Dermatology manpower projections

Since an oversupply of physician specialists leads to a waste of professional resources, planning of the number of physicians may be desirable. A model projecting the future supply of dermatologists was formulated on the basis of current residency capacity, which produces about 270 dermatologists per year, and on experience regarding the average length of active clinical practice. How changes in the training capacity affect the future supply of dermatologists was also examined. The model projects an equilibrium supply of about 9,500 dermatologists, or 3.2 per 100,000 population early in the 21st century, provided the number of new graduates remains at its present level. Assuming no economic barriers to access, 2.8 to three dermatologists per 100,000 population should be adequate to meet demand. Because of many unpredictable factors, periodic reassessment of dermatology training capacity is necessary.     

Learning Dermatology on a Dermatology Elective

The format of the 4-week dermatology elective rotation at the University of Florida is presented. A 20-item case example slide test was given as a pre-test and as a post-test to 12 internal medicine residents and 41 fourth-year medical students during the elective. Results indicate that the residents (48% correct) and students (46% correct) did not differ in their recognition abilities for common dermatoses at the beginning of the elective. Both groups improved their scores significantly at the end of the dermatology elective (residents, 87% correct; students, 82% correct). These results indicate the usefulness of a dermatology elective program in improving dermatologic skills and of a clinical pre- and post-test approach for the crude assessment of such acquired knowledge for both rotating students and residents. This feedback can be helpful in modifying teaching programs for dermatology educators.