UCSF Dermatology Residency Handbook - Dermatology - University ...

RESIDENCY HANDBOOK 2011-2012
2) The goals of the Resident expert talks are three-fold
(a) To gain expertise in one focused area of dermatology
(b) To work closely with one or two mentors to chose the topic for the lecture,
prepare, and execute a talk that is appropriate for an audience of general
dermatologists
(c) To gain confidence in speaking and answering questions in the setting of an
audience of colleagues and peers. (For the do’s and don’ts of preparing your talk,
please see the Department website.)
3) Second year talks are typically 20 minutes in length, while third year talks are typically
30 minutes long.
N) Research/Publications
1) Residents are strongly encouraged to write at least one paper for publication during
their residency.
(a) This may be in any form (i.e. case report, review article, etc.) and may involve the
resident’s area of interest for his/her Resident Expert Talk.
(b) Faculty can be asked to assist in finding an appropriate topic and/or co-authoring
the paper.
2) Residents are also strongly encouraged to submit abstracts for the residents’ forum
or gross and microscopic case presentations at national meetings, including the
AAD.
O) American Board of Dermatology Annual In-Training Exam
1) All residents are required to take this on-line exam each year, typically held in the
late winter or early spring. While some curricular time is set aside for review,
residents are expected to devote significant outside time to preparation and selfstudy.
2) This exam serves as one important measure of the fund of medical knowledge each
resident has acquired. The comparison pool of dermatology residents in the US is a
highly selective group, so residents should not be surprised if their percentile rank
scores are lower than they might have experienced during college or medical school.
However, poor performance on the exam (below the 20 th percentile) is usually
symptomatic of a more general failure to study and acquire the necessary fund of
knowledge, and often serves as a predictor that a trainee is at risk of poor
performance on actual Board certifying examinations.
3) Scoring above the 20 th percentile (compared with same-year dermatology residents
nationwide) is expected. Performance below this level is usually symptomatic of a
more general failure to study and acquire the necessary fund of knowledge, often
serves as a predictor that a trainee is at risk of failing their actual certifying board
exam, and will result in a requirement for remedial work. The remediation plan may
involve limits in the resident’s ability to moonlight or undertake electives if he/she
needs additional basic clinical experiences. Unsatisfactory performance may also
lead to a counseling letter, notice of concern, academic probation, or other academic
action as outlined in the Academic Due Process Policy. The selection of a
disciplinary action may be based in part on the severity of the low score and other
measures of resident competency beyond the in-training examination, though a low
score alone may be sufficient for action.
P) ACGME Case Log
1) Every resident is required to log all surgical procedures that he/she performs or
observes each academic year using the ACGME online case log system.
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