During the first semester of my sophomore year, our pod had to do a career research

project that lasted throughout the entire first semester. This project consisted of a research paper

on any occupation of your choice and also a display for your project at the pod career fair. We

had to describe the education, earnings, and personality characteristics that were needed to

become a successful person in the selected occupation. Also, we job shadowed someone who

was already working in the selected occupation and interviewed them. The person who was job

shadowed acted as the main source of information for the entire project.

I choose to research about the dermatology field when I started this career project. This

project is considered my best work of the year because I provided an insightful view of

dermatologists and talked about the key factors of success whether they be physical or
emotional.

This should also be my best work because I was able to create a presentation on dermatologists

and I also presented to the public information about the education background and other critical

factors in the path of becoming a dermatologist. Lastly, this entire project required both critical

thinking skills while I had to write a logical research paper but also creative skills when I had to

create a presentation that was both informative and intriguing.

This project is able to meet parts of the creative and critical thinking processes in the best

works rubric. For critical thinking, I was able to talk about the education of a dermatologist

starting from high school classes. Then I connected these high school classes to further education

in colleges and universities. Then I explained the process of residencies and examinations to

finalize the process of becoming a certified dermatologist. This shows that I was able to “reason

carefully with well-documented supporting details.” These details would be all the sources listed

in my bibliography and my interview of Dr. Craig Birkby, a dermatologist in Seattle. I also

“analyzed information with clarity and precision” because I didn’t bother to write about minute
details about Dr. Craig Birkby’s life but rather the major turn points or actions he took in

order to become a dermatologist. As for creative thinking, I choose to make a tri fold of

the main information on dermatology and the field’s requirements, a poster about the harmful

carcinogens in makeup, a stand up face with pop up facts about your skin, and a running

power point about MOHS surgery and types of skin cancer to go on the side.

Exhibition Pictures:

Running PowerPoint

Basal Cell Carcinoma Melanoma Squamous Cell Carcinoma

 Basal cell carcinoma : The most common form of
cancer formed when the Basal cell layer of the
epidermis acquires malignant growth.
MOHS SURGERY:  Causes: Sun exposure acts as the major cause
Skin Cancer Solved of basal cell carcinoma.
 Melanoma: The most curable yet most fatal form
of skin cancer.
 Causes: Exposure to UVA and UVB rays, moles,
family/personal history, and weakened immune
system.
 Squamous Cell Carcinoma: SCC, the second
most common form of skin cancer, is caused by
irregular cell growth in the outermost layer of
the skin.
 Causes: Sun exposure, skin type, previous skin
cancers, and weakened immunity.
 What is MOHS?
 MOHS is a surgical procedure used to treat skin
cancers.
 MOHS has the highest cure rate for basal cell
and squamous cell carcinomas.
Post Surgery
 The wound usually heals by itself within four to
eight weeks with little to no scarring.
 Physical activities will need to be restricted after
surgery.
 Although not recommended, other surgical
procedures can be conducted to correct possible
scars.
Advantages
 Preserves more skin tissue compared to other
surgical options when treating skin cancer.
 Allows surgeons to conduct precise removal of
the cancer because they are able to trace areas
of the cancer that are invisible to the naked eye.
 Doesn’
Doesn’t require general anesthesia.
Disadvantages
 Long and tedious for the surgeon.
 May become costly for different skin cancer
situations.
 Not always available to all skin cancer patients.
Technique
 The physician makes a reference map of the
area to be excised.
 Then, local anesthesia is injected.
 Some physicians use a curette to remove one
section of the infected tissue around the
cancerous site.
 Each section is removed separately and
examined in the laboratory.
 After a MOHS surgeon examines the infected
section, the entire evaluation is repeated until all
the cancer is removed.