 years

 

[GeorgianCMV]

I work with a dermatologist as a medical assistant. He not only does general dermatology, but also dermatological surgery, called Mohs surgery. He has surgeries all morning, then we move to the general dermatology patients in the afternoon. I know that I don't want to go into dermatology, but the surgical aspects of it are anything but boring.

 

[dnagyrase]

i would think that if you do feel bored with derm, you can fight it for a few years by buying/doing fun stuff since you have the time and money to do so.

 

[rockydoc]

Go for emergency med or something broad with varying patient types if you dont want to "get bored" as easily

although I agree that each specialty will get redundant to you after several years anyway....

just do what you love....dont think about money/hours/etc.
I know an interventional radiologist and he admits that his work hours absolutely suck and he's always busy....but he LOVES his job...
so whatever

and for the record, I think derm is boring to start with

 

[Orthodoc40]

I see all the time how this is the ultimate quality of life specialty, but it just seems that it would be uber boring. Anyone else think this?

There isn't a specialty out there that doesn't have some boring, repetitiveness to it. Maybe ER is less but even then, for every unique and challenging case that comes in to the ER, how many more 'mundane' cases come in? Even surgeons tend to end up focusing on specific procedures after a while. I guess this has been said a hundred times already though...LOL...
Doing locum tenens work may provide a little more excitement just because you'd get to go different places, but - I haven't tried it myself to say.

 

[ManualEvac]

Trust me when you do an open heart surgery and get reimbursed a few hundred dollars for it while the dentist is getting like 10-15 grand for some veeners, you'll get frustrated with medicine too and realize cash for procedures is the way to go. That's why many go into derm and even the family docs, internist, even ob/gyn's are opening up medical spas so they can get cash for cosmetic procedures.

Can primary care realistically cash in on the derm market, or is there some sort of derm mafia retribution doled out to ambitious FPs who get the extra training? Seems like the derms would be pretty aggressive about protecting this type of cash cow. I'm asking as an ambitious potential FP with a strong business background.

 

[Instatewaiter]

But it's not like you'd ever have to diagnose a hidden brain tumor based on totally misleading symptoms. It's the skin, after all.

melanoma is one of the big metastasizers to the brain.

If it's wet, keep it dry
If it's dry, keep it wet
If it's not supposed to be there, take it off...
I'm pretty sure I'd find it extremely boring. But I'm interested in neurology soooo to each his own I guess. And I think the attraction for some is the schedule and pay.

And in neuro you will be dealing with strokes all day long, which again will get very repetitive.

There are a lot of specialties which would be cool if you didnt see the same old thing day in and day out. For instance, endocrinology would be pretty cool if you didnt just see diabetes all day.

 

[What the pho]

Can primary care realistically cash in on the derm market, or is there some sort of derm mafia retribution doled out to ambitious FPs who get the extra training? Seems like the derms would be pretty aggressive about protecting this type of cash cow. I'm asking as an ambitious potential FP with a strong business background.

The thing with derm is that even though others like FP and IM are trying to get some of the cosmetic pie you'll still find dermies who have medical derm only pratices with 2 month waits. So with others trying to get some of skin pie it's no sweat off the dermies back.