This is solely an ambulatory care experience. Students see patients in a very busy dermatology office Monday through Friday and will examine a large number of patients. During this rotation the student will:

• Learn to describe skin lesions by morphology and distribution
• Learn to diagnose and treat common skin disorders
• Understand the role of the dermatologist, dermatopathologist and dermatologic surgeon in the care of skin disorders

The medical student is given ample autonomy and responsibility in the office. Responsibilities of the student include:

• Taking a relevant history from each patient
• Performing skin exams
• Administering local anesthesia, intramuscular injections, intralesional therapy and PPD tests
• Performing skin biopsies, liquid nitrogen therapy, and possible other minor surgical procedures under supervision
• Formulating a treatment plan
• Providing patient information regarding their conditions
• Recording the patient’s visit in an electronic medical record (EMR) system
• Placing orders for the patient’s oral and topical prescriptions in the EMR to send to the pharmacy
• Contacting patients with their laboratory and biopsy results

Students will be notified via e-mail regarding the location/time of the start of their elective.

Prerequisite: MS4

• MS3 students interested in applying into the dermatology residency need to contact Shannon Okonczak to determine if space is available.
• Since the elective is usually filled, there is a mandatory 4-week notice to drop the elective.

Modules: A-M   

Number of students: 2 (Modules D and M can only accomodate 1 student)

Course Director: Robert E. Kalb, MD

Course Coordinator: Michelle Pelletier