First Year Goals & Objectives

Adult and Pediatric Clinics (HMC & Nye's Road Clinic)

• Goal: To provide continuity of care in a university based out-patient setting.
• Objectives:
  • Patient care:
    1. Formulate a plan of care in concert with the attending dermatologist and support staff.
    2. Educate the patient and provide rationale for treatment options.
  • Medical knowledge:
    1. Develop competency in performing a clinical history and physical exam.
    2. Demonstrate knowledge about a broad array of dermatologic conditions and applicable treatments.
    3. Generate broad differential diagnoses.
    4. Display technical proficiency in basic clinical procedures such as: skin biopsies, skin scrapings, comedone extraction, and irrigation and debridement.
    5. Appropriately follow and manage patients on high risk medications.
    6. Coordinate clinical and pathologic findings to secure a diagnosis.
    7. Develop proficiency in performing a dermatology consult and act as liaison to the consulting services.
  • Problem-based learning:
    1. Weekly review of dermatologic literature and discussion of applicability.
    2. Perform literature searches for complex patients.
  • Interpersonal and communication skills:
    1. Demonstrate effective interpersonal and communication skills with patients and patients’ families both in clinic and on the telephone.
  • Professionalism:
    1. Display professional responsibilities including: respect, truthfulness and sensitivity to diversity.
  • Systems-based practice:
    1. Learn the costs and billing procedures associated with general dermatology.
    2. Work effectively with assistants and colleagues to coordinate comprehensive care.

Dermatologic Surgery

• Goal: To provide an organized educational experience for residents encompassing a broad range of dermatologic surgical techniques.
• Objectives:
  • Patient care:
    1. Understand the role of surgical and cosmetic procedures in dermatology as they pertain to the overall care of the patient.
    2. Develop and carry out surgical and procedural plans in coordination with attending dermatologists.
    3. Educate patients on risks, benefits and expected outcomes of procedures.
    4. Educate patients regarding post-operative course and ensure appropriate follow-up.
    5. Provide surgical care that is compassionate and effective for the promotion of general health.
  • Medical knowledge:
    1. Demonstrate knowledge of normal skin anatomy.
    2. Become proficient with basic surgical skills: anesthesia, electro surgery, cryosurgery, laser surgery, nail surgery, biopsy techniques, excisional surgery including basic flaps and grafts, sclerotherapy, chemical peels, tissue augmentation, and Botulinum toxin injections.
    3. Gain familiarity with Mohs micrographic surgery techniques.
  • Problem-based learning and improvement:
    1. Appraise and assimilate scientific evidence from current dermatologic surgery and general dermatologic literature.
    2. Analyze knowledge base and technical proficiency in the full range of common dermatologic surgery procedures; identify areas for potential improvement.
  • Interpersonal and communication skills:
    1. Demonstrate effective interpersonal and communication skills with patients, patients' families, and professional associates.
  • Professionalism:
    1. Display respect, truthfulness and sensitivity to diversity.
    2. Adhere to ethical principles.
  • Systems-based practice:
    1. Learn the costs and billing procedures associated with dermatologic surgery.
    2. Work effectively with other surgical colleagues to coordinate comprehensive surgical care.

Dermatopathology

• Goal: To educate residents in the subspecialty of dermatopathology.
• Objectives:
  • Patient care:
    1. Understand the role of dermatopathology in the diagnosis of disease and in the overall care of patients.
    2. Learn to optimize biopsy techniques by selecting appropriate biopsy sites, obtaining adequate tissue depth, and minimizing scarring.
    3. Apply histopathologic findings to clinical care.
  • Medical knowledge:
    1. Learn basic skin histology.
    2. Become familiar with special stains.
    3. Become familiar with direct and indirect immunofluorescence.
    4. Recognize different patterns of inflammatory disease.
    5. Become familiar with common neoplasms.
    6. Generate differential diagnoses based on histological features.
    7. Understand clinical-pathological correlations.
  • Problem-based learning and improvement:
    1. Utilize evidence for dermatopathology literature to interpret both histologic specimens and pathology reports.
  • Interpersonal and communication skills:
    1. Work with dermatopathologists to correlate clinical and pathological findings.
  • Professionalism:
    1. Display respect for patients and dermatopathology colleagues while working for a common goal.
  • Systems-based practice:
    1. Understand the role of dermatopathology in the health care system.
    2. Learn the costs of dermatopathology services.