Curriculum standards
Knowledge guides
LG10: Foundations and clinical sciences of dermatology
Epidemiology, pathophysiology, and clinical sciences
Advanced Trainees will have in-depth knowledge of the topics listed under each clinical sciences heading.
For the statistical and epidemiological concepts listed, trainees should be able to describe the underlying rationale, the indications for using one test or method over another, and the calculations required to generate descriptive statistics.
Investigations, procedures, and clinical assessment tools
Advanced Trainees will know the scientific foundation of each investigation and procedure, including relevant anatomy and physiology. They will be able to interpret the reported results of each investigation or procedure.
Advanced Trainees will know how to explain the investigation or procedure to patients, families, and carers, and be able to explain procedural risk and obtain informed consent where applicable.
Important specific issues
Advanced will identify important specialty-specific issues and the impact of these on diagnosis, management and outcomes.
Cutaneous manifestations of systemic disease
- Including, but not limited to, disorders affecting the hair, nails, and skin, such as:
- autoimmune
- autoinflammatory
- cardiac
- endocrine
- gastrointestinal
- hepatic
- immunodeficiency
- infectious disease
- inherited
- metabolic
- neurocutaneous
- renal
- respiratory
-
rheumatological, including:
- graft-versus-host disease
Dermatology clinical sciences
- Anatomical pathology of the skin
- Embryology of the hair, nails, and skin
- Developmental changes of skin with age
- Presentation of dermatological problems in different ethnic and cultural populations
- Principles of skin carcinogenesis
- Principles of wound healing
- Role of skin in infection and immunity
- Skin of colour:
- implication for presentation and response to disease
- structural and functional differences of pigmented skin and skin of colour
- Structure and function of the hair, nails, and skin, including, but not limited to:
- hair cycle
- normal epidermal differentiation
- skin barrier function
Dermatopathology and laboratory methods
-
Alopecia:
- non-scarring
- scarring
- Genodermatoses
- Histology of normal skin and its appendages
-
Inflammatory dermatoses, including:
- blistering
- depositional
- granulomatous
- lichenoid
- neutrophilic
- perforating
- psoriasiform
- spongiotic
- vasculitis
-
Nails:
- melanonychia
- onychomatricoma
- onychomycosis
-
Tumours:
- benign
- malignant
Genetic dermatology
- Cancer predisposition syndromes
- Genetics of skin disorders and broad knowledge of more common genodermatoses, including, but not limited to:
- epidermolysis bullosa
- ichthyoses
- keratodermas
- Mosaic disorders
- Naevi
- Neurocutaneous syndromes
- Principles of medical genetics and genetic investigations
- Vascular anomalies
Immunology
- Antigen receptors
- Cell signalling
- Cellular components of the immune system
- Hypersensitivity responses
- Immune responses to infections and tumours
- Immune systems:
- cutaneous
- mucosal
- Immunity:
- adaptive
- innate
- Immunological memory
- Principles of immunology
- Tolerance
Photobiology
- Basic principles of light transmission and absorption
- Electromagnetic spectrum and wavelengths relevant to dermatology:
- infrared light
- ultraviolet radiation
- visible light
- Photobiological mechanisms, including:
- photoageing
- photocarcinogenisis
- photosensivity
- phototoxicity
- Photoprotection:
-
Aotearoa New Zealand ratings and standards of:
- sunglasses
- sunscreen
- UV protective materials
- mechanisms and modalities of photoprotection
-
Aotearoa New Zealand ratings and standards of:
- Skin responses to light and UV radiation:
- apoptosis, erythema, and inflammation
- DNA damage and oxidative stress
- immunomodulation
- melanogenesis
Population dermatology
- Economic, psychological, and social impact of dermatological disease
- Epidemiology of dermatological disease
- Ethics, equity, and resource allocation
- Impact of dermatological disease on quality of life, and developmental and psychosocial effects
- Socioeconomic and ethnocultural determinants of health
Research dermatology
- Critical appraisal of research papers, such as:
- case reports
- clinical trials
- systematic reviews
- Evidence-based medicine in dermatology
- Good clinical and research practice and methodology
- Statistical methods
Skin infections and infestations
- Exanthems
- Infections of the nails, scalp and skin:
- bacterial
- fungal
- viral
- Microbiology, such as:
- bacteria
- fungi
- mycology
- parasitology
- virology
- yeast
- Pediculosis identification
- Scabies
- Tropical dermatoses
Clinical assessment tools
- Disease assessment tools, such as:
- Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI)
- specific disease severity scores
- Photography
Investigations
- Biochemistry, microbiological, and haematological
- Dermoscopy
- Head lice, mites, and scabies extraction and microscopic identification
- Histopathology
- Immunohistochemistry
- Laboratory assessments, such as:
- biochemistry
- genetics
- haematology
- Microscopic analysis of relevant bacteria and fungi
- Radiological investigations, such as:
- MRI
- ultrasound
- Standard light microscope
- Wood’s lamp
Procedures
- Dermatological surgery
- Skin biopsy
- Contagious disease in community living
- Genetic investigations:
- consent for genetic testing
- criteria / indications for referral to genetic services
- implications and significance for genetic screening
- Health and cultural needs of patients from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds
- Impact of cosmetic issues on psychosocial wellbeing
- Infection screening and vaccination advice prior to immunosuppression
- Informed consent
- Public health notifications and contact tracing
- Taking sexual health histories
- Variation in dermatological diseases with:
- age
- ethnicity
- immunosuppression
- pregnancy
Immunodermatology
- Techniques involving desensitisation, including:
- indications
- limitations
- safety of desensitisation techniques
PCH
- Aotearoa New Zealand immunisation schedules
- Common childhood infectious diseases and exanthems
- Developmental anomalies affecting the skin
- Effect of dermatological disease on normal growth and development in paediatric and adolescent patients and their family / whānau
- Genodermatoses presenting in neonatal and early childhood periods
- Maternal fetal / neonatal disorders, such as transmission of maternal autoantibodies and transplacental infection
- Presentation of neonatal tumours and haematological malignancies
- Primary immunodeficiencies
- Vascular anomalies