Tell Me More About Being a Dermatologist?

I am getting too old to be goofing off anymore (27) and I am contemplating dermatology as one of the possible career paths. Honestly, it seems like the best path to take for a medical-based field.





- I know insurance is a real killer for many doctors, but how high could it be for a dermatologist?


- Hours must be great as what possible kind of emergency can there be?


- It seems to be a very flexible and technologically-adaptable field what with all of the cosmetic procedures they handle.





I am sure I probably sound naive - and that is because I am - so tell me what I am missing. Excluding the obvious (school, costs, great salary, etc) what are some drawbacks and positives of the field? A few months ago, I had a rash on my armpit, so I went to see my local dermatologist. He looked at it for all of 90 seconds, told me a story, gave me some sample creams, and it went away. I gave him $125. I like that kinda work.





P.S. Spare me the %26quot;you%26#039;ll look at and touch icky skin and hair.%26quot;|||you would have to go to medical school





admission to medical schools is very, very competitive.


if you don%26#039;t already have a 4-year undergrad degree...that is your first step. If you do, then look into doing a post-bacclaurate program to fulfull pre-med requirements





-you have to study for and take the mcat which is a 5 hour and 20 min exam that tests skills in biology , inorganic and organic chemistry, physics, and verbal reasoning.





you then apply to med school, and if your scores/grades are awesome, you might get an interview somewhere.





if this goes well, you may be granted admission to a medical school.





then you work your butt off in medical school, and if you are really smart/lucky, and are among the top in your class, you might match for the most competitive residency which is dermatology...(you need to do incredibly well on your USLME step one and step two )





so im not sure how long a derm residency is, but estimating 4 years,


if you start now from the beginning, you can make it happen in like 12 years.