Dermatology Los Angeles Medical Center - Curriculum
Educational Curriculum
Didactics
Didactic lectures are held daily during lunchtime and occasionally before clinic. Friday morning is dedicated to resident book review.
Literature Review
The department holds a monthly journal club to discuss selected articles and review highlights from the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology (JAAD). Monthly Jeopardy-style sessions are also conducted to reinforce the JAAD continuing medical education (CME) topics.
Grand Rounds
Grand Rounds takes place once per month in which residents present interesting patient cases with a combination of patient viewings and virtual cases. Each month a guest speaker is invited to give a lecture to the department and additional lectures for the residents during the remainder of the afternoon.
Conferences
The program hosts a monthly interdepartmental dermatopathology conference to review selected cases. Residents also participate in meetings of the Los Angeles Metropolitan Dermatological Society and attend the annual meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology. Kaiser Permanente offers a generous reimbursement policy for residents who are present at conferences.
Sample weekly schedule:
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday |
| Resident continuity clinic | Resident continuity clinic | Dermatopathology | +/-Didactics Resident continuity clinic | Book Review |
| Didactics | Didactics | Didactics | Didactics | Didactics / Dermatopathology lecture |
| Resident minor surgery clinic or Attending clinic | Resident pediatric continuity clinic | Resident minor surgery clinic or Attending clinic | Attending clinic | Resident continuity clinic |
Clinical Curriculum
Medical Dermatology
Residents gain medical dermatology experience through weekly resident continuity clinics and attending clinics. Residents rotate one month per year at City of Hope (COH) for further cutaneous oncology training.
Procedural Dermatology
Residents receive extensive training in dermatologic surgery with weekly minor surgery clinics. Residents have increased exposure to Mohs micrographic surgery as they advance in their training. PGY4 residents have Mohs surgery 1-2 half-days per week.
Pediatric Dermatology
Residents have a weekly resident pediatric dermatology continuity clinic supervised by one of the staff Pediatric Dermatologists. Residents gain additional experience in pediatric dermatology by rotating at the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA).
Dermatopathology
Residents participate in dermatopathology signouts one half day per week and rotate at Panorama City Dermatopathology annually. In addition, residents receive dermatopathology lectures and quizzes monthly.
Cosmetic dermatology
Monthly resident cosmetic training gives residents the opportunity to practice skills with botulinum toxin, soft tissue augmentation, chemical peels, sclerotherapy, deoxycholic acid, and lasers.
Inpatient Dermatology
Residents cover inpatient consultations at the Kaiser Permanente LAