This month I felt a little naked as a pediatrician. I'm so used to having a stethoscope around my neck that even at the end of my dermatology rotation, I felt like I was forgetting something when I went into a room or off to see a consult. Turns out skin doctors don't care what the heart sounds like. However, they have lots of their own toys, like dermatoscopes, microscopes, rulers, and Woods lamps.
As a general pediatrician, I will see a LOT of skin complaints. Rashes, moles, acne, eczema, birthmarks--you name it. So this was a great month for me to learn a lot about stuff I tend not to see (or worry about) when we're seeing kids in the hospital.
While I still don't feel like I can look at any rash and know exactly what it is, I did see a lot of cool things that I will probably come across in my career. And now I don't have to give a blank stare when the parents ask me what it is. Plus I've got my eczema management down pat, and have a foundation for acne as well.
While I'm sort of looking forward to getting back to treating the whole person, I very much enjoyed my month and got a lot out of it. I only hope I can retain some of it until boards and beyond. And I definitely won't miss looking at scabies mites under the microscope. Gross!
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