Statement of Purpose

SHEIKH MD SHAFIQUR RAHMAN

UNIVERSITY of Hertfordshire

MSc Clinical Dermatology Application

September 2020
The skin is the first line of defense of human body against the outside of the environment. It is
the largest organ of human body that comprises many of the dualities of medicine which makes it
so complex. The skin has both living and dead components and does require probiotics on the
surface to keep out the pathogens. The skin also plays a role as a barrier against all the
environmental pollutants. My interest about the skin was grown up during middle school period
when I saw a diagram of the layers of skin and it showed that the outer layer was completely
covered and replenished with dead cells on a continuous basis. During medical school the
various applications of clinical dermatology made me more interested towards a career as a
dermatologist. My passion always has been in dermatology since I entered into the medical
school and for this reason, I am applying to MSc in clinical dermatology program.

During my clinical internship rotation, I personally embraced every opportunity to focus on the
dermatological diseases as well as skin conditions as a medical student. I continued to find
“dermatology” patients in every department; babies with severe eczema in pediatrics, a patient
with metastatic melanoma in surgery, a woman with pulmonary sarcoidosis who presented with
cutaneous granulomas in internal medicine and in family medicine numerous patients with skin
conditions that often bewildered their primary care providers. The more patients I saw with skin
diseases, the more I wanted to see and learn.

During my rotation in department of dermatology, I had the opportunity to work at skin disease
center at the hospital. This experience exposed me to applications of dermatology in the field of
oncology, geriatrics, nutrition, and disease. I learned that pathologies of the skin can be sign of
different systemic disease, and how different skin diseases could also develop systemically.

I can bring this transferrable practical knowledge and skills to enrich post graduation study and
make my learning more meaningful and gain the maximum output from this study. This MSc in
clinical dermatology has been designed to provide theoretical knowledge and practical skills in
dermatology which will be a great benefit to me as I will get dermatology post graduate level
knowledge through this course which I have always dreamed of in my medical career profession.
This course will give me the opportunity to learn more about clinical dermatology practiced in
the UK and other developed countries that are advanced in the area of dermatology. My
knowledge and skills so far have been limited to my native country to local extent. This practice-
led MSc study will give me a real chance to expand my horizon at border level with global
context of dermatology practice.

In this clinical dermatology post graduate course, I will have the chance to gain higher level
academic knowledge and professional skills in the area of the skin disease, diagnostic
techniques, skin histopathology, disorders of skin and mucous membrane, environmental and
lifestyle factors, immunology and biology, cutaneous manifestations of systemic disease,
inflammatory skin conditions, microbiology of the skin, pigmented skin disease, skin cancer,
surgical intervention, psychological impact of skin disease, patient education and optimal service
delivery – a wide range of crucial areas that will allow me to get insights of dermatology. Some
of my earlier study units at my Bachelor’s degree in Medicine and Surgery have similarities in
learning to the above though at lower level. Nonetheless, those will complement this MSc
learning and give me a strong base to build higher blocks of knowledge that this post graduate
course has to offer at diverse level.
From this advanced level dermatological studies, I will learn to develop methods of inquiry as
well as skills required to research and advanced dermatology practice using in-depth current and
relevant evidence base; accomplish knowledge and understanding to foster the further
development of critical, contemporary, evidence based and patient centered practice in
dermatology. I will also be able to acquire a systematic advanced knowledge and understanding
of the application of specialist dermatology to practice in the context of multi-professional as
well as inter-professional working in the contemporary healthcare setting.

This post graduate studies in dermatology will indeed provide me firm grounding foundation in
the fundamentals of clinical and scientific dermatology, clinical instruction and the scientific
contents of dermatology. I will have better understanding of skin disorders, upskill in the
diagnostic and management of dermatological disorders, plan and organize a literature review in
a coherent and scientific manner on a specific topic in dermatology applied understanding of
how established techniques of research and enquiry are used to create and interrupt knowledge in
an appropriate clinical setting. With the advanced knowledge skills, I will have enhanced
confidence to practice as competent health professional and conquer medical challenges related
to dermatology in my objective to provide expert service in the treatment of patients.

One important thing I have observed in recent times that is to say post “Social Media Era”
people are becoming beauty conscious more than ever, especially women and teenage girls are
into this and they are using non-scientific methods to get rid of dermatological issues. It is real
fact that those dermatological issues are on rise. Now a days, not only the female population but
also the male population are conscious about their physical appearance and they are also
becoming beauty conscious day by day. As a physician, I can understand how depressing and
anxious it is for all women as well as men not to have right advise and management of
dermatological conditions. It is not only about looking good but also feeling good. There are
several dermatological issues related to pollution, weather, profession, cosmetics usage, aesthetic
beauty, age, inheritance etc. which can be dealt with evidence based practice and modern
technology. So, there is a great demand in society for trained dermatologists. For this reason, I
would like to pursue this advanced post graduate level degree in dermatology in order to
establish my future medical career as a specialist dermatologist.

Dermatologic conditions significantly impact patients’ quality of life whether it is the

embarrassment caused by disfiguring acne, a decline in social status, or the taunting and teasing
experienced by young generations; dermatology is more deep than skin. In addition, I have
noticed that dermatologic conditions extend over multiple medical specialties which make
knowledge of these conditions invaluable to any physician. As a result, I have a cherished desire
to obtain advanced dermatological skills in order to excel in dermatology as well as become a
proficient consultant of dermatology and I would like to join the field gladly that diagnoses and
treats these dermatologic diseases and ultimately helps to restore a sense of self-confidence of
the patients.

As an aspiring dermatologist, I know that I will face many patients with different types of skin
diseases. I believe that this post graduate level advanced dermatology program will broaden my
medical knowledge in the field of clinical dermatology as well as make me capable to diagnose
and treat my patients in a better way and enhance my medical career as a dermatologist in the
future and provide me skills and knowledge that I need to become a dermatology specialist.