Strong sign of intelligence? Foresight? Insight? Firm grounding reality? Simple economic literacy? Need I go on?[/QUOTE]
Haha. Had to create an account just to commend this commenter. Great retort. I recall in my intern year being astonished at all the comments coming my way for going into derm. Obvious insecurities from many other specialties. Meanwhile, I was pleasantly surprised that the derms I worked with never complained or talked bad about getting endless consults for "bilateral cellulitis" or "refractory eczema."
In fact, I've always felt we need to be more proactive in the hospital. I was an intern on service when we referred a lady with GI sxs and a rash to derm. The derm attending correctly diagnosed degos' within minutes of looking at the colonoscopy images and her rash. Derm sent her to oncology to get on a drug for degos that is only managed by hem/onc or pulm. We got her back on service and she later died that hospitalization because the oncologist was skeptical of the dx and ran some tests that supported it not being degos (which they confirmed she did have after she died) and she never even got the medication. She probably could've only extended her life a year or two, but striking how other specialties view dermatology knowledge/ability to treat serious diseases. It's not like derm applicants don't have highest class rank, board scores, or best general applications, year after year. But we have a long way to go to prove this to our peers, as evidenced by constant comments coming from those like our valiant, charitable, altruistic commenter, panthers88.