Professional Certificate of General Dermatology

COURSE OVERVIEW

Presented by noted dermatologists, this comprehensive course teaches how to manage common skin, hair and nail conditions in primary care. You will learn about modes of presentation, relevant investigations and management of all of the common skin conditions from acne, rosacea, eczema, psoriasis through to drug rashes, hair loss and common cosmetic complaints. 

The course is delivered online in eight modules which can be viewed and replayed at any time. Participants will receive valuable 12 months web-based support from the speakers and participate in regular online learning sessions with the opportunity to ask any questions you might have as you implement your learning.

This course is the first part of the three-part Professional Diploma of General Dermatology. The education pathway is Professional Certificate of General Dermatology, Advanced Certificate of General Dermatology and Professional Diploma of General Dermatology.

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COURSE OUTLINE

Module 1 – common benign conditions, pigmentary conditions and cutaneous infections

The first section of this module focuses on common benign conditions including epidermal, melanocytic, vascular lesions, soft tissue and neural lesions, cysts, chondrodermatitis nodularis helicis and sebaceous hyperplasia. The module then focuses on pigmentary conditions. It outlines the diagnosis, investigations and management of pityriasis alba, pityriasis versicolor, idiopathic guttate hypomelanosis, vitiligo and melasma. The third section discusses cutaneous infections including staphylococcal and streptococcal, malassezia and corynebacterium, and then viral warts and scabies. Each category is discussed in detail and clinical images are used to identify differential diagnosis and management of these lesions.

Module 2 – facial rashes, systemic diseases and fungal infections

The first section of the module focuses on identifying the different types and causes of facial rashes, including seborrhea, rosacea, atopic dermatitis and contact dermatitis. It also explains the four subtypes of rosacea and outlines treatment options. The next topic focuses on detecting cutaneous clues for the diagnosis of systemic diseases including recognizing skin findings to distinguish between different types of neurocutaneous diseases. The eight most common systemic diseases are discussed including dermatomyositis, lupus, sarcoidosis, scleroderma, neurofibromatosis, tuberous sclerosis, Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma and pyoderma gangrenosum. The module concludes with separating cutaneous fungal infections from other skin diseases and infections. It explains the use of KOH preparation with fungal stain and microscopy to identify fungal infections and when to use oral antifungal medications rather than topical preparations. Clinical images are featured throughout the module.

Module 3 – papulosquamous disorders

The first section of the module focuses on identifying the different types of psoriasis and their distinguishing features. It also explains the nine categories of psoriasis, steps taken to make a diagnosis and outlines treatment options. The next topic focuses on recognising the different variations of lichen planus and pityriasis rosea. It explains the six Ps and skin variants of lichen planus, including selecting appropriate treatment options. The diagnosis, including when to biopsy, and management of pityriasis rosea is outlined including treatment options. Clinical images are featured throughout the module.

Module 4 – atopic dermatitis and acne

This module begins with an overview of atopic dermatitis and discusses the diagnosis of this condition from infancy to adulthood. It then explains the pathogenesis, complications and contributing factors of this disease. The module also outlines different treatment options, including bleach baths, wet wrap therapy, phototherapy and the use of systemic drugs. The second part of the module focuses on the causes and diagnosis of acne vulgaris. It also outlines tips to treat and help patients with acne. The module concludes with therapeutic recommendations for the treatment of acne. Clinical images and diagrams are used throughout the module to assist with learning.

Module 5 – dermatopathology

This first section of the module focuses on dermatopathology. It outlines when and why to conduct a biopsy, including different biopsy methods and biopsy processing. It describes how to complete a pathology request form by providing essential information, including the site and method of biopsy, descriptive words describing distribution and morphology, and differential diagnosis. An overview of the pathological changes of skin and six tissue reaction patterns of inflammatory cells is discussed. The next section focuses on types of pruritus, including pruriceptive, neuropathic, neurogenic and psychogenic itch. It explains the initial and ongoing management of these conditions. The final section focuses on allergic versus irritant contact dermatitis. It outlines the different types of irritant contact dermatitis, the clinical features, pathology and ways to manage them. The module concludes with describing the clinical features of allergic contact dermatitis on various body parts, when to perform patch testing and management of this condition. Clinical images are featured throughout the module.

Module 6 – nail disorders and hair loss

The first section focuses on nail disorders. It discusses the nail apparatus and onychomycosis of the nail, including dermatophytic and non-dermatophytic infections. It explains the predisposing factors and five clinical patterns of onychomycosis, including distal/lateral subungual, the superficial white, the proximal subungual, the endonyx and candidal onychomycosis. The main differential diagnosis, a step-by-step specimen collection, treatment options, preventive measures and complications are discussed in detail. The next section focuses on the dermatologic entities that induce hair loss. It briefly outlines the classifications and presentations of the most common non-cicatricial and cicatricial alopecia. Conditions include androgenetic alopecia, telogen effluvium and alopecia areata. Each category is discussed in detail and clinical images are used to identify differential diagnosis, work-up and management of these conditions.

Module 7 – paediatric topics, follicular disorders and blistering disorders

The first section focuses on paediatric dermatology conditions including cutaneous mastocytosis, acrodermatitis enteropathica, Gianotti-Crosti syndrome, confluent and reticulated papillomatosis, 5th disease or erythema infectiosum, viral exanthems, drug rash, impetigo, infantile acropustulosis, erythema toxicum neonatorum, hand foot and mouth disease, scabies, linear epidermal nevus, nevus sebaceous and infantile hemangiomas. Each category is discussed in detail and clinical images are used to assist with the diagnosis and treatment of these conditions. The second section focuses on hair follicle disorders including superficial folliculitis, keratin disorders and deep folliculitis. The treatment of these conditions is discussed in detail. The last section focuses on a rare blistering disorder called vesicobullous disease that causes vesicles and bullae eruptions on the skin and mucosal surfaces. The five variants of the blistering disorder including clinical images are discussed in detail.

Module 8 – dermatology cases

This module focuses on reviewing ten dermatology case studies focusing on the learning in the previous modules. Each case is supported by clinical images. History taking, identifying differential diagnosis, examination, investigations and management strategies are discussed in each of these case studies.