programs Match the Promise

Behind the Scenes of a Dermatologist

Hayden – future dermatologist

I want to be a Dermatologist because I am really interested in the skin and I want to be able to make my own money and support myself when I'm older.

The type of education I will need for a Dermatologist is earning a bachelor's degree, but I would like to get my masters degree. I also need to become a Medical Doctor (MD) or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO). I need to be an Intern of one year for required medical training. I am also required to complete an accredited dermatology residency program which is at least three years.

The opportunities of a Dermatologist in the future are that he/she will understand skin diseases and will be able to help others or their kids. As we age, we pay more attention to skin health. One in five Americans will develop skin cancer in the course of a life time. It might be that we just want to keep up with our appearance, and we are at a point in life where that requires more effort. Either way, patients sixty years of age and older consume 42 percent of dermatology services in the United States. That population is only growing larger.

About a year ago I started to have a lot of acne so my mom took me to see a Dermatologist. He was super fast and nice. Everything he said to do worked out for me too. That's when I decided I want to be one, I wanted to be just like him.

Hayden's essay appears here as written, to preserve the young author’s unique voice and individual writing style. However, we have deleted personally identifiable information to protect the student’s privacy.