Tag: 19OyinlolaL

Today was my last day at Cary Dermatology as well as the Work Experience. The WEP has been pretty fun as I feel i have gotten more out of the journey than I expected. Yesterday Hannah and I went into a surgery for the last time with Dr. Mangelsdorf. We captured our last moment by making a funny video of us taking off our protective equipment (known as PPE). All in all, the experience was fun because I really got to bond with people in two different places. Southern and Cary Dermatology really opened my eyes to what the work world of Dermatology looked like and I really enjoyed it. To all the doctors, I really appreciate them letting me learn in the midst of their busy days.

Today I joined Hannah G. at Cary Dermatology where we complete our regular rounds of alternating going into a patients’ room with Dr. Mangelsdorf. Hannah and I talked a lot about all the different things we’ve been doing for the past few days that we hadn’t seen each other. I told her about the Mohs’ surgery that I witnessed, and she told me about the new information she learned through the teaching modules from the AAD. It was fun to start the day at 1:00 so the day went by very quickly. Hannah and I saw patients with psoriasis, warts, dysplastic nevus (atypical mole) and more. Besides that, we saw most of the same things I saw the first week I was there. It was really nice to be working with her as well as continue to reinforce my understanding of all the dermatology terms I have learned until this point with Dr. Mangelsdorf and the nurses throughout the day.

 

 

Today was my last day at Southern Dermatology where I worked with Dr. Boyse and her amazing co-workers which i have grown to really enjoy their company while working. I was able to shadow a dermatologist today who performed Mohs’ surgery and showed me how they remove cancerous sites on the skin and determine whether or not they have to continue to cut around the site to fully eradicate the cancer. The most common types of cancer I saw was invasive squamous cell (invasive meaning it reoccurs) and basal cell carcinoma. To be able to figure out whether or not the patient was cleared was a whole other process. Using Pathology, Dr. Wilmoth (the Mohs’ surgeon), would figure out whether or no the cancers were still in the tissues of the skin.

Dr. Wilmoth, would first cut the cancerous skin sample out of the patient’s existing cancer-targeted area to then be brought to the lab to be observed. When he arrived in the lab, he cut it so that the epidermis would be exposed and then handed it to his partner who would actually begin slicing the skin sample into thin layers for futher examination. Through a series of freezing the sample, shaving it, placing it onto slides, preserving it by dipping it in different chemicals, the skin samples of each patient went through that process and at the end of the day ended up in about 9 slides (or so) showing the skin sample its different edges. Dr. Wilmoth then walked me through what a basal and squamous cell carcinoma looked like. That morning however, he had many patients that all read positive on their cancer and had to have more of their skin removed. The coolest part about it was seeing how quickly and precisely Dr. Wilmoth could identify the cancers and continue on to view or “study” the next patients slide. I really loved being able to shadow Dr. Wilmoth the last day as he was under stress but did take the time to explain and show me what he was doing while executing it.

After all of that intense work, I returned back to the skin exams and cosmetic procedures on Dr. Boyse’s side of the clinic. Once again, I had a great time being able to help send labs down to triage, retrieve samples of cremes for patients to try and stand-in on skin exams one last time. I had a great lunch and it was a very fun last day with them! I hope to be able to come back and shadow with them or even work as a medical assistant before med school if I decide this is where I would really like to do!

At Southern Dermatology today, I was put to the task as an intern by helping around with menial tasks around the office. This morning I helped send lab reports down to triage (where the workers would assess the patients problems and assign treatments to them), helped receive samples from the supply cabinet, and I even let patients know that Dr. Boyse was with another patient and that they’d be attended to in no time. I truly became familiar with the place that Dr. Boyse was happy I could participate in all the activity, making me feel like a true medical assistant.  Throughout the day I stood in on many Botox procedures and skin exams; hopefully I will be able to see Mohs’ surgery with another Doctor. Once again, I had a lot of fun learning through modules, listening to Dr. Boyse explain common skin diseases, and eating the delicious Italian lunch we had today! Tomorrow is my last day at Southern Dermatology and I’ll be sad to leave because everyone was very inviting, willing to answer all my question no matter how confusing it may be. I can’t wait for the last day because I know it’ll be the best one yet, so I can’t wait for it!

