The DERM Expert Podcast

From Passion to PA: Chandler Gentry's Journey to The DERM Center

• Emily Brewer • Season 1 • Episode 5

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Ready to meet the newest expert on The DERM Center team?

In this episode of "The DERM Expert," Emily Brewer, DCNP, sits down with our newest board-certified Physician Assistant, Chandler Gentry! Chandler shares her fascinating journey into medicine, revealing how her own struggles with acne  inspired her to pursue a career in dermatology.

She gets real about the rigorous, "fire-hose" experience of PA school , the sacrifices of clinical rotations , and why she chose to specialize in the skin!

You'll hear Chandler talk about:

Why dermatology is "more than just skin" and how she focuses on patients' mental well-being and confidence.

The importance of feeling 

Her favorite "game changer" skincare product (hint: it's for your scalp!)

The essential college prerequisites and competitive stats for aspiring PAs

Why The DERM Center's supportive, collaborative culture felt like the perfect fit.

This is a must-listen for anyone interested in a career in medicine, or simply for those who want to feel more confident and understood on their own skin health journey.

To schedule an appointment with Chandler or any of our expert providers, visit The DERM Center's website at www.thedermcentertn.com

For more information, visit www.thedermcentertn.com or schedule an appointment here

SPEAKER_02:

I remember one time I left physics. I went to the bathroom and I just looked at myself in the mirror and started crying. And I was just thinking, if I can help anybody not feel this way, that's exactly what I want to do. Being able to hold a conversation is very important because your patients want to feel heard. They want to feel understood. And so knowing that I was gonna go in there, even if I didn't know the diagnosis or the treatment right off the bat, knowing that I was going to make sure my patient felt heard was very important.

SPEAKER_03:

So regarding sunscreen, yeah, spray, lotion, stick, or powder. I love my powder sunscreen.

SPEAKER_02:

It is a it's a game changer. Talk about it. This is more than just skin. I want to make sure people feel confident and I want to do everything that I can to inform my patients and help them make informed decisions to treat their condition.

SPEAKER_03:

Today's episode is one I'm really excited about. We're talking to board-certified physician assistant Chandler Gentry. Chandler is specialized in dermatology, and she's our newest provider at the Derm Center. So welcome, Chandler. Thank you. Thank you for having me. So I would love to have our listeners get a feel for a little bit more about you, but then also to have a good understanding, too, of what a physician assistant in dermatology goes through. How does how do you get to that point professionally? So tell us a little bit about your background. What actually sparked your interest in medicine?

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah. So as long as I can remember, I've always said I was going to go into healthcare. My mom's a nurse, and so from the time I was little, I remember in third grade, I think, you had to draw a picture of the person you wanted to be like. So I drew a picture of my mom and I put a little nurse hat on her head because she was a nurse. And and she still is a nurse to this day. And I think from there, I just always knew I wanted to be just like my mom. And so got older and um kind of started dealing with my own skin issues, someone really close to me dealing with some really bad skin issues, just kind of sparking my interest to do my own research. And um back then I just realized like this might be what, this might be the specialty I want to go into. And so um I kept researching, kind of ended up shadowing several different healthcare roles. I actually shadowed a physical therapist, an occupational therapist, PA, NP, um, and MD, and ended up just really falling falling in love with kind of the role that a PA plays. So I went through school, undergrad at UTC, got my degree in biology with PA, um, the pre-PA route, you can major in anything as long as you get your prerequisites. So you just have to hit all the prerequisites you need to move forward into applying for a PA program. Typically, if you do something like biology or chemistry, you're gonna hit as many of those prerequisites as possible and then just maybe add one or two extra classes on. So that's what I ended up doing. I did biology pre-professional route, ended up um working as a medical assistant in orthopedics in my gap year. You have to gain healthcare experience before applying to PA school. So that's what I did. I ended up um doing that for a year and um applied to PA school. You had to take a standardized test called the GRE for a lot of schools, um, kind of like quantitative reasoning, qualitative reasoning, writing, and then um apply from there and then hope and pray that somebody lets you into their program. So I decided to go to PA school. I wanted to stay close to home. Um, I applied to schools all over the South, though. Luckily got into one in Knoxville. So went to Knoxville for PA school, was there. My program was 27 months, um, nonstop. Our breaks between semesters were weekends, so we actually just actually never stopped. Wow. Um, which was crazy. Intense. Very, very intense. It was. We had exams at least once a week, if not more. Um, but I met some really great friends, like could not have made it through without them. They're lifelong friends. We are still super close. We're just texting this morning. So it was great. And then um, through going through each block in PA school, you get to learn about every um there, all the systems in the body. So you do every specialty that you can think of, and you learn um just the kind of the foundations and the basics, and then you continue to build as you move through PA school. Um, and then once you finish didactic year, which is in the classroom, which is actually a little bit longer than a year, you end up going into clinical rotations. So at clinicals, you have to do a certain number of your basic rotations that you're required to do. My specialty was surgical-based, so you had to do a good handful of surgery um based rotations, and then you got to pick your own. I knew I wanted to do dermatology, so I was like, get me in as many dermatology rotations as I can. So I ended up doing two rotations in dermatology and then graduated, landed the best job ever, love working in dermatology. I knew that's always what I wanted to do, but I knew it was a competitive field to try to get into. Um, and it ended up working out. So I'm so grateful for that.

