Most GPs see suspicious skin lesions every day. The harder part is deciding, with confidence, which ones need action, which can be monitored, and which are safe to leave alone.
In this episode of Life by a Thousand Cuts, A/Prof Tony Dicker and A/Prof John Pyne unpack what genuinely builds diagnostic accuracy in day-to-day practice. The conversation covers:
Not in a rushed, high-throughput sense, but in repeated, deliberate exposure. Over time, pattern recognition sharpens, and subtle lesions become easier to spot.
A/Prof Dicker and A/Prof Pyne make a clear distinction between being the “diagnostic brain” versus trying to do everything. High-performing clinics are often structured so the GP focuses on assessment and decision-making, with systems and staff supporting everything around it.
They point to simple but underused markers of performance, like your ratio of melanoma in situ to invasive melanoma, and the Breslow thickness of lesions you detect. These are practical ways to reflect on whether you are picking things up early enough.
Dermoscopy, and later confocal microscopy, are framed as extensions of clinical thinking, not shortcuts. Each adds another layer, but none replace the need for solid fundamentals.
This is a grounded discussion about how diagnostic skill actually develops over time. Listen to the full episode below.
Prefer a visual format? Watch this podcast on the HealthCert Education YouTube channel.
🎓 Micro-Courses in Skin Cancer
Explore short, single-topic CPD modules for focused learning in skin cancer medicine and surgery. Complete in less than 10 hours from only $95.
➡️ Browse Micro-Courses >
🎓 Certificate Courses in Skin Cancer
Explore our university-assured, structured pathway to elevate your knowledge in the diagnosis and treatment of skin cancer.
➡️ Explore full program >
🎓 HealthCert 365 subscription
Prefer flexible learning across many topics? Access 4,000+ CPD hours on-demand with HealthCert 365 — anytime, any topic, one flat annual fee.
➡️ Discover HealthCert 365 >
Or explore more educational content in Skin Cancer Surgery.
Listen to all episodes in the Life by a Thousand Cuts series.
This podcast series is designed to help you enhance your clinical decision-making, procedural skills, and confidence in skin cancer management. Focus on real-world cases, surgical techniques and tips, journal article reviews, diagnostic and management insights, and guest interviews with GPs and specialists.
Associate Professor (Skin Cancer) & Course Coordinator MMed (Skin Cancer), The University of Queensland
Tony Dicker has practised full-time Skin Cancer Medicine in Melbourne since 2004, and previously practised in Brisbane. He obtained his PhD from The University of Queensland in molecular biology of skin cancer with Professor Ian Frazer's group at Princess Alexandra Hospital. He then spent three years as a dermatology registrar at the Royal Brisbane and Princess Alexandra Hospitals.
You can self-record CPD for this podcast. If you consume educational content on this blog, you can Quick Log CPD hours with the RACGP/ACRRM via the usual self-submission process. You will be asked to reflect on what you have learned, and you will require supporting evidence such as a screenshot. For more information, view the: RACGP CPD guide | ACRRM CPD guide