Can I become a doctor if I have eczema?

[r7p3]

I am actually wanting to go into one of the surgical specialties if possible. My eczema is not too severe, however my skin becomes very itchy at times and I am afraid that it will stop me from pursuing my career path. I am still a teenager and hope that my skin condition will subside.
So has anyone else been through a similar experience or am I too ambitious?

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[TraumaBlonde]

I have an auto immune and my skin symptoms were severe, they're still not completely gone, but the answer is yes you can be a doctor and, there are solutions

 

[Winged Scapula]

Dear <insert user name>,

I'm sorry to hear about your unfortunate diagnosis of <insert disease>. Fortunately, there are many treatments for <insert disease> and if your <insert disease> is well controlled, then there is relatively little reason it would affect your ability to become a <insert specialty>.

Finally <insert obligatory statement about it being several years before you choose a specialty and you may not end up being interested in surgery anyway, so don't worry about it or alternatively, please do a search for dozens of similar threads>.

Best of luck to you.

 

[MDDoubleD]

Dear <insert user name>,

I'm sorry to hear about your unfortunate diagnosis of <insert disease>. Fortunately, there are many treatments for <insert disease> and if your <insert disease> is well controlled, then there is relatively little reason it would affect your ability to become a <insert specialty>.

Finally <insert obligatory statement about it being several years before you choose a specialty and you may not end up being interested in surgery anyway, so don't worry about it or alternatively, please do a search for dozens of similar threads>.

Best of luck to you.

Be grateful this is all you got to deal with, I once got asked by a 30+ year old patient, in all seriousness, if I'd had to work very hard to go to med school. I'm glad he was a spine patient as touching his brain would've been the death of me.

 

[Winged Scapula]

Be grateful this is all you got to deal with, I once got asked by a 30+ year old patient, in all seriousness, if I'd had to work very hard to go to med school. I'm glad he was a spine patient as touching his brain would've been the death of me.

Oh we've all heard it: from the families that tell us that their rad tech cousin is in medical school, to nurses that tell us they know more/are better than us, to those that assume they understand everything because "Dr Google" told them so, its frustrating.

 

[MDDoubleD]

Oh we've all heard it: from the families that tell us that their rad tech cousin is in medical school, to nurses that tell us they know more/are better than us, to those that assume they understand everything because "Dr Google" told them so, its frustrating.

Well Google is a doctor but he's a DO, so....

 

[r7p3]

Be grateful this is all you got to deal with, I once got asked by a 30+ year old patient, in all seriousness, if I'd had to work very hard to go to med school. I'm glad he was a spine patient as touching his brain would've been the death of me.

In fact I suffer from hair loss and IBS as well.
What happens if I start itching during a procedure? Won't hygiene precautions be breached?

 

[r7p3]

Dear <insert user name>,

I'm sorry to hear about your unfortunate diagnosis of <insert disease>. Fortunately, there are many treatments for <insert disease> and if your <insert disease> is well controlled, then there is relatively little reason it would affect your ability to become a <insert specialty>.

Finally <insert obligatory statement about it being several years before you choose a specialty and you may not end up being interested in surgery anyway, so don't worry about it or alternatively, please do a search for dozens of similar threads>.

Best of luck to you.

The reason why I have selected such a field is because skin conditions etc. might have a big effect on performance and reliability etc.
Hope I can find a way past my concerns...

 

[jl lin]

Oh we've all heard it: from the families that tell us that their rad tech cousin is in medical school, to nurses that tell us they know more/are better than us, to those that assume they understand everything because "Dr Google" told them so, its frustrating.

There are nurses telling you this???? Why they are not supposed to tell you, even if they think it.

 

[Winged Scapula]

There are nurses telling you this???? Why they are not supposed to tell you, even if they think it.

Oh they don't say it to MY face but I've heard it claimed elsewhere and of course, the Mary Mundingers of the world would have you believing it's true for all APNs.

 

[Winged Scapula]

In fact I suffer from hair loss and IBS as well.
What happens if I start itching during a procedure? Won't hygiene precautions be breached?

Mind over matter. Mind over matter.

You CANNOT itch or scratch yourself during a sterile procedure.

 

[jl lin]

Mind over matter. Mind over matter.

You CANNOT itch or scratch yourself during a sterile procedure.

See, yet another example of how surgeons suffer!

 

[Winged Scapula]

See, yet another example of how surgeons suffer!

It's not suffering if you consider it a mental exercise of strength and willpower.

It's only bad when you're really snotty and you can't blow your nose.

 

[22031 Alum]

See, yet another example of how surgeons suffer!

I actually have pretty bad eczema, and tend to be an "itchy" person overall. Yet when I'm in the OR and focused, it's never been a problem.

 

[Light at end of tunnel]

Mind over matter. Mind over matter.

You CANNOT itch or scratch yourself during a sterile procedure.

Well said. God that would irritate the crap out of me when I was scrubbed in.

Worse: itch is gone as soon as I break scrub. Arggh.

 

[Traitor Kaepernick]

Well said. God that would irritate the crap out of me when I was scrubbed in.

Worse: itch is gone as soon as I break scrub. Arggh.

Or when glasses fog. I was scared to cough or sneeze during my first surgery rotation because I didn't want to get yelled at.

 

[Domperidone]

Or when glasses fog. I was scared to cough or sneeze during my first surgery rotation because I didn't want to get yelled at.

lol i like this thread revive.

I once bought new glasses (MISTAAKKE) on my surg rotation as a student.
They turned out to be too big for my face. I learned that as they proceeded to nearly fall off my face. No one noticed.
But I had to angle my face funny the next few hours. To try to keep them on and see at the same time.

Another time I had an asthma flare up. also on surgery. and then during exams. i inhaled so much albuterol I had tremors.
needless to say..there were so many uncomfortable moments but if you're focussed so much on something it can help you shut things off to a degree.

 

[Traitor Kaepernick]

lol i like this thread revive.

I once bought new glasses (MISTAAKKE) on my surg rotation as a student.
They turned out to be too big for my face. I learned that as they proceeded to nearly fall off my face. No one noticed.
But I had to angle my face funny the next few hours. To try to keep them on and see at the same time.

Another time I had an asthma flare up. also on surgery. and then during exams. i inhaled so much albuterol I had tremors.
needless to say..there were so many uncomfortable moments but if you're focussed so much on something it can help you shut things off to a degree.

You struggle with glasses for an hour and then when the surgeon needs his nose itched or glasses adjusted he just tells the circulator to itch/fix.

Most surgeons understand stuff happens like this, but as medical students new to surgery we are scared to death to make any mistakes. My first day I kept thinking hands above waist, below shoulder, don't touch anything, hands above waist, below shoulder, don't touch anything. I worked with a short surgeon and the height of the table was slightly at or below my waist.

 

[Moose A Moose]

OP, there are several students in my class that have varying degrees of eczema. It sucks, and they hate it, but it hasn't held them back in the slightest with academics or on rotation.

The ones who get serious bouts from time to time keep their symptoms in check with a quality moisturizing lotion and topical steroid (from derm).

 

[kemper6036]

It's not suffering if you consider it a mental exercise of strength and willpower.

It's only bad when you're really snotty and you can't blow your nose.

that's why I grew a 'stache