What role do you think Dermatologists play in the healthcare system?
As a future Dermatologist, you will have the potential to play a crucial role in the early identification of illnesses and intervention with your patients. In asking this question, your interviewers are ideally looking to hear how you will interact with other providers throughout their health system during your training with them and your thoughts on the importance of the field in the overall functioning of a hospital and healthcare system.
"While many see the field of Dermatology as its own wing of medicine, often focusing on cosmetic issues for patients, this thought process couldn't be farther from the truth. I know that I will regularly collaborate closely with primary care physicians and take patient referrals from them. I'm also very enamored by newer research that shows conditions like eczema and psoriasis are closely associated with diabetes and heart disease. As medicine moves forward during my career, I envision myself collaborating with endocrinologists, cardiovascular physicians, and other medical specialists for the best care for my patients."
An ideal answer to this question will talk about your thoughts on the role Dermatology care plays in the healthcare system and how you can participate in that as a resident. As you answer, highlight how the skin plays a significant factor in overall health and how your work as a resident can help positively impact the overall health of the patients you will be working with.
"Dermatologists are essential in providing preventative care in the form of skin cancer screenings for malignancies and also in providing specialty care for patients with difficult to treat skin disease. They collaborate with primary care providers, rheumatologists, and oncologists in providing multidisciplinary care to patients with complex disease. I also think dermatologists are at the forefront of leading research on novel treatments for skin disease."
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