SPEAKER_03:

I love that. I love that your mother was an inspiration for you. For sure. I know she's probably listening to this. And I think that just as a mother, I'm sure she'll hear that and think, ah, touches her heart. For sure.

SPEAKER_02:

We love it. When I was still living at home, our scrubs would hang up next to each other before we went to work or whatever the next day. And she's like, that just makes me so emotional. Oh God, it was cute. I love that. Yeah, she's great.

SPEAKER_03:

Well, speaking of dermatology specifically, was there a moment for you that really kind of stood out where you thought, okay, this is the specialty that I really see myself falling into?

SPEAKER_02:

I think um was kind of a lifelong buildup to like, I just don't want to go into anything else. I want to go into a specialty I'm very passionate about. I think as a provider, it's really important to be passionate about the patients that you're treating and their conditions. And that's exactly how I feel about dermatology. Growing up, um, my I ended up having pretty bad acne kind of into high school and had to be on Accutane and just knowing the effects that that had on me. So how it affected my confidence, the way I couldn't look people in the eye when I spoke to them. Going to, I remember one time I left physics. I went to the bathroom and I just looked at myself in the mirror and started crying. No. And I was just thinking, if I can help anybody not feel this way, that's exactly what I want to do. And I think that I always go back to that moment. I would I just remember the way your skin can make you feel so self-conscious. You feel like it's the first thing everyone sees, and sometimes it is. It's the only organ that's exposed. Absolutely. Everyone sees that organ. Yes, for sure. And so that can have a huge toll on mental health. It does. So then not only are we dealing with the dermatology issue, but this is a mental health issue at that point. And it's very important to take care of that. And so I think watching how those two things played a role in each other, um, I just realized like this is this is more than just skin. I want to make sure people feel confident and I want to do everything that I can to inform my patients and help them make informed decisions to treat their condition.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, that's fantastic. And honestly, having a personal approach makes all the difference because you're able to connect with your patients in a way that's more than just mechanical. You're just not trying to fix a problem, but in many ways you feel their problem.

SPEAKER_02:

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_03:

You know, and that's that's what sets apart a good versus a great provider, in my opinion. So I love that. Going down the road of becoming a PA, what was it about that path for you that felt right?

SPEAKER_02:

I think I just really love the work-life balance of it. Um, I would love to be a mom someday. So I I love thinking about, you know, my future and what I kind of want that to look like. And specifically working in dermatology, um, I knew that, you know, no call is really nice. Right. Not having to work on the weekends is really nice. Um, but also the fact that I'm passionate about it. But as a as a PA, I liked that um I would be able to stay closer to home because there's um there are more options for PA school that were closer to home for me than some other types of programs. And I liked that it was like a fast track. You are in school for a very condensed amount of time, but it is like everyone compares it to drinking out of a fire hydrant or a fire hose. And that is exactly how it feels. It makes sense. And so I I was just telling myself, the quicker I can get this done, the sooner I can start my career. And that's exactly what I wanted to do. So that's kind of why I chose PA.

SPEAKER_03:

I love it. So for the people who are listening that, you know, are maybe thinking about going down that road of becoming a PA, or maybe they're listening and they're in a PA program. Yeah. Talk a little bit about, you know, for those that are considering going down that road.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03:

You touched a little bit on it in terms of the schooling that's required.

SPEAKER_00:

Right.

SPEAKER_03:

Be a little more specific. So, you know, the education that's required in terms of an undergraduate degree, the process of getting in, the the competition.

SPEAKER_04:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03:

Uh it's a very competitive path to take. I think I read just today, yeah. There are only 268 PA programs in the United States. That's not many.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03:

Average GPA to get in, 3.7. Yeah. That's high.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03:

So talk a little bit more specifically for those that are listening that are considering the career as as a PA.

