The New Dermatologist Teaching Initiatives
Introduction
Dermatology is a specialty in crisis with unfilled consultant posts, an unprecedented rise in skin cancer referrals, gradual privatisation of services and a reduced workforce. This is compounded by lack of standardised dermatology training for GPs and pressure on primary care services.
The New Dermatologist (ND) teaching initiatives were conceived and are delivered by 13 friends and established consultant dermatologists. We aim to protect the future of dermatology by empowering today’s doctors who manage skin disease. We aim to bridge old and new school dermatology skills to inspire, teach and navigate the next generation of dermatologists in the current landscape of the NHS and ensure gold standard management of patients with skin disease.
Methods
We have created two novel teaching initiatives;
1) The New Dermatologist course aimed at inspiring and navigating the transitioning dermatologist from year 3 trainee to year 3 consultant and
2) The New Dermatologist podcasts aimed at general practitioners.
We secured sponsorship from La Roche Posay and Cerave, who have an established track record in supporting dermatology educational events. This has allowed free attendance to the course for delegates and enabled the medical podcasts to be accessed without cost.
The ND course is an annual professional and pastoral management course which has been running since 2019. The lectures are delivered by The New Dermatologist team and carefully chosen external speakers who cover key areas in dermatology, well-being, management and innovation in dermatology. The lectures were created to encompass the clinical, managerial and pastoral requirements for a new consultant in dermatology. Highlights included ‘My experience as a new consultant’, ‘Financial health of your department’, ‘New consultants first aid kit’, ‘Portfolio your career: Research, education, training & the rest’ and ‘Dermatology, Art and Artificial Intelligence.’
We have produced 12 ND podcasts, which were released in 2021, during the Covid-19 pandemic, when remote learning is pivotal. The series focusses on management of common skin conditions in primary care such as Acne, Eczema, Psoriasis and Skin cancer. The series of podcasts are free to access and deliver 6hrs of CPD and include an education challenge for service users and are available on 3 social media platforms. The podcasts are deep dive conversations between GPs and dermatologists and were designed together to ensure the educational needs of primary care. The aim is to optimise management of patients with skin disease in the community and empower GPs to confidently manage common skin disease in the community.
Results
We have delivered the course annually since 2019 and have empowered over 350 delegates over this time. Feedback from our course has been strongly positive and has sparked research, publications and innovation in dermatology. It has given delegates professional and pastoral guidance in their new roles as consultants and in specific leadership roles and has shown them the breadth of career opportunities within the NHS. Formal feedback was collected immediately after the course and 1 year later, confirming impact on change in practice. Feedback data showed that performance of lectures was between 87% and 100%. The course is supported by The British Association of Dermatologists and has national reach. The course has led to retention of dermatology consultants in the NHS.
The podcasts have been also been very successful with more than 23000 downloads and excellent feedback (4.8/5). The service user, although targeted at GPs has been popular with dermatology trainees, paediatrics, specialist nurses in dermatology and patients, thus showing the range of reach of the podcasts. The podcasts also have international reach and have been downloaded in >25 countries. The podcasts aim to optimise care in the community and to ensure early and appropriate treatment for patients with skin disease and potentially reduce referrals to secondary care.
Conclusion
We believe both teaching initiatives can be translated to any specialty and could potentially change the way we view and teach medicine. This is not just education but a unified vision and collaboration, mentorship, camaraderie and community are key to the success of this project. The team are all dedicated, dynamic and caring consultants who bring their combined expertise and knowledge from different trusts and diverse backgrounds, which results in a unique pastoral and professional management/mentoring course.
Future plans include further educational podcasts for patients and consultant dermatologists and innovative ways to improve dermatology education. There is a call to mandate the ND course for all future dermatology trainees, which will hopefully empower future generations of dermatologists.
Gold standard patient care is at the heart of what we do. This project is making grass roots change and aims to inspire the next generation of doctors to protect their specialty and to ensure the best outcomes for our patients. Remote education is here to stay, and the podcasts provide an easily accessible valuable resource. This teaching initiative is one way to enable a sustainable dermatology workforce in the NHS and increase dermatology education in the community.
Authors
Dr Monika Saha, Dr Naomi Goldstraw, Dr Shefali Rajpopat, Dr Sasha Dhoat, Dr Raakhee Ramesh, Dr Natalie Attard, Dr Victoria Akhras, Professor Hiva Fassihi, Dr Nemesha Desai, Dr Julia Soo, Dr Kathy Taghipour, Dr Claire Martyn-Simmons
