When I tell people I want to be a dermatologist...

I get the following reactions:

1) "Oh, so will you be the next Vicky Belo?"

To which I reply, "No. I will be the Weena Sabido." hahaha. No, seriously, Vicky Belo is such a big name in dermatology and I respect her for all the success she's had because of her hard work, but I don't see myself catering only to the cosmetic side of the field. I want to subspecialize in dermatologic allergology.

2) "What?! You're taking 5 years of med school just to be a dermatologist?!"

To which I reply, grrrrr. Just to be a dermatologist is freak ass hard! To get into the dermatology program of UP-PGH, the the premier teaching hospital in the country, you'd have to take the entrance exam and compete with, not just a host of other dermatology hopefuls, but also the med school topnotchers who want to go into the internal medicine program. That means you'd have to be topnotch if you want to get into the PGH dermatology program. PGH only takes in 5 dermatology residents every year. And, come on. Try diagnosing that skin lesion you got in between your toes. Chances are you won't even know how to pronounce its medical name, much less differentiate it from the similar skin lesion you got behind your ears, much less properly treat it.

3) "Why dermatology? Walang challenge."

To which I again reply, grrrrrr. Please refer to no. 2. Just because dermatologists are stereotyped for catering to beauty, it would be wrong, very wrong, to think that they've got no cerebral matter behind those beautiful faces. Dermatologists do not become dermatologists after a one-month seminar on zit-busting. Dermatologists become just(!) dermatologists after 5 years of med school and 3-4 more years of residency. Add another year or 2 for fellowship.

4) "Didn't you once say that you wanted to be a neurologist? Or a neurosurgeon?"

To which I reply, I'm tired. I want to have time for other things, too. I want to learn real, honest-to-goodness French. I want to study the violin and the cello. I want to travel, maybe live in France for a year or two. I want to be able to dress up in pretty clothes and look pretty without having to feel guilty about it. I want to be able to go on trips to the beach and stay there without having to constantly worry about whether my patients will live without me or not. I want to take an MBA. Most importantly, I want to be able to do all these things while I'm young.

5) "Don't you want to consider ob-gyn or pediatrics? They make tons of money."

To which I reply, I'm not in it for the money. I'm going to make a decent living in dermatology, anyway. Besides, I don't want to live the rest of my life having to get up in the middle of the night just to deliver a baby. Sure, I can go into gynecologic oncology. But, no, it's not me. And I hate kids, except for the cute ones. But you can't always get cute patients, now can you?

6) "You're going into dermatology? That's great! I can get free treatments!"

Haha. This I get from my family and friends. Sure, I can give you free treatments, dears. But don't push it. Ahehe.

7) "You have my full support." or "I'm with you all the way." :)

I get this from my dad and very supportive friends. Thank God for people like them.

Dermatology never was my first choice until now. I won't be able to routinely save lives like most other doctors will do. But it won't make me less of a doctor. I can still help and serve people, as crappy as that may sound.

I can help that 40-year-old woman with atopic dermatitis control her flare-ups and look good and feel good about herself. I can help that 24-year-old girl with polycystic ovary disease get rid of her chronic acne and obesity when all she wanted upon entering my clinic was to get rid of her pimples, totally unaware that she already had an underlying medical condition.  I can help that 60-year-old man with a seizure disorder secondary to a brain tumor live through Stevens-Johnson Syndrome after having taken phenytoin.

And yes, I can do all that while being pretty, a requirement in the field which I have no qualms about. hahaha! To top it all off, I can do all that while I'm young!

Comments

[Naomi]

tama yan... derma kita ha... and though I know (and I assume) i will get free treatments, don't worry, i won't push it :p .. God Bless weena

[Aliw]

Weena, I'll be a very loyal patient and client and I'll tell everyone how good your are :)