Dr. Sandra Lee, better known as “Dr. Pimple Popper,” performs blackhead extractions and more to an audience of about 1.6 million on Instagram.
The board-certified California dermatologist gets many questions from followers interested in careers in medicine. A lot of people are surprised by the breadth of procedures dermatologists can perform — most think she just treats acne and warts — and find her work fascinating, she says. She thinks it’s a good way to explore careers.
[Find out how some medical schools embrace social media.]
Following physicians who share their practice on social media — like Lee, or Dr. Michael Salzhauer, the popular plastic surgeon on Snapchat known as “Dr. Miami” — can be a way for students interested in medicine to explore careers. But experts tell aspiring physicians to proceed with caution.
Phillip Scharf, who oversees pre-health advising at Arizona State University, likes the excitement viewing this content can build for students. However, he wouldn’t recommend students decide if medicine is right for them based off these activities alone.
Students usually just see the highlights on social media, he says, and can’t typically ask physicians questions.
But if students can watch videos of doctors performing procedures for hours without getting squeamish, perhaps that means medicine is an option, he says.
[Learn how volunteer work can offer lessons to prospective medical students.]
Students should still partake in hands-on experiences, like volunteering in a hospital or shadowing physicians, to see more of the totality of the profession, he says.
Aspiring medical students can get a peek into the life of Dr. Cat Begovic, a board-certified plastic surgeon in California, on her social media channels. They revolve around beauty, fitness, family life and medicine.
She says she was initially hesitant to use social media, but wanted to inspire young people, especially girls, to pursue careers in science and medicine. She also uses social media to educate patients, students and the public on surgery.
Georgia C. Yalanis, 31, a fourth-year medical student at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, thinks physicians on social media platforms like Instagram and Snapchat may inspire the younger generation to consider medical careers.
“I think some of it is educational,” she says. “I think some of it is more interesting. And some of it is things that I don’t want to do.”
But students shouldn’t make any career decisions based on what they see on social media alone, she says. These doctors aren’t the majority and don’t usually show what life in medical school and beyond will be like.
“They look like they have amazing , fantasy lives,” she says. But it took a lot of work and dedication to get there.
She also notes that undergraduates may not have the level of understanding yet to fully appreciate what these doctors are doing.
“The internet might be a good place to get started, but it’s rarely the place to sort of finish up all of your work in terms of understanding what it means to be a doctor,” says Dr. Catherine Lucey, professor of medicine and vice dean for education at the University of California–San Francisco School of Medicine.
Lucey has concerns about physicians on Snapchat for a variety of reasons. However, if students are going to follow doctors on social media, she recommends they look for doctors with strong credentials, who post about contemporary issues in healthcare and have a strong patient-centered voice — someone who can help students understand the patient experience. Dr. Bob Wachter, who blogs and tweets about contemporary issues facing physicians, is someone she recommends.
Lucey says while there may be a scenario where a student could appropriately mention following doctors on social media on a medical school interview or application — perhaps leading into a story about a meaningful real-world experience with patients — she generally wouldn’t advise students mention these activities.
“We want applicants who have a clear understanding, not just of what the doctor’s role is, but what the patient’s experience is,” she says. She’d prefer students spend time volunteering with patients so they understand what it means to be sick and taken care of by a relative stranger.
[Get four common mistakes that lead to medical school.]
Dr. John Skinner, a radiologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, mainly posts about his work with the 3-D printing lab at the clinic, discusses interesting cases and sometimes shows his everyday life rather than showing patient procedures on Snapchat.
In one recent Snap, he discussed how ultrasound can be used to remove foreign bodies.
Skinner is not very familiar with any other physicians using Snapchat, but he thinks there could be some value for individuals exploring careers in medicine to get a glimpse of the life of a physician.
Get started on Snapchat by using this list of doctors on the platform — their Instagram page is linked when available.
| Physician | Speciality | Snapchat Handle |
| Dr. Scott Blyer | Cosmetic surgery | drbfixin |
| Dr. Sandra Lee | Dermatology | drpimplepopper |
| Dr. Parsa Mohebi | Hair restoration | drparsamohebi |
| Dr. Cat Begovic | Plastic surgery | beautybydrcat |
| Dr. Humberto Palladino | Plastic surgery | magicsurgeon |
| Dr. Lara Devgan | Plastic surgery | nyplasticsurg |
| Dr. Laxmeesh Mike Nayak | Plastic surgery | nosebynayak |
| Dr. Matthew Schulman | Plastic surgery | nycplasticsurg |
| Dr. Michael Salzhauer | Plastic surgery | therealdrmiami |
| Dr. Otto Placik | Plastic surgery | bodysculptor |
| Dr. Robert Najera | Plastic surgery | realdrdallas |
| Dr. Sejal Patel | Plastic surgery | mydrsej |
| Dr. Tarick Smiley | Plastic surgery | dr-smiley |
| Dr. John Skinner | Radiology | skyhawk4480r |
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Follow Doctors on Snapchat, Instagram to Get a Glimpse Into the Profession originally appeared on usnews.com