SPEAKER_02:

For sure. I would definitely say don't be discouraged because no one will stop you from applying except for yourself. And you will never know if you're going to get in if you don't apply. So I think it's really important to not give up beforehand because it is totally doable. You just have to be consistent and obviously stay on top of your studies academically. One of the best things you can do for yourself is get involved in healthcare before applying. Nothing beats having patient care experience hours. Programs love to see that you've been working in healthcare, you know what the role of a PA is. You, if someone were to ask you in an interview, what does a PA do? You should be able to answer that question. And I think it's um it's really it's important if you, it's important to know why you want to be a PA because people will ask you that in your interviews too. And if you have a good driving factor behind that, you're gonna stay driven and you're gonna really want to reach that point, but just not to stay, not to be discouraged in the process because the stats are low for getting in. Um, I think I was looking up recently the average acceptance rate is somewhere of between 20 and 30 percent, some schools being as low as 2%. Wow. My program had a hundred seats, but there's another program that I applied to that had I think 20. So you it just depends. And year after year, I feel like the the PA profession gets more popularity. So people are wanting to go this route, they're applying, they have way more applicants than ever. It's one of the fastest growing professions. Yeah, for sure. It makes sense. Yeah, and it which I think is totally worth it. So I will tell anyone considering to considering being a PA, do not give up. It is totally worth it. And all of my friends who are PAs would say the same thing. We all love our jobs, and none of them work in dermatology except for me. We're all across the board in surgery, trauma surgery, um, ICU, plastic surgery, your nose and throat. We all do it, all different types of specialties, and everyone really loves their role. So I would definitely say it's worth it. As far as um academics go beforehand, there are some very time-consuming, strenuous prerequisites that you'll have to go through.

SPEAKER_03:

Like, I think a lot of people think with PA school, it's oh, you can have a four-year degree in in anything, which I mean, you know, in in all reality you can. But I think that it's important to really think about that because I mean, if you have a 4.0 and you're coming out with a degree in storytelling versus you have a 3.7 and you come out with a chemistry degree or a biology degree, that makes a big difference in the application process, right?

SPEAKER_02:

It does. Especially to admissions teams, they're considering that. They're considering you have to take the certain prerequisites, but the certain prerequisites is not something you just have two classes, you need to complete these. It's like three years of prerequisites. Did you take um like intro to chemistry, and then did you take chem two, and then what'd you get in chem two? And then after that, you have to not only take organic chemistry one, but organic chemistry two, and then you have to take biochemistry, and then you have to take microbiology. It's not like you can just major in anything and just apply. Right. You have to have the prerequisites and you actually that's a misconception so many people have in regards to physician assistance.

SPEAKER_03:

So it is very specific when you're talking about that four-year degree.

SPEAKER_02:

Yes. And then you have a science GPA that also goes into the admissions process. So if you did major in something like storing storytelling, like you'd mentioned, right, then that doesn't go into your science GPA. So they really do weigh out like what is your GPA in terms of science? Because that's what this is. We're going to school to learn the science of the human body. That's right. And so did you do well in your science classes? Because you can do great in all these other classes, but if you're not excelling in some of your in all pretty much of your prerequisites, it's a good indicator of how you're going to do in PA school, or if you would be a good candidate as a PA. That's not to say if you make a C in OCM 1, don't be discouraged to never apply. You can work and be in a really great specialty, in a good role, have tons of healthcare experience. It doesn't mean you're not a candidate for PA school, but your prerequisites do matter, and there are a lot of prerequisites. I would say don't get a C in every prerequisite try to keep an A because your GPA does matter, but don't let one class discourage you away from taking your your dream job. Right. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03:

I think that's excellent advice, especially for, you know, college freshmen, they go in, they're really kind of getting a feel for being in school and you know, what it's like to to have that type of study program independently, sometimes for some kids, away from home for the first time. And, you know, I think it's not uncommon, especially that first year, maybe even, you know, second, third, or fourth year, to take a class and not do grade in it. But it can you can retake it. There are options. It's not like if you make one one bad grade, your chances are over. But you know, I think it is important to recognize that there are certain classes in that undergraduate period that really make a big difference if you are thinking about a PA program. Definitely. So once you're in that program, the clinical time that is spent, talk a little bit too about what the rigor of that looks like, the hours, the locations, where you have to go for that.

SPEAKER_02:

It's intense. So um my program specifically, we had hubs throughout the United States, and you were required to go to at least one hub. Hubs were cities that had multiple clinical rotations in them. Um those hubs were Tampa, Houston, and Chicago. And so you basically had to go live in one of those cities for some period of time. I was lucky, I got Tampa, and I absolutely loved it there. But I will say, while you're on your clinical rotations, it's not as strenuous as being in didactic here, but you are still taking an exam at the end of every month that is a standardized exam over what you just went through. And so not only are you learning at your clinical, but you have to go home and study for these exams that you're taking at the end of the month too. And then you have to pass that exam to keep moving forward. So every single month you keep moving and keep moving and keep moving. Um in several senses. Sometimes you move to a different state every month. I know several people who ended up having to go from Knoxville to Houston to Chattanooga to Tampa. It'd be so hard. It is. And you're picking your laugh up. For sure.

SPEAKER_03:

For how what kind of period of time are you talking? So each one of our clinicals is four four weeks long. So a month. Yes.

SPEAKER_02:

You're living in a different city potentially each month. Yes. And so it's not, it's not short term, but it's not long term. It's like that perfect amount of time. I just got settled here, but now I'm gonna have to go somewhere else. And so I was lucky since my program was in Knoxville, we had a lot of connections to Chattanooga. So I got to do a lot of my rotations here. Some of my friends did not have that luxury, and so they really were picking up and moving. Not like Knoxville to Houston every month, but it would be Knoxville for three months and then Houston for three months. And so it's a big life change, especially being away from your family. Because sometimes when you get into PA school, you don't get into a PA school close to home.

SPEAKER_03:

And so if you're married with children, I mean that's a completely different picture.

SPEAKER_02:

For sure. And there were several people in my program who were married with children. There was somebody even who had, I think their their first grandbaby was born while they were in the program. So, like there are big life events that are going on while you're in PA school. And so having to put your academics first can be something that's really challenging at times. It's a commitment. It's absolutely a commitment. It is a huge commitment, and it's a it's a long period of time to say school is first for this very extended period of time. Nothing else can come before it. And it may you make sacrifices being in PA school for sure. Um, but that's why I think it's so important to kind of find a good group that you um feel comfortable around and fit in with because truly you carry each other through missing those events. Yeah. Um, can't fly home all the time to go be there for you know somebody's graduation or like there's a wedding this weekend, but we Yes, but we have a an exam on Monday. You can't move your exam. You can't miss your exam. So you really just have to make sacrifices. That's tough. It can be for sure. But it's so worth it. It's been worth it. I would I would do it again. I would do it again if I had to. I wouldn't prepare. That's good to know.

SPEAKER_03:

But I would do it again. So for those that are in a PA program that are thinking about a dermatology specialty, what would be your advice to them?

SPEAKER_02:

My advice would be get your foot in the door wherever you can, do as many dermatology rotations as possible, and I would do them in a city that you want to live in because nothing beats a connection. Whenever you're a new grad, you are up against people who um maybe have never or maybe have worked in dermatology for years and years and years, and then you're a new grad applying. That's not um, you're you're not ahead of the other person because you have no um dermatology experience in the field working. So getting your foot in the door and having people who know your personality, know your work ethic, know if you're gonna fit in well in the clinic. Um, are you eager to learn? I think all of those things are really important. So how you portray yourself on clinicals, while they can be very time consuming and you feel like they're just never gonna end, it is important how you behave and how you portray yourself as a future physician assistant as a student on those clinicals because those truly are your future job opportunities for people who know you.

SPEAKER_03:

And I think a lot of students, when they are going through that clinical rotation, I think they get in that mindset of I just want to find a place that I can knock these hours out so I can get it out of the way. And while I mean, I understand that thought, that is your time to your point. That's your networking time. That's where you're getting the opportunity to see, am I a good fit in this place? For sure. But you know, would this be a place that I could see myself working? Absolutely.

SPEAKER_02:

In every specialty, even because I know that obviously going into PA school, I was like, Durham is the only option. I don't want to do anything else. But I ended up on clinicals really loving several specialties. So I loved working in the ER. I don't think that would be a good, like, long-term choice for my life, but I loved it way more than I expected. And so knowing that I had um that I really did enjoy something else was really, it was a good surprise. Yeah. So I liked that a lot too. Just kind of um soaking in the experience of every specialty because for most of those rotations, that will be the only time I work in that specialty. So getting to kind of soak it in and remember what it was like. And also just truly seeing it's like watching a TikTok, a day in the life of a dermatology PA, but then you're going and doing it with the dermatology PA. So you're living a day in the life. So you can do that for an ER, whatever rotation that you're on. Um, I remember my general surgery rotation, I worked more hours than I did any other month. And that's when I was like, okay, I don't know if this specialty is for me. Exhausting. It's exhausting, but it was great, and I learned so much on that rotation. So really kind of um experiencing the human body from every different specialty was a unique experience, and you only get to do it once.