Today at Dr. Mangelsdorf’s clinic I was able to witness more skin checks and then an exciting surgery towards the end of the day where my fellow intern Hannah and I wore surgery gowns. It was a typical 7:45 start and I saw a moderate amount of patients this morning. I saw more cryotherapy (the act of spraying liquid nitrogen to freeze off moles) being done on some benign seborrheic keratoses (moles). Later on in the afternoon, I got suited up to witness a basal cell being removed. It was a little bit intense and super cool. I also got to learn a lot more about parapsoriasis, urticaria (hives), atopic dermatitis (eczema) and all the other different medical names for everyday skin conditions. We also had lunch today at work so that was fun being able to talk to everyone and eat lunch with Hannah and Cristina who joined us! Overall, it was another full day of learning from Dr. Mangelsdorf, the modules from the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), and the medical assistants/nurses.

 

Today i spent my second day at Southern Dermatology with Dr. Boyse and shadowed her performing cosmetics procedures. I got to see some of the same things I saw my first day, like Botox or lip filler, but then I also got to experience two new procedures, threading and halo laser. Threading actually has nothing to do with your eyebrows in a Dermatologist’s clinic, but is a fantastic way to lift skin in places where it appears saggy. By placing metal threads under the skin (metal thread is wrapped around a needle and then used to insert the thread under the skin), collagen then grows around it, and causes the face lift. The Halo laser was a very innovative and new procedure as it utilized two lasers at two different wave lengths to get rid of brown spots on a patients face as well as smoothing out the skin and giving it a healthy glow. It was a long procedure, but it definitely worth it. Next week Monday and Tuesday will be my last two days shadowing Dr. Boyse and it’ll be sad because i have been able to meet so many people who have been so helpful, kind, and appreciative of my interest in dermatology. They kept it real. Can’t wait for next week though!

Today I shadowed Dr. Mangelsdorf at Cary Dermatology. I was there with Hannah George and we worked through Dermatology modules Dr. Mangelsdorf helped us find from the American Association of Dermatology in between switching rotations of who would stand-in for each appointment. I got to see the differences between Cary Derm. and Southern Derm. such as procedural and some equipment differences. There was a nurse and a medical assistant which I met today, so that was consistent with the number of nurses/medical assistants I saw Tuesday! I also got to see a different type of machine used for cosmetics which is called Secret RF. This machine uses radio-frequency micro-needling to help tighten the skin. It was overall super nice to come to a different place today as well as have a partner to work with! In between the modules teaching us about different skin diseases and going in to see patients, I enjoyed spending the day with Dr. Mangelsdorf, Hannah, and the other staff!

I started my work experience, at my first location of shadow ship, at Southern Dermatology in Raleigh. I was shadowing under Dr. Boyse, who exposed me to a day in the life of a Dermatologist. I got to meet her nurse, a medical assistant, and many other nice ladies at the checkout desk. I spoke with people throughout the clinic and explained to them why I was there. In no time, I was talking to people about what they specialized in at the clinic and how they like college and medical school. At 8:00 sharp, work started. I quickly followed Dr. Boyse to our first patients room. Over the course of the day I had met over 40 patients and learned a lot about what could be done to fix your skin.  From Juvenile xanthogranuloma  (JXG) and plaque psoriasis, to Botox and melanoma, I got to see procedures as well as learn about the signs of disease and the right course of action to prevent them from returning. The biggest thing I learned today was the care that goes in when talking to each patient. Dr. Boyse was friendly with everyone, sparking up conversations, making everyone in the room laugh, and creating a great ambiance during the appointments. Today was fast paced, but every minute brought something interesting to learn, and I’m looking forward to Thursday!