DW3843 said:
Can some of you shed some more light on "procedural dermatology" which is apparently just a confusing term for dermatology focused on its surgical aspects?
Is this a good way to go for a person interested in Surg and Derm? Also, how easy is it to tailor a dermatology practice to focus heavily on doing a lot of surgical procedures?
Also, is it common to do a G Surg prelim or something like that and then go into a surgery-focused residency in Derm?
- Procedural Dermatology was recently accreditted as a ACGME Fellowship a few years ago.
- This fellowship is basically a "surgical dermatology" fellowship. You get more in depth, hands on education on Moh's surgery, lasers, and other dermatologic surgeries and procedures (eg., cosmetics, etc). You are considered an expert in these procedures after graduating (ie, you can be considered a "Moh's surgeon").
- I believe Procedural Dermatology will eventually replace the Moh's surgery fellowships (which are not accreditted by the ACGME).
- A Derm residency is required to enter this fellowship.
- A Procedural Dermatology Fellowship is typically 12 months
More details on Procedural Dermatology is provided below (cut and past). According to the ACGME, Procedural Dermatology is defined as a subspecialty within dermatology that is concerned with the study, diagnosis, and surgical treatment of diseases of the skin and adjacent mucous membranes, cutaneous appendages, hair, nails, and subcutaneous tissue. Dermatologic surgical procedures are minimally invasive and may be safely performed in outpatient settings without general anesthesia or other intravascular physiologic alteration. An especially important technique is Mohs micrographic surgical excision, which is used for certain cancers of the skin and incorporates training in clinical dermatology and dermatopathology as they apply to dermatologic surgery. In addition, cutaneous reconstruction of surgical defects, sclerotherapy, chemical peel, hair transplantation, dermabrasion, small-volume liposuction, cutaneous soft tissue augmentation with injectable filler material, rhinophyma correction, and laser surgery are important components of these fellowships.
Procedural Dermatology fellowships will be accredited to offer 12 months of education and experience subsequent to the satisfactory completion of an Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)-accredited residency in Dermatology, when all residents are required to develop initial competence in dermatologic surgery.
Graduate medical education programs in procedural dermatology must provide an organized, systematic, and progressive educational experience for physicians seeking to acquire advanced competence as a dermatologic surgeon.
Programs must provide organized education in all current aspects of procedural dermatology, including basic science, anatomy, anesthesia, ethics, pre- and post-operative management, surgical technique, wound healing, Mohs micrographic surgery, laboratory technique, interpretation of pathologic specimens related to Mohs micrographic surgery, cutaneous reconstruction of surgical defects, sclerotherapy, chemical peel, hair transplantation, dermabrasion, small-volume liposuction, cutaneous soft tissue augmentation with injectable filler material, rhinophyma correction cutaneous oncology, laser surgery, epidemiology, medicolegal and regulatory issues, quality assurance, and self-assessment.