SPEAKER_03:

So I really liked that. It's funny because uh for myself, when I was going through, you know, my clinical rotations, that was actually how I came across dermatology as a specialty of interest. I had actually no intention of working in dermatology. Yeah. I I I can't believe I've never told you this. I actually intended on working in trauma.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_03:

And we were required to complete an eight-hour day in dermatology just as a checkoff. And I thought, oh, great, this is gonna be like the longest day ever. See a ton of acne, trees and warts, and you know, whatever. And showed up that morning, and it just so happened that the nurse practitioner that I was paired with, I knew her, so that was that was great. It was comfortable. By the end of that day, I was like, oh my gosh, this is not at all what I thought this specialty was gonna be like. Immediately before I left that that day with her, I said, Can I commit to another like rotation to come in and spend 40 hours with you or however long we were able to spend. And from that point forward, I was like, dermatology is for me. It's always it was the procedures that that drew me in. I loved the working with my hands. And I just in my mind thought it was just gonna be a bunch of prescription writing. And I just wasn't loving that thought. But it's not.

SPEAKER_02:

There's such a nice um like little break from having to just be in clinic, having the conversation, like you said, writing the prescriptions. Whenever you get to do something hands-on, like you it's fulfilling in a different way. I don't I don't know exactly how to explain that, but it is.

SPEAKER_03:

It's like an artistic outlet for me. Yeah. Getting to work with my hands. I love art, so it feels like a it does feel like a break because you're doing something artistic that maybe you really enjoy doing outside of work. For sure. But it's a little part of that in your work.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah. Like the a little skill that you that you um are getting to practice and it's fun for you and you feel like you're good at it. And I totally agree. It makes a big difference to being able to do the minor procedures in clinic. It's it's a game changer, honestly.

SPEAKER_03:

So when you were thinking about where you wanted to go to work, let's talk about the derm center for a minute. What made you feel an attraction to the derm center? What made that feel like the right place for you?

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah. So I knew um, obviously you. Yeah. I had um Emily is actually my, whoever's listening, um, my dermatology provider my whole life. So who carried me through those times whenever I had very low self-confidence because of my acne, um, and who also ended up treating one of my family members with another um very debilitating skin disease. And I just felt like I could breathe. I don't know how to explain it, but it just felt right. And everyone there was so kind, welcoming. I felt like I could really learn in that environment and not feel judged. Um, it's not just like I'm asking the providers every day questions. I'm asking everyone questions every day. Like, how does this work? How do I need to um write this? Like with putting this in my chart, where's the button for this? I ask everybody all kinds of questions. And to so to feel accepted and like you just get along and you fit in somewhere, that made such a huge difference. And I like just the entire staff was very kind and welcoming. And you don't get that in every healthcare field. Um, especially, you know, you go on rotations and you experience some hostile environments, and you you tell yourself, okay, maybe this is not every environment in this specialty, but for me, this exact environment is not for me. And that's it's the opposite of how I felt at the Durham Center on Clinicals. It was just like, I like this place, I feel very comfortable, and I know I can learn and grow here.

SPEAKER_03:

So that's kind of the attribute to it. Yeah. I love that. Yeah. I tell you the culture in our office. And I I I truly, in my heart, mean this. I mean, putting together the culture that we have at work is so important because, you know, as a group, we do get along well. We truly are we're friends with each other, we're there for each other, we support each other during times that are tough personally. And that is a very authentic thing that happens in our office. And that is something that you do you don't come across that very often.

SPEAKER_02:

Totally agree.

SPEAKER_03:

It's a very intentional, you know, process of putting together a group of people at the Durham Center that were able to have that sort of a culture. And that's important to me because that translates to the patient. Yeah. That translates to the patient experience. The patients come in and they feel that. They feel that connection that we all have with each other. They feel like a part of it. Yeah. And it creates an environment that I think patients appreciate and they feel comfortable in because you're right. You can walk in, you know, as a as a provider, as an employee, as a patient into an office, and man, you can immediately, you can feel tension, you can feel hostility, you can feel just this is not a very welcoming or pleasant environment.

SPEAKER_00:

Right.

