13/04/2026
Throwback to 2013, a day in the life of a dermatology resident. This was back when videos were not really popular yet, so moments like this were mostly captured through simple photos rather than clips. 😂
In this picture is my brilliant med school batchmate who is now a gastroenterologist based in Cagayan de Oro City. At that time, we were all still in training and figuring out our paths.
I was rotating under Internal Medicine as part of residency training at the University of the Philippines, where it is a required and foundational part of Dermatology residency.
That rotation was one of the most formative stages of training, as it grounded us in the discipline, breadth, and rigor of managing systemic disease before focusing on the skin.
Dermatology residency is often seen from the outside as relatively light or mostly cosmetic, but the reality is very different.
The training is structured and rigorous, starting with long hospital hours seeing inpatients and consults across different specialties.
It involves evaluating complex skin diseases that are often manifestations of deeper systemic illness, performing procedures such as biopsies and excisions, and spending countless hours in clinic correlating findings with histopathology.
There is also a strong academic component with regular case discussions, research presentations, and evidence-based decision making that shapes every plan of care.
Over time, this kind of training builds a level of precision and depth that is not immediately visible. What people often see in practice is only the result of years of disciplined learning and exposure.
Authenticity in dermatology comes from that kind of rigorous training and sustained commitment.
It makes you think, is your skin and hair doctor truly trained?
