The last day at Cary Dermatology was an extremely fun one! There were lots of raised, scaly, pink spots removed from patients throughout the day and surprisingly, one of these spots Dr. Mangelsdorf had never seen in her entire career as a dermatologist: a possible merkel cell carcinoma. Merkel cell carcinoma is an aggressive cancer that grows extremely quickly and is found in fewer than 20,000 people in the US each year- it’s pretty rare! The prognosis for a patient with merkel cell carcinoma is not good (about 50% pass away) so we are hoping the biopsy comes back clear as this type of cancer is hard to treat when it reaches the lymph nodes. Very interesting, but very unfortunate.
Aside from the rare carcinoma spotting, the best part of today was when Oyinlola and I were able to sit in on a cyst removal. Both of us dressed in our full surgical gear and watched Dr. Mangesldorf remove a cyst that had grown back from a previous removal. Although I had seen a cyst removal previously in the past two weeks, I loved ending my WEP with a surgery as each one is so different. After the procedure, Hailey (one of Dr. Mangelsdorf’s medical assistants) showed Oyinlola and I the “proper” way for us to dispose of our PPE (personal protection equipment). The video attached shows Oyinlola and I trying (and failing) to remove our PPE without “contaminating” ourselves. I found it so hard to remove the gloves with the PPE gown still over my hands- there was just so much material! Unfortunately, I would have gotten the bacteria on my hands should I have been working with a patient that had a contagious disease. It was still super fun to try though!
I learned so much at Cary dermatology these past two weeks and am going to really miss working with Dr. Mangelsdorf, her patients, and her medical assistants. The insight the medical assistants had on the medical world and the transition between undergrad and grad school really got my excited for the years to come. I feel more prepared now and a little goes a long way in that regard! I felt like a part of Dr. Mangelsdorf’s team during my work experience and am super grateful to have had the opportunity to shadow her.
