Residency Clinical Education

Sample Schedule

Residents rotate through a variety of 5-week blocks during each academic year.  Clinical education includes the following rotations:

First Year (PGY2)

VUMC (outpatient clinics and inpatient consults)

VA Hospital (outpatient clinics, inpatient consults, teledermatology, phototherapy center, and Extracorporeal Photopheresis Unit)

Pediatric Dermatology (outpatient dermatology clinics, outpatient rheumatology clinics)

Resident Continuity Clinic

Dermatopathology

Second Year (PGY3)

VUMC (outpatient clinics and inpatient consults)

VA Hospital (outpatient clinics and surgery clinics)

Mohs Micrographic and Dermatologic Surgery

Dermatopathology

Resident Continuity Clinic

Third Year (PGY4)

VA Hospital (outpatient clinics and surgery clinics)

VUMC (outpatient clinics)

Pediatric Dermatology (outpatient dermatology clinics, outpatient rheumatology clinics)

Mohs Micrographic and Dermatologic Surgery

Laser surgery clinics

Elective time (for example, residents have pursued international rotations or dedicated time to ongoing reseach projects)

Dermatopathology

Resident Continuity Clinic

Because Dermatology is a complex field that crosses multiple fields of medicine, for the purpose of creating a cohesive program that provides an optimal learning environment, we have defined the following separate areas of Dermatology Education as the foundation of our program.

Outpatient Medical Dermatology

In attending clinics, residents rotate one-on-one during their 1st, 2nd, and 3rd years through a variety of general dermatology and subspecialty clinics. Subspecialty clinics include: Cutaneous t-cell lymphoma clinic, pigmented lesion/melanoma clinic, and rheumatology/dermatology clinic. Many of the general dermatology clinics have complex patients throughout the schedule, and residents will become expertly trained in the evaluation and treatment of hair disorders, neutrophilic disorders, nail disorders, rheumatologic disorders with cutaneous manifestations, pigmentation disorders, vulvar disease, autoimmune blistering disorders, hidradenitis suppurativa, and cutaneous reactions to cancer therapies. Schedules rotate with each block, exposing residents to all faculty members.

Outpatient Pediatric Dermatology

Residents rotate through pediatric dermatology clinics during 1st and 3rd year with Dr. Sharon Albers, who is fellowship trained in Pediatric Dermatology. Residents learn how to evaluate and treat pediatric dermatologic diseases in ages 0-18. There are also opportunities to rotate through pediatric rheumatology clinics, and participate in the multi-disciplinary vascular malformation clinic.

Dermatologic Surgery/Procedural Dermatology

During 2nd and 3rd year, residents learn how to manage the treatment of benign and malignant cutaneous lesions.  During each of these years, two of the 5-week blocks are dedicated to surgical training, including hands-on experiences with Mohs micrographic surgery and excisional surgery techniques. VUMC Dermatology has 5 mohs surgeons, and the Mohs Surgical Suite is contiguous with the outpatient clinic space. VUMC has a ACGME accredited Procedural Dermatology Fellowship run by Dr. Tina Clayton. Residents during 1st and 2nd year also receive direct surgical training including excision of benign and malignant lesions under the guidance of both the Procedural Dermatology Fellow and 3rd year residents at the VA Medical Center.  

Cosmetic Dermatology

During 2nd and 3rd year, residents gain exposure to cosmetic therapies as well as laser surgery in the procedural suite at the VUMC outpatient clinical site. Vanderbilt Dermatology has a fractionated and fully ablative CO2, pulse-dye, alexandrite, and Nd:Yag laser. Treatment of pigmented lesions, treatment of vascular lesions, ablative resurfacing, scar revision, tattoo removal, and laser hair removal are all included in the cosmetic training curriculum. Beyond lasers, residents receive one-on-one instruction with Dr. Bill Stebbins, Director of Cosmetic Dermatology, in toxin and filler injections. During hands-on evening cosmetic sessions, community dermatologists also participate in resident education.

Inpatient Adult and Pediatric Dermatology

Residents start call during the second half of 1st year, then complete 2 inpatient dermatology consult blocks during 2nd year. The consult service sees patients at both Vanderbilt University Hospital and Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital (which are connected with a bridge). Consult time is “protected” with no other clinical responsibilities other than weekly continuity clinic. The consult service is run by Dr. Anna Dewan, who is fellowship trained in Complex Medical Dermatology. Residents spend half their time seeing patients with Dr. Dewan and half their time with other attendings rotating through service. Follow-up for patients as an outpatient is then completed by the residents in continuity clinic, allowing for longitudinal learning experiences.

Dermatopathology

The dermatopathology training at VUMC is unique and renown. Glass slide reviews (one day of textbook review, and one day of unknowns) are held twice weekly by our two dermatopathologists, Dr. Alan Boyd and Dr. Jeff Zwerner, both of whom are fellowship trained in Dermatopathology and also practice clinical dermatology. Residents participate in “sign out” of the daily cases during 1st and 2nd year. Because dermatopathology is part of the Department of Dermatology, all glass slides are kept on-site. Slides from continuity clinic and attending clinic as well as consults can therefore be easily pulled by residents and reviewed with a pathologist. Immunopathology slides are read by Dr. Jo-David Fine, a world expert in blistering diseases of the skin. These slides are also available for review within the clinic space.

Continuity Clinic

We are incredibly proud of our continuity clinic experience. From their first week, residents have a panel of their own patients. Continuity clinic is held once weekly during the duration of residency, and staffed by a rotating attending physician (1 attending for 2-3 residents) within the VUMC outpatient clinic space. Residents will follow these patients throughout their entire residency, mastering the art of managing chronic dermatologic illnesses and utilizing dermatologic therapies over time.