Curriculum

The following is a typical dermatology residency rotation schedule:

In addition to the rotations during PGY-4, you will have a weekly dermatologic surgery procedure clinic as part of your SRA experience and rotate on Fridays to Mayo Clinic’s Northwest Clinic on a rotational basis with other third-year residents.

Rotation Descriptions

First Year
During the first year of your residency program, you will have up to four months of inpatient dermatology and consultation service experience and another eight months of outpatient experience.

While on the inpatient service, you will care for an average of four patients and take call at home via pager for admissions or consultations. Due to the size of its referral practice, Mayo Clinic's inpatient service provides a unique experience with dermatology. During this rotation you will learn to care for patients with serious, acute and chronic skin disorders, as well as associated systemic problems. When you complete this rotation, you will be prepared to manage patients with serious dermatological problems. You also will be able to apply the dermatologic techniques you learn in the inpatient setting to outpatient management.

During the eight-month outpatient rotation, you will participate in the following experiences:

• Five months of outpatient evaluations including pediatric dermatology in a mentored setting and resident continuity clinics
• Two months of basic dermatologic surgery under the guidance of consultants or senior resident associates
• One month of dermatopathology and immunodermatology training

Second Year
You will spend your second year taking rotations in dermatopathology, dermatologic surgery, inpatient and outpatient consultative dermatology and specialized dermatologic topics. This experience includes:

• Four months in the dermatopathology laboratory, with the opportunity to correlate immunofluorescent, monoclonal antibody and histochemical studies
• Two months of intensive one-on-one outpatient dermatologic surgery care, with exposure to Mohs micrographic surgery and advanced cutaneous surgical procedures (e.g., laser, cosmetic and reconstructive procedures)
• Two months providing inpatient dermatologic consultations at Saint Marys Hospital
• Two months of outpatient evaluations including resident continuity clinics and pediatric dermatology in a mentored setting
• Two months of electives, which include a clinical or laboratory research experience or an outpatient rotation.

The elective rotation at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville or Mayo Clinic in Arizona offers additional outpatient experience in a smaller group practice. Mayo Clinic funds the authorized additional costs of your travel, housing, car rental and licensure fees for this rotation.

Third Year
You will spend your final year in dermatology training (PGY-4) as a senior resident associate in the outpatient dermatology department, with daily supervision by the Mayo Clinic consulting staff. You will gain more experience in diagnosing and managing dermatologic conditions, and will conduct dermatology surgical procedures under the supervision of the consulting staff.

You may also choose to spend two months practicing dermatology at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville or Mayo Clinic in Arizona. During your second rotation at the Mayo Clinic campuses in Jacksonville or Phoenix/Scottsdale, you will have autonomy - seeing patients independently but within a mentored setting.

Didactic Training
Clinical conferences, seminars, small discussion groups, journal clubs and one-on-one instruction are all an integral part of Mayo Clinic's Dermatology Residency Program.

Core Curriculum
Although the weekly core curriculum is the focus of the didactic portion of your dermatology training, a series of related topics is also provided by the dermatology staff and includes courses in:

• Introduction and basic review of dermatology
• Basic and intermediate dermatopathology/immunodermatology
• Dermatologic surgical techniques
• Oral dermatology
• Pharmacology
• Contact dermatitis
• Sexually transmitted diseases
• Pediatric dermatology
• Cutaneous System Course
• Patch Test Review Course

Conferences

Research Training
You will be encouraged to participate in research projects with the consulting staff. You could be involved in a clinical/pathological correlative study, clinical reports, a defined laboratory-based project, a clinical pharmacology study, clinical or laboratory-based research related to dermatologic surgery, or a dermatopathology or immunopathology project. You also will be encouraged to submit abstracts for presentation at national meetings.

Currently, Mayo Clinic's Department of Dermatology includes a dermatology research lab that collaborates with, and is located near, several other research laboratories at Mayo Clinic, including immunology, cell and molecular biology and molecular genetics.

Clinician-Investigator Training Program
Mayo Clinic offers a five-year Clinician-Investigator Training Program for those who are interested in an academic career in dermatology. When you successfully complete this program, you will have the clinical competence and research training needed to undertake dermatology research.

The Clinician-Investigator Program includes the three-year rotation schedule described in the Dermatology Residency Program, plus two more years of research and clinical training. You may pursue an advanced degree, either an M.S. or Ph.D. in biomedical science - during these additional two years.

Also see:

• Clinician-Investigator Training Program

Call Frequency
Your call schedule will vary by individual rotation. Mayo Clinic follows the recommendations of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME).

Teaching Opportunities
You will have the opportunity to teach Mayo Medical School students and visiting students from other medical schools through bedside instruction and formal didactic lectures.

Evaluation
To ensure that you acquire adequate knowledge and develop your technical skills, your performance will be monitored carefully during the course of your graduate training in dermatology. You will be evaluated formally by your supervising faculty members. In addition, you will regularly evaluate the faculty to ensure that your educational needs are being met.

Career Development
You will meet periodically with various faculty members, administrators and the program director to discuss your professional goals. Mayo Clinic recruits many of its staff physicians from its own training programs. Thus, when you successfully complete one of the graduate training programs in dermatology, job opportunities may be available at one of Mayo Clinic's group practices.