Clinical Training
     The staff of 33 clinical dermatologists (18 UC Davis-based faculty and 15 volunteer faculty), 1 dermatopathologist, 3 dermatologic surgeons, and 8 residents handle an annual caseload of over 30,000 outpatient visits and 400 inpatient conultations.  Residents see patients at both university-based clinics and VA clinics.
     In each year of training, residents rotate through 2 months of dermatologic surgery (including Mohs surgery), 2 months of inpatient consult service, 4 months of university-based clinics, and 4 months of VA clinics.  These various rotations expose the residents to diverse patient populations while allowing them to observe attendings' diverse therapeutic and practice styles.  Many faculty members were slected for their unique interest in different areas of dermatology.  The result is one of the most diverse clinical training environments in the United States.
     Specialty clinics within these blocks include Mohs micrographic surgery, pigmented lesions, mycosis fungoides, psoriasis, cosmetic procedures, wound care, and pemphigus.  Residents staff 8 half-day clinics per week, with the remaining time spent in didactics.
     Residents also have regular opportunities to spend clinic time at a nationally recognized laser clinic and a private skin surgery practice.
     In the clinical setting, residents participate actively in the teaching of medical students and residents from other disciplines.  Residents are expected to see the patients first and then to present the patient along with a treatment plan to the attending dermatologist.
     In addition, residents staff their own continuity clinics, with increasing autonomy and patient load reflecting their level of training.  This clinic provides an invaluable opportunity for both resident independence and continuity of care.  Likewise surgical duties refect levels of comfort and training.  The resident continuity clinics are held two Thursdays of each month.  This clinic allows the residents to follow their own patients and make the decisions regarding their care under supervision by faculty.  First-year residents present all their patients to a faculty member.  Second-year residents present all new patients and third-year residents exercise their own judgment but tend to present only difficult or very interesting patients to a faculty member.

Didactics

Residents teaching has always been a very vital part of the dermatology residency program at UC Davis.  To complement the resident teaching that occurs in the clinics, Wednesday and Thursday mornings of every week are protected resident teaching time.  During these two half-day sessions, residents have structured teaching in dermatopathology, dermatologic surgery and basic science in addition to Grand Rounds.  These sessions are conducted both by facutly (full-time and volunteer) and by residents.  The significant parts of the resident teaching program include:

• Dermpath lecture series with unknowns

• Biopsy review of all patients seen by residents

• Surgery lecture series

• Mycology/bacteriology/virology lecture series

• Clinicopathologic conferences

• Book review- Andrews' Diseases of the Skin: Clinical Dermatology

• Kodachrome sessions of clinical dermatology

• Journal clubs

• JAAD and Archives of Dermatology

• Outside journal club that includes articles from: JAMA, NEJM, Lancet, Science, and Nature

Grand Rounds are conducted by Dr. Peter Lynch and are held on the first and third Wednesday of each month.