SPEAKER_03:

And that is something that you know we truly do strive to make happen at the Durham Center. We want to make it an area where patients feel comfortable, but also where we're supporting our staff, definitely. Where we're supporting each other. You know, I know that we talk about cases often. You know, Autumn Newman, who's not here, she's usually a part of these conversations where we we share cases and we have, you know, an inner office collaborative approach. And that's also very important too. So obviously, when you were coming through as a student, it just felt like you were the perfect fit into that culture. So naturally we love you.

SPEAKER_02:

Well, thank you. I love it. I love everyone there. I remember the other day somebody came in, they were like, everybody just seems so nice here. And I was thinking about that later. I was like, we all just truly like each other. No, right? We come into work and we don't dread seeing anybody. We had a really we just come in and hang out. So true. That is so true.

SPEAKER_03:

It's fun for us. And even hang out outside of work. Yes. You know what I mean? We're trying to have our own little inner office pickleball team that we're trying to do right now. One day we'll get it together. One day, Lord willing. So when you did start the at the office as a new provider and you came in day one, saw your first patient. Yeah. What would you say in those moments were your strongest skills that you brought to the table as a provider in that role?

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, for sure. So on clinicals, um, you have to go in and see patients on your own. And then after you see the patients on your own, you come out, present to your preceptor, this is what I just saw, this is my treatment plan, this is my diagnosis, here's when I want them to follow up. And so doing that, I think really prepared me because that's exactly what you're doing every time you go in and see a patient. You're not coming out and presenting every time, but you're gonna chart it. And just um that in general, my my background from clinicals. But then also in school, we had to practice. They were basically little recorded rooms where you go in and you practice with a fake patient and you don't know what you're walking into. But you go in and um you get a chief complaint on the door, and as soon as you take it out, your timer starts. You go in, you're recorded the whole time, you have your interaction with your patient, do the physical exam, step out of the room, and then you have to present to a camera, and then you're graded on. That's intimidating. That's horrible. I mean, my heart rate's never been higher. It was probably in the 300s, maybe. I don't know. But it was crazy. So I remember those moments and being like, this is one of the worst parts of PA school because it's truly so nerve-wracking. But um, yeah, that and then just the clinical experience, I think being able to hold a conversation is very important because your patients want to feel heard. They want to feel understood. And so knowing that I was gonna go in there, even if I didn't know the diagnosis or the treatment right off the bat, knowing that I was going to make sure my patient felt heard was very important. And I know you hear it time and time again, whether it be on TikTok or even another patient coming in and saying, I just didn't really feel like they were listening, or I don't feel like anyone has listened to me. I don't feel like I'm heard. That is it's 100% my goal that none of my patients ever feel like that. I love that, Chandler. You just want to, you want to feel for them. And I do, truly, like I do feel for them. And I want to hear their story, and sometimes they just need to talk about it. And I think that knowing that regardless of the diagnosis, I was gonna make sure they felt heard, that was a big strength going in.

SPEAKER_03:

I totally agree with you. I think that is definitely one of your biggest strengths for sure. You're so easy to talk to. Your patients, I think, you know, they can feel that. And I I agree. I think that it's those moments of communication in a in a exam room where not only are they talking about the things that bring them in, specifically, you know, what their problems are, but you know, taking the time to ask them about personal things, you know, how was your vacation? Right. How was the wedding, or, you know, the new grandchild?

SPEAKER_01:

Right.

SPEAKER_03:

Those moments are uh of equal importance in my opinion, too, because it builds that relationship with the patients and builds a level of trust that even, you know, whether you're new or you're seasoned, it doesn't matter. If you take those time those minutes with the patient and you give them your time and your undivided attention, yeah, that is always going to be a win with patients. For sure. I certainly feel like that even as a patient. Yeah. You know what I mean? And I can honestly say, I don't know that there are very many providers that I have even come across on the patient side as a patient, where I feel like they take an interest in things outside of just the immediate, why are you here today? Right. So I think that that is something, you know, that's a tremendous strength to be able to have that kind of connection with your patient. And I think you do that really well.

SPEAKER_02:

Well, thank you.

SPEAKER_03:

You're welcome. So, you know, when you're going through that process where you're learning in the very beginning in a specialty, because obviously, in a specialty, like it's a lot. For sure. It is a whole lot and it can be overwhelming. And my favorite phrase is you don't know what you don't know yet. Yeah. And it just feels like you're walking in to learn just a whole lot of information right out of the gate. Yeah. What did that process look like for you with how you've managed all of that?

