3 answers
raneem
Student
Clifton, New Jersey
2
Questions
Asked
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what are the steps to become a dermatologist
I would love to become a dermatologist but nobody is explaining the steps of becoming one. What's the college studying like? How's the work hours? Is it worth it?
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3 answers
Doc Frick
Career Coach and Mentor
1614
Answers
California, CA
Updated
Doc’s Answer
Raneem to become a Dermatologist it takes an additional 12 years education and training to complete after highschool. Dermatologists work in a variety of settings, including private practices, hospitals, and clinics. Their workplace environment can vary depending on the specific type of dermatology they specialize in and the size of the facility they work in. Many dermatologists work in private practices, which can range from a small office to a large clinic. In these settings, dermatologists typically have their own examination rooms and may have a small staff to assist with administrative tasks, scheduling appointments, and assisting with patient care. Dermatologists may also work in hospitals, either as employees or as part of a group practice. In hospital settings, dermatologists may have access to a wider range of resources, including specialized medical equipment, support staff, and a broader network of medical professionals. They may work closely with other specialists, such as oncologists or plastic surgeons, to provide comprehensive care to patients with complex skin conditions. Regardless of their workplace setting, dermatologists typically work long hours, including evenings and weekends, to accommodate patients' schedules. Some dermatologists may also be on-call to respond to emergencies or consult with other medical professionals.
📚 BACHELOR'S DEGREE (4-YEARS)
Most dermatologists have at least a bachelor’s degree to work in this field. Common areas of study for these professions include biology, chemistry and physics, which help them prepare for medical school and provide a basis of various medical concepts they use. Medical schools often require students to take other prerequisite courses during their undergraduate studies, such as mathematics, anatomy and english.
✅ PASS THE MCAT
Before you finish your bachelor's degree, take and pass the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT). This exam takes about seven and a half hours, and it includes sections on biology, chemistry, psychology and critical analysis. Medical schools often have this as the top requirement for applying, and many universities automatically reject applications if a candidate doesn’t score above a certain baseline on the exam.
Ⓜ️ MEDICAL SCHOOL (4-YEARS)
To pursue a career in dermatology, consider attending an accredited medical school. The first two years often include mostly classroom study and laboratory sessions, which can help you learn the basics of practicing medicine.
Common coursework includes anatomy, biochemistry, pathology and pharmacology. After your second year, you take the first part of the United States Medical Licensing Exam (USMLE). During your third and fourth years in medical school, you can expect to join clinical rotations with experienced doctors. During this time, you practice diagnosing and treating patients under professional supervision and rotate through various clinical areas, such as emergency care, obstetrics, internal medicine and psychiatry. Before your final year of medical school, you take the second part of the USMLE.
🩻 DERMATOLOGY RESIDENCY (4-YEARS)
After finishing medical school and passing the first two parts of the USMLE, you can complete a four-year dermatology residency. Aspiring dermatologists typically spend the first year of this being an intern for an institution’s general surgery or internal medicine program. They then have three years of clinical residency in their discipline. At the end of the residency, they take and pass the last part of the USMLE, which is a requirement to earn a license to practice dermatology.
📚 BACHELOR'S DEGREE (4-YEARS)
Most dermatologists have at least a bachelor’s degree to work in this field. Common areas of study for these professions include biology, chemistry and physics, which help them prepare for medical school and provide a basis of various medical concepts they use. Medical schools often require students to take other prerequisite courses during their undergraduate studies, such as mathematics, anatomy and english.
✅ PASS THE MCAT
Before you finish your bachelor's degree, take and pass the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT). This exam takes about seven and a half hours, and it includes sections on biology, chemistry, psychology and critical analysis. Medical schools often have this as the top requirement for applying, and many universities automatically reject applications if a candidate doesn’t score above a certain baseline on the exam.
Ⓜ️ MEDICAL SCHOOL (4-YEARS)
To pursue a career in dermatology, consider attending an accredited medical school. The first two years often include mostly classroom study and laboratory sessions, which can help you learn the basics of practicing medicine.
Common coursework includes anatomy, biochemistry, pathology and pharmacology. After your second year, you take the first part of the United States Medical Licensing Exam (USMLE). During your third and fourth years in medical school, you can expect to join clinical rotations with experienced doctors. During this time, you practice diagnosing and treating patients under professional supervision and rotate through various clinical areas, such as emergency care, obstetrics, internal medicine and psychiatry. Before your final year of medical school, you take the second part of the USMLE.
🩻 DERMATOLOGY RESIDENCY (4-YEARS)
After finishing medical school and passing the first two parts of the USMLE, you can complete a four-year dermatology residency. Aspiring dermatologists typically spend the first year of this being an intern for an institution’s general surgery or internal medicine program. They then have three years of clinical residency in their discipline. At the end of the residency, they take and pass the last part of the USMLE, which is a requirement to earn a license to practice dermatology.
