The Dermatology Residency’s curriculum is broad-based and designed to:
- Produce graduates who are comfortable in all aspects of medical, surgical and pediatric dermatology.
- Utilize varied and complementary training sites to ensure comfort in treating a patient base that is diverse in race, ethnicity, gender, age, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status and health literacy.
- Expose residents to a broad offering of aesthetic procedures with regular hands-on participation.
- Provide in-depth education in dermatopathology allowing for more sophisticated understanding of skin disease.
- Leverage a comprehensive didactic series to reinforce and build upon clinical education.
- Engage residents in the creation, design and execution of impactful research and quality improvement projects.
- Encourage niche development and leadership via intentional mentorship and elective opportunities.
- Focus on health disparities and high medical costs as critical challenges and engage residents in creatively addressing these issues.
- Produce comfort in the delivery of care through telemedicine platforms, both synchronous and asynchronous.
- Cultivate the skills and passion for lifelong learning, critical analysis and evidence-based practice.
Resident Rotations
First Year
In the first year of residency, the focus is on broad exposure to general dermatology. Most of the year is spent in general dermatology clinics at the Austin Veterans Affairs Clinic, the Trinity Clinic and Ascension Seton Health Center Buda, plus at least two weeks of dermatopathology and one month of pediatric dermatology. The program ensures first-year residents serve as primary surgeon (with direct supervision) for a large number of the excisions to ensure they quickly build surgical confidence.
Second Year
The second year is heavy in subspecialty experiences. Residents train for two months each in procedural dermatology (Mohs surgery, lasers, etc.) and inpatient consults, as well as one month each of pediatric dermatology and dermatopathology, while also staying involved in general dermatology clinics.
Third Year
The third year is a blend of subspecialty and general dermatology training, with substantial autonomy and leadership roles in the clinics. A typical schedule includes one month of inpatient consults, one month of procedural dermatology (Mohs surgery, lasers, etc.), one month of pediatric dermatology, one month of dermatopathology and eight months of general dermatology.
All Years
Throughout all three years of training, residents also spend a half-day each week (Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday morning) of continuity clinic based at CommUnityCare, serving a largely underserved population. All first-year residents have their resident continuity procedure clinic one Friday afternoon a month. Upper-level resident continuity procedures are integrated into general continuity clinic with upper-level residents scheduling and performing excisions on a rotational basis during their continuity clinic. The resident cosmetic clinic occurs one separate Friday afternoon a month.
Residents of all years rotate through medical dermatology subspecialty clinics including: pigmentary disorders clinic, cutaneous lymphoma clinic, immunobullous clinic, pigmented lesion clinic, hidradenitis/follicular disorders clinic, nail disorders clinic, hyperhidrosis clinic, transplant and immunosuppression dermatology clinic, pediatric derm-rheum clinic and vascular anomalies clinic. Third-year residents also rotate through the vulvar disorders clinic. Additionally, on the Mohs rotation, residents participate in the Cutaneous Oncology Multidisciplinary Tumor Board.
Most general dermatology sites offer telemedicine as well, so residents get ample exposure in managing patients virtually starting from year one.
On all rotations except inpatient consults and Mohs, residents have one half-day per week of administrative time to work on research or quality improvement projects, studying or other academic pursuits.
Residents also have two weeks of elective time, plus two “flex” weeks of research or additional elective time that may be used during any year of residency.
Residents take five to six weeks per year of evening and weekend call on average, with first-year residents initially taking “buddy call” with a third-year resident.
Didactic Curriculum
Divisional didactics occur weekly on Tuesday from 7 to 8 a.m. and Friday from 7 a.m. to noon. Regular components of the didactic series include:
- Grand rounds.
- Inpatient check-out rounds.
- Journal club.
- Pediatric clinicopathologic correlation conference.
- Visual diagnosis (aka kodachrome) conference.
- Medical dermatology faculty lecture series.
- Pediatric dermatology faculty lecture series.
- Surgical dermatology faculty lecture series, including cosmetics.
- Surgical defect rounds.
- Dermatopathology faculty lecture series; scope time; unknowns (7 to 8 a.m. every Friday).
- Professional development: leadership workshops, lectures, book club, etc.
- Textbook conference.
- Group wellness activities.
- Visiting guest lectures, including the Annual Founders Lecture.
The program highly encourages residents to present at conferences and offers protected time and funding for conference attendance each year (in addition to the American Academy of Dermatology Annual Meeting) if residents are presenting their work.
The curriculum is not limited to clinical medicine. Integral to didactics is a professional development and leadership curriculum, which includes discussion circles, guest speakers and workshops addressing topics such as emotional intelligence, successful negotiation and anti-racism.
Average Week Schedule
Monday
- 8 a.m. to noon: Clinical rotations
- 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.: Clinical rotations
Tuesday
- 7 a.m. to 8 a.m.: Textbook conference
- 8 a.m. to noon: Clinical rotations
- 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.: Clinical rotations
Wednesday
- 8 a.m. to noon: Clinical rotations
- 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.: Clinical rotations
Thursday
- 8 a.m. to noon: Clinical rotations
- 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.: Clinical rotations
Friday
- 7 a.m. to 8 a.m.: Dermpath didactics
- 8 a.m. to noon: Divisional didactics & grand rounds
- 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.: Clinical rotations, resident cosmetic clinic & first-year procedure continuity clinic