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I am a current US medical student who is in love with derm. However, I am a bit anxious about future job security of the specialty and would like to know what you all think of my reasoning.
The first issue I see is increasing scope of practice from mid-levels. There are several nurse practitioners near me that own entire practices with not a single physician employed. Looking through the lists of services offered it appears no different from a clinic that is staffed with dermatologists. They do everything from botox injections to diagnosing and removing skin cancer. While people make the argument that someone will always prefer to see a doctor, in real life I see that many patients don't even notice that the provider seeing them is not an MD or DO. If mid levels can also provide these services for lower prices, I am struggling to see how this isn't bad news for the future of dermatology.
The second issue is AI. Yes, I am aware that folks have been preaching the end of several jobs from the dawn of the personal computer, but it is difficult to ignore how rapidly AI is advancing. There are numerous startups who have the very specific goal of developing devices and software to diagnose skin conditions. Yes, these technologies are likely a ways away, but I will need a job for at least the next 30 years. The argument I hear against this is that companies will not want the liability and will always want a dermatologist to check the work. Yes, this may be true, but how many dermatologists are needed to do this?
While I do not believe that dermatologists will become completely obsolete in my lifetime, I do think that these two factors will heavily impact job security and compensation.
I really hope that I am wrong and there are flaws in my reasoning. What do you all think?
The first issue I see is increasing scope of practice from mid-levels. There are several nurse practitioners near me that own entire practices with not a single physician employed. Looking through the lists of services offered it appears no different from a clinic that is staffed with dermatologists. They do everything from botox injections to diagnosing and removing skin cancer. While people make the argument that someone will always prefer to see a doctor, in real life I see that many patients don't even notice that the provider seeing them is not an MD or DO. If mid levels can also provide these services for lower prices, I am struggling to see how this isn't bad news for the future of dermatology.
The second issue is AI. Yes, I am aware that folks have been preaching the end of several jobs from the dawn of the personal computer, but it is difficult to ignore how rapidly AI is advancing. There are numerous startups who have the very specific goal of developing devices and software to diagnose skin conditions. Yes, these technologies are likely a ways away, but I will need a job for at least the next 30 years. The argument I hear against this is that companies will not want the liability and will always want a dermatologist to check the work. Yes, this may be true, but how many dermatologists are needed to do this?
While I do not believe that dermatologists will become completely obsolete in my lifetime, I do think that these two factors will heavily impact job security and compensation.
I really hope that I am wrong and there are flaws in my reasoning. What do you all think?
