Working in dermatology: 5 Pros and 5 Cons

Working in dermatology: 5 Pros and 5 Cons

Dermatology is not for everyone. Here goes.

5 Pros – why should I work in dermatology

1. The hours are largely social. As a consultant you will not often be working at night, weekends, and bank holidays. Some consultants will be on an oncall rota, but this is usually just for advice; they don’t often have to come in at night
2. Quite alot of clinical immunology. For those of you that like clinical immunology and pathology, this may be a place for you. Biological agents are increasingly used. Though some specialties like nephrology or haematology have more but are higher paced (with quite alot of unsocial hours)
3. Variety and continuity. There is a huge variety of patients and illnesses – from common ones like eczema and psoriasis; to rare ones like HSP. There are many long-term patients with the common diseases who you will get really fond of. There is also alot of contact with oncologists and plastic surgeons, which is stimulating
4. Little general medicine. Dermatological disease is very common. This means all hospitals have them, from small local hospitals to large teaching hospitals. Though even in smaller hospitals, consultants rarely have to do general medical takes, that do not always interest them that much
5. Finance. And there is alot of private practice as a consultant. But you can seriously boost your salary by doing private clinics.

5 Cons – why you may not want to work in dermatology

Here is a list of cons for dermatology.

1. Procedures. There are not alot of procedures. So if you are practical and like using your hands, and want to be a physician, this may not be a specialty for you
2. Practice general medicine. Even though are great first hand learning opportunities, there is little general medicine after the registrar stage. This is a pro and con of course
3. Senior supervision. This is usually good but perhaps not as close (and stifling!) as some medical specialties. There are pros and cons to this issue, e.g. it does promote independent thinking
4. Slower pace. Whilst most staff enjoy the even, others miss a specialty where there is a faster pace
5. Emotionally draining. In dermatology, you are likely to encounter some pain and tragedy – e.g. a lot of deaths from melanoma. Seeing such things can be emotionally draining. And that’s doubly true when patients die before you can save them. While it is important to have empathy for your patients, the best dermatology staff need the ability to remain slightly detached and emotionally healthy, even in the face of other people’s suffering.

Summary

We have described working in dermatology, and its pros and cons. We hope you have learnt something.