Derm is boring

[NebelDO]

We have now begun Derm in our systems courses of the second year. I find it has been so far the most boring course ever. There is no way that I would do this specialty for the money or the hours. it would get really old really quick. For all of you that wish upon a star for derm..you can have it...

Not to offend those of you out there that really like it..

Did anybody else feel this way after having Derm in the systems?

I think id rather work 80 hrs , get paid less and by happy then work 40hrs. get paid more, and be miserable.

just my opinion..

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[banner]

I'm not going into derm but...

Have you ever worked 80 hours a week? How about 100 or 120? Do you think that every minute of that week is spent doing what you "love"? And even if it did, do you still think you would love it? Would your favorite TV show still be your favorite TV show if you had to watch it for 80 hours a week? Would you enjoy the beach if you had to be on it 80 hours a week?

Hate to break it to you, but in specialties in which you cannot receive fee for service, there isn't much room for what you "love". BUt there's plenty of paperwork and HMO beaurucrats to deal with. What could be more boring than that?

Many attendings in other specialties that they thought they "love would go back a do derm and enjoy all the money and free time.
So many say "Go into derm...".

Dermatologists are one of the few types of physicians that make they're patients happy. Trust me, nobody gives a rat's ass if you cure their hypertension. And if you save them from an MI, they'll complain about the food. But, they'll think you're a god if you get rid of their zits.

Remember, people will pay for what they want and not for what they need.

I'm not saying that derm is for everybody, but be careful about thinking that you could love something so much that you'd want to do it for 80 hours a week and nothing else. Very few people are really like this. Most (not all) that are are mentally ill.

Think about it.

 

[chef]

well, DOs cant go into derm residencies anyway, so i'm glad u found it boring!

 

[NebelDO]

yes we can..although i dont plan on going into it..DO's have just as good a shot as anyone. i know at least in the DO world there many derm residencies, i know there is one at our school.

but its ok chef, your negative attitude only makes people work harder to prove you wrong.

 

[tripleJ]

approx 16 DO residencies
5 DOs in allopathic programs last year:
http://mywebpages.comcast.net/longk/DermMatch2003.htm

Learn a little bit about what you speak before commenting; you will appear smarter, chief

 

[ny skindoc]

I counted 2 DOs on this match list.(NEOUCOM is an allopathic school I believe-though it may not sound like it!(http://www.neoucom.edu/AboutNEOUCOM.html).Yes, a number of DOs have matched to allopathic Derm over the past few years,so it is possible but very difficult.If there are 16 DO Derm residency programs then that is a tremendous opportunity for DO applicants since they will be competing against a more limited group.Perhaps giving them a much better chance to enter this field then most allopathic applicants have.

 

[tripleJ]

My bad- I thought it was a DO school.
OK- 2 last year, one the year before.
Ahh, forget it.. CHEF is right, I renounce my DO degree and will forget about DERM.

 

[CambieMD]

I am sure that extremely strong DO candidates have and will cotinue to match in derm. From what I understand, derm is an extermely competitive specialty.

NebelDo, you have not given much thought to your initial statement. You are a second year so you do not understand how the "real" world works. I am not a dermatologist but I know one very well. I have yet to understand his office hours. Monday- Wednsday 9-5:00 closed for lunch 12-1:00. Do not waste your time calling durung lunch hours. "Can you page the doctor for me."You must be joking he doesn't carry a pager. "We don't take that insurance ,we don't take this insurance.WE prefer not to take that insurance either. We don't like checks. "Mam I think it would be easier for us if you just paid cash and sent my bill to the insurance company.

Banner is right. Most people don't care that they are morbidly obese but they are concerned that they have a rash on their nose. They hypertensive patient will skip an office visit but that guy with the rash"down there" will call to verify his appointment.

 

[CambieMD]

I hate it when I push the wrong button.

You see Nebel DO, whether or not derm is boring is not the issue.

The reality is that a person who makes a lot of money and spends less time earning it can diversify. The extra 40 hours that you spend working could be spent pursuing a hobby or looking into new investments. I know of one physician with a massive sailboat. Need I say more.

 

[NebelDO]

dont get me wrong..
some of the exotic derm path is cool.(Lupus and Dermato,CREST) Its boring me to tears in class. i have worked out there in the REAL world as you call it when i was in college and i know how the buisness works. all im saying is that for me, personally i wouldnt want to spend time doing something that i would be misreable doing..thats just me.

besides i could care less about having a sailboat, id rather by a nice piece of art or donate some of that money to charity.(the American Cancer Society is close to my heart).

CamieMD if you are going into derm i wish you luck..

 

[the_wiseguy]

nebel- i understand where you are coming from. i initially thought that way about derm when i was at your stage of med. school...but after doing an elective at SUNY-downstate in fourth yr. i realized that derm was acutually a great specialty...the
points raised by banner et al. really are voiced repeatedly by so many- don't be surprised if you change your tune in a couple of years...

in the end i think an academic mind who enjoys medicine in general could easily get into derm and would get more satisfaction in the clinic (e.g. treating zits v. treating HTN). i for one will likely end up in an IM univ-program, however, as i am a canadian who is an aussie grad. and not derm. but hey i've always worked hard so 80-100 hrs./wk shouldn't be so bad...

 

[bobo]

Sorry for hijacking this thrrad but nebel why don't you go crawl back under a seashell. I don't really like derm either but I don't feel the need to go professing it on an internet bulletin board to everyone. Derm is 1000x better than many medicine careers, why do you think it is so popular? And your statement

DO's have just as good a shot as anyone

is ridiculous. Come visit the "real world" anytime now. Of course a couple of DO's match into allopathic derm each year, they are the exception. They are complete superstars. Forget about it otherwise - like the DO student who was #1 in the class at PCOM with stellar board scores and didn't match allopathic. Matching into a DO derm spot is not easy at all either.

 

[bla_3x]

I have nothing against derm myself...just not my cup of chai. Although yes it will be harder for us to match into competitive allo spots, no slouch allo grad is likely to make it either. I think the best man/woman for a certain job should get it. Be them an MD or a DO.
Whether people on either side like it or not docs do come in 2 subtly different, yet equally strong flavors.

I know that this is such a ridiculous ideal...equallity! Sure, some PDs are still medical bigots, but slowly but surely it is comming around.

 

[PimplePopperMD]

Originally posted by bla_3x


I know that this is such a ridiculous ideal...equallity! Sure, some PDs are still medical bigots, but slowly but surely it is comming around.

Right, equality!

Every school is equal.

Every education is equal.

My board scores are equal.

Wait, maybe they aren't. But isn't that discriminatory?!?! Don't be a bigot!

 

[bla_3x]

Yea, I'm a bigot!

 

[gary5]

I enjoy the casual, friendly nature of derm patient visits. So, for me, it's not boring at all. I enjoy it.

If you consider patient visits to be boring, then you might enjoy surgery or research instead. Definitely choose your specialty primarily by what you enjoy. If money is your primary deciding factor, then you may end up unhappy. I'm a nontrad and I've worked with people who enjoy their work and people who don't. No amount of $ is worth hating your job, because you end up hating your life. Your spouse has a partner who hates their life, and your (someday) children have a parent who hates their life. It affects everything.