SPEAKER_02:

It's looked like I have a textbook that sits on my book on my desk every single day. Yep. And in the meantime, I'm flipping through it, highlighting, reading things when I don't have patients. It looks like using all my resources up to date is a great resource to just double check, make sure, okay, what's the guidelines if this patient comes in with this? Do I need to screen them for other conditions? What are the labs I need to get? But then on top of that, like I had mentioned, like feeling comfortable going to the other providers and saying, this is what I've found. What do you think? And also saying, have you um experienced this yet? What do you typically do in this situation? So it is a multifaceted approach every day of being a new provider of um, let me look for the answer here first, and then let me look for the answer here, and then I'm gonna look it up one more time here, and then I'm gonna go ask. Yeah. But it is, it is truly I'm I do learning modules every single day. You do. I do. And I have seen quizzes on my learning modules. And so like staying on top of that and and learning about even the um the zebra conditions is what they call them, the things that are rare. Um just staying on top of truly just learning every single day of the job. It never ends. It will it will never end. And that's one of the things that I loved about medicine. I love to learn. And to be able to learn about the conditions that can have an effect on someone's mental health, like we had mentioned, it is always more than the skin. Like it truly is, and it can progress to that for sure. So um it's a multifacet approach every day.

SPEAKER_03:

And you know, going through the process too to get additional board certifications, you know, going through, you know, the process of becoming board certified in dermatology specifically, you know, that's a whole other arm of learning as well that, you know, I know that is on your plate at the moment too. So that's exciting. Yeah. Um have you gotten to a point yet where at family gatherings or at events, people come up to you and they'll say, Oh, I know you're working in dermat. Will you check this mole? Yes. Of course. Rashes, everything.

SPEAKER_02:

Has that happened? It happened before I graduated, even because people knew I liked dermatology. But honestly, it is it is rewarding to feel like they trust me, like they know they can come to me. Like it's one of those moments where it's like, this is kind of why I did it, because I want to make sure people know that they can come to me for things like this, which obviously um evaluating them out of office is different. But knowing that people can actually ask me questions and that they rely on me, I really like that. I don't know if it's the oldest sister in me where I like when people need me, or maybe it, I don't know, the maternal instinct. I just want, I love that people feel like they can rely on me. So I yes, that happens and it happens all the time.

SPEAKER_03:

Oh my gosh, it's so funny. When I I can remember this has been so many years ago, I was actually at the park with my girls and they were both really little at the time. And I kid you not, we were just sitting there and I saw a patient off in the distance. We made eye contact, waved. She came running across the field. She's like, Emily, let me show you something real quick. No, pulls her shirt off at the park. And I was like, Yeah, why don't you call? Come in, let's take a look at this in the office, put your shirt back on, right? We're in the park, we're gonna go to restaurants. That's right. There's kids here. It's so funny though. But I mean, to your point, it does feel good that people feel comfortable with you, but that they, you know, that that's why we do what we do. We want to be able to answer those questions and to be their resource. Yeah, you know? Yeah. I love it. It feels it's sweet to feel like you're helping the people that you love too. Yes. Yeah. So we're gonna play a little game. Okay. We're gonna do some rapid fire questions so that our listeners, our patients that are are tuned in can get to know you a little bit better. Okay. I think I know some of these already, but Okay, you probably do. We we talk a lot. We do. So are you ready? Yes, I'm gonna do that. I'll ask a question quickly, you answer quickly. Okay. Okay. We'll start easy. Okay. Coffee or tea? I knew this was gonna be the first time.

SPEAKER_02:

How did you know that? I don't know. My brain just told me. It's always tea. I love tea. But sweet tea. I love sweet tea. I like hot tea too. But it's a southerner. It is. Tea definitely over coffee. Retinol, vitamin C. Oh my gosh. I know we were literally just had this conversation. Um, personally, for me, I love my vitamin C. I think that is my favorite. I do like it. I think retinol has great um benefits too, though. Yeah. It's a hard pick. They're both great.

SPEAKER_03:

I pick both. Oh, you can only pick one. Okay, vitamin C. Okay. Favorite sunscreen or favorite skincare product. Only pick one. Okay.

SPEAKER_02:

Um, oh my gosh. I love my my my face cleanser. It's Cetophil. It's something super basic. It's a foaming wash. Yes, but it makes my skin feel awesome. That's my favorite personal skin skin product.

SPEAKER_03:

I would have never in a million years guessed you would have said that. Yeah, I've been so funny. I've used it since I was a patient of yours like 20 years ago or whatever. I love it. Wow, I change things that work. I know, I love it. Okay, so regarding sunscreen, yeah. Spray, lotion, stick, or powder. I love my powder sunscreen. Dude, I've oiled it.

SPEAKER_02:

How many patients don't know about the powder sunscreen? It is a it's a game changer. Talk about it for a second. Love, I love powdered sunscreen. It's great for the scalp. Nobody wants to put something in their scalp, especially when you're at the beach. You don't want to spray your head down. Or even if you're not at the beach, a daily sunscreen. You don't want to put sunscreen. Ever make that every day. Yes. So using a little powder, just kind of tapping it into tapping it onto your scalp, onto the part of your hair, or even putting it on as like a powdered facial powder. Yeah. That's what I do. And I love it. Fantastic.

SPEAKER_03:

That's my favorite too. I was hoping you were gonna pick that one. Yeah, I love powder. So this one's a good one. So if you were not a PA, what would you have been? What would you have chosen to do? Oh my gosh. I've never thought about this before.

SPEAKER_02:

Really? I mean, well, yeah. I mean, I thought about it before going to PA school. I thought if I didn't pick something in medicine, you have to give me an answer. Okay. If I if it's not at all in medicine, oh my gosh. I don't know. I think I would be like maybe a wedding planner. Really? I can totally see that. I'm I'm very organized. I love my spreadsheets. I love to keep things. I like my contacts in one spot. We were just talking about itinerary building the other day. Literally. I'm really big on that. So I think it might be a wedding planner.

SPEAKER_03:

I think you'd be so good at that, too.

SPEAKER_02:

Thank you.

SPEAKER_03:

Okay. Yes or no? Okay. Do you have a hidden talent? I say no. If you ask my family, they might say yes. Ah, okay.

SPEAKER_02:

What would they say it is? I can play guitar. Well, that's a talent. Yeah. I don't feel like I'm that good at it, but they think I'm good at it.

SPEAKER_03:

So you're gonna have to bring it to work Monday. We'll see. What's your favorite diagnosis to manage?

SPEAKER_02:

Honestly, acne. I love managing acne. It is it's truly a chronic condition for basically everyone. Um, and I like that I can truly see the confidence, um, complete 180 and confidence that happens sometimes with people who really struggle with it and it affects them mentally. I love that I have a personal connection with it and that I can feel for my patients and know I have a great treatment option for you. Love that. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03:

What's your nighttime skincare routine?

SPEAKER_02:

Okay, so at night um I use my very basic Cetophil cleanser that I love. Yes. And then I get out, um, I do my tretinoin, and then I do a face lotion, just very basic. I think it's Cere B. Um and then I use V Shi under eye gel. That's it. Wow, that sounds exactly like mine.

SPEAKER_03:

It's good. I love it. I love a good basic, basic time machine. I tell patients all the time, why are we doing 10 steps? Right. It's not necessary. Right. Get rid of it. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

Once a week, I use my Zio um skin exfoliator. I think it's called exfoliating polish. I really like that. Is that the cleanser one that it's like a time? It's not a cleanser. It's like um, it almost feels like sand. Oh, yeah. It's like a cream, but it's sandy.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. That one's a good one. Yeah. I love that one. Most overrated skincare trend. Beef tallow. I knew you were gonna say that.

SPEAKER_02:

I just don't like it. It's a saying. I was reading up on it, and that people say it min mimics the effects of the oil we have on our skin called sebum. That's the problem for a lot of people, is that literally is too much sebum on your skin.

SPEAKER_03:

So most everything we do to treat is actually aimed at removing the sebum.

SPEAKER_02:

Yes. And so I think that it's not a great skincare trend for that reason. Podcast or playlist on your drive home. Oh, probably podcast. I I love to learn. I don't necessarily listen to a ton of podcasts, but I love learning through my podcasts. And sometimes just listening to music is not what I want to do the whole way home. Yeah. So I love podcasts. What's your favorite podcast?

unknown:

Say the Dermic.

SPEAKER_02:

It's the Derm Expert Podcast.

SPEAKER_03:

For sure. I've listened to every episode so far. I love it. Well, Chandler, thank you so much. This has been fun. It's great to, you know, get to know you better. I love for our patients to have a better feel for who you are as a person, but also as a provider. You're fantastic. Oh, thank you. I love it. I love that you're a part of our team.

SPEAKER_02:

Yes. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. I love it.

SPEAKER_03:

So if you guys want to see Chandler, you can see her at the Durham Center downtown Chattanooga, 651 East Fourth Street. You can call 423 977 Skin to schedule with her. We also have online scheduling. Yes. Thank you, Chandler. Thank you so much for having me.