Thank you, Doc!
raneem
Rita Chuang
Physician
206
Answers
Henderson, Nevada
Updated
Rita’s Answer
As above:
4 years high school
4 years college
4 years of medical school
4 years of internship/residency
Just to let you know, Dermatology is very competitive so when you are in medical school, you will need to be at the top your game. The hours of studying are long and stressful. I advise anyone interested in medicine to work as a medical scribe. This allows you to see what doctors actually do, they train you, you get paid but most important, you will get to learn the language of medicine and see what's important. When you go through medical school, it will be a little easier. The students that rotated with me who worked as a scribe were much sharper and their presentations were more organized because they had the experience.
4 years high school
4 years college
4 years of medical school
4 years of internship/residency
Just to let you know, Dermatology is very competitive so when you are in medical school, you will need to be at the top your game. The hours of studying are long and stressful. I advise anyone interested in medicine to work as a medical scribe. This allows you to see what doctors actually do, they train you, you get paid but most important, you will get to learn the language of medicine and see what's important. When you go through medical school, it will be a little easier. The students that rotated with me who worked as a scribe were much sharper and their presentations were more organized because they had the experience.
Michael Torio
Consultant - Data Reporting & Analysis (HQ Finance)
361
Answers
Alpharetta, Georgia
Updated
Michael’s Answer
Hi Raneem:
While in high school, one will need to focus on science and math classes to prepare to be a Dermatologist. Chemistry and biology will be the core science courses. For math, algebra, calculus and statistics will be needed. Both concentrations will enable you to focus and refine your analytical skills for research; complex problem solving; investigative and innovative critical thinking; attention to detail; etc.
Other skills that will need to be built upon center around team building, team work and communication. In any work culture, collaboration among team members, staff and partner departments occur on a daily basis. As a Dermatologist, communication is essential and critical when dealing with clinical staff and patients. A college course in Public Speaking, Communication and English will help with one's communication and writing skills.
To become a Dermatologist, a Bachelor Degree in Biology, Chemistry, pre-med or another science related field has to be earned at a college or university. Afterwards, a Doctorate Degree from an accredited medical school has to be obtained. The next phase will be training through a medical residency as well as medical certification and licensing.
For education and training, it will take up to 12 years to become a Dermatologist. The Bachelor Degree will be between 4-5 years. Medical school (Allopathic (MD Degree)) or Osteopathic (DO Degree) will be another 4-5 years. Medical residency, medical certification and licensing can take up to 3-4 years. Dermatology Certification is obtained via governing entities such as the American Osteopathic Board of Dermatology or the American Board of Dermatology.
Here are the top colleges and universities to consider for Dermatology:
- Harvard University
- Harvard Medical School
- University of Pennsylvania
- Northwestern University
- University of Miami
- Ichan School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (New York)
- University of California (San Francisco)
- John Hopkins University
- Yale University
- University of California (San Diego)
- Stanford University
While in college, here are some undergraduate degrees to major in order to become a Dermatologist:
- Organic Chemistry
- Biochemistry
- Biology
- Chemistry
It will be best to seek advice from your high school guidance counselor as well as teachers to help you focus your interests for a specific major in college. Once you are in college, you will be assigned an academic advisor to help guide your educational pathway to become a Dermatologist. Also, professors and fellow dermatology students will be great resources for information, guidance, etc.
When reviewing colleges and universities, it is best to check the following:
- In-State vs Out of State Tuition
- Internships
- Scholarships
- Career Placement upon graduation
- Course work and offered classes
- Post-Graduate Degrees - Master and Doctoral
There will be a application fee to pay for when submitting college applications. The amount of application fee will depend on the college that you are applying to. If there are questions about the college application process, please reach out to the college's Registrar Office.
There are scholarships based on need, academic performance, school activities, sports involvement and community service. So, it will be to your advantage to seek out these types of scholarships. All of the academic staff at your high school that you interact with can write letters of recommendations for you based on what was just stated above. These recommendations can greatly help when filling out college and scholarship applications.
College and scholarship applications can start to be submitted during your Junior year and will continue throughout your Senior year in high school. It is best to ask your Academic Advisor/School Counselor on the timeline process as well. College and scholarship applications will have specific deadlines and requirements to meet in order to be submitted for review and consideration.
You may want to start to compile your resume/portfolio since a majority of scholarship applications will require academic grade point average (GPA), academic accomplishments, school activities (clubs, sports, etc.), community involvement (volunteer, church, etc.), academic and personal recommendations, etc. There may be essay requirements on why you are a qualified candidate to receive the scholarship and gain the entry to the college of your choice, what your future goals are academically and professionally and other questions centering around who you are, your beliefs, etc.
Here are a couple of links for College Scholarships:
https://www.mometrix.com/blog/scholarships-for-college/
https://www.nchchonors.org/students/awards-scholarships/national-scholarships
Also, it will be best to check with the colleges and universities that you will be applying to. You can check with the School/Department of your desired major, the Campus Career Center and the Register's Office for additional information for college scholarships and grants and specific requirements for qualifications.
There should be no limit on the amount of scholarships that one can apply to. It will take time to fill out the scholarship applications and provide all of the necessary required information. Also, there should no fee and no cost to fill out and submit scholarship applications. If there is a fee or cost that is associated with a scholarship application, then please do not send this particular scholarship application in. It will be a scam and money will be lost.
Best wishes for your education and career path as a Dermatologist!
While in high school, one will need to focus on science and math classes to prepare to be a Dermatologist. Chemistry and biology will be the core science courses. For math, algebra, calculus and statistics will be needed. Both concentrations will enable you to focus and refine your analytical skills for research; complex problem solving; investigative and innovative critical thinking; attention to detail; etc.
Other skills that will need to be built upon center around team building, team work and communication. In any work culture, collaboration among team members, staff and partner departments occur on a daily basis. As a Dermatologist, communication is essential and critical when dealing with clinical staff and patients. A college course in Public Speaking, Communication and English will help with one's communication and writing skills.
To become a Dermatologist, a Bachelor Degree in Biology, Chemistry, pre-med or another science related field has to be earned at a college or university. Afterwards, a Doctorate Degree from an accredited medical school has to be obtained. The next phase will be training through a medical residency as well as medical certification and licensing.
For education and training, it will take up to 12 years to become a Dermatologist. The Bachelor Degree will be between 4-5 years. Medical school (Allopathic (MD Degree)) or Osteopathic (DO Degree) will be another 4-5 years. Medical residency, medical certification and licensing can take up to 3-4 years. Dermatology Certification is obtained via governing entities such as the American Osteopathic Board of Dermatology or the American Board of Dermatology.
Here are the top colleges and universities to consider for Dermatology:
- Harvard University
- Harvard Medical School
- University of Pennsylvania
- Northwestern University
- University of Miami
- Ichan School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (New York)
- University of California (San Francisco)
- John Hopkins University
- Yale University
- University of California (San Diego)
- Stanford University
While in college, here are some undergraduate degrees to major in order to become a Dermatologist:
- Organic Chemistry
- Biochemistry
- Biology
- Chemistry
It will be best to seek advice from your high school guidance counselor as well as teachers to help you focus your interests for a specific major in college. Once you are in college, you will be assigned an academic advisor to help guide your educational pathway to become a Dermatologist. Also, professors and fellow dermatology students will be great resources for information, guidance, etc.
When reviewing colleges and universities, it is best to check the following:
- In-State vs Out of State Tuition
- Internships
- Scholarships
- Career Placement upon graduation
- Course work and offered classes
- Post-Graduate Degrees - Master and Doctoral
There will be a application fee to pay for when submitting college applications. The amount of application fee will depend on the college that you are applying to. If there are questions about the college application process, please reach out to the college's Registrar Office.
There are scholarships based on need, academic performance, school activities, sports involvement and community service. So, it will be to your advantage to seek out these types of scholarships. All of the academic staff at your high school that you interact with can write letters of recommendations for you based on what was just stated above. These recommendations can greatly help when filling out college and scholarship applications.
College and scholarship applications can start to be submitted during your Junior year and will continue throughout your Senior year in high school. It is best to ask your Academic Advisor/School Counselor on the timeline process as well. College and scholarship applications will have specific deadlines and requirements to meet in order to be submitted for review and consideration.
You may want to start to compile your resume/portfolio since a majority of scholarship applications will require academic grade point average (GPA), academic accomplishments, school activities (clubs, sports, etc.), community involvement (volunteer, church, etc.), academic and personal recommendations, etc. There may be essay requirements on why you are a qualified candidate to receive the scholarship and gain the entry to the college of your choice, what your future goals are academically and professionally and other questions centering around who you are, your beliefs, etc.
Here are a couple of links for College Scholarships:
https://www.mometrix.com/blog/scholarships-for-college/
https://www.nchchonors.org/students/awards-scholarships/national-scholarships
Also, it will be best to check with the colleges and universities that you will be applying to. You can check with the School/Department of your desired major, the Campus Career Center and the Register's Office for additional information for college scholarships and grants and specific requirements for qualifications.
There should be no limit on the amount of scholarships that one can apply to. It will take time to fill out the scholarship applications and provide all of the necessary required information. Also, there should no fee and no cost to fill out and submit scholarship applications. If there is a fee or cost that is associated with a scholarship application, then please do not send this particular scholarship application in. It will be a scam and money will be lost.
Best wishes for your education and career path as a Dermatologist!
Thank you for giving me advice.
raneem