The Personal and Professional Skills (PPS) class is an elective that students can take in their junior year, and the post-requisite class is taken in their first semester of senior year. 

In the classroom, students learn many practical skills, including how to format and make their resume stand out from competitors, how to set personal goals and how to master different ethical ways of thinking. 

All knowledge learned in the classroom builds a skill set that prepares students for their future careers. Students also have opportunities for hands-on experience outside the classroom.

Last month, I had the chance to shadow a dermatologist at The New Dermatology Group. This experience was extremely eye-opening for me and confirmed that I would like to pursue a career in medicine. 

The dermatologist I shadowed allowed me to follow him into his appointments and watch everything he did. 

I observed many biopsies of the skin, cryotherapy (the spraying of liquid nitrogen on diseased skin to freeze and peel off) and saw moles diagnosed as benign or cancerous. 

All of this was a rush of knowledge that I was not expecting to witness. It was truly such an educational experience for me, and I hope to shadow again in the future. 

There are not only personal one-on-one shadows but group field trips with students of similar interests. Also, if a student decides to shadow, it would normally count towards the 10-day absence policy, but if you are a student in PPS, it counts as a school-related absence, keeping your 10 days safe. 

For the students debating whether to take PPS or not, I highly recommend that they take this amazing opportunity that NDA has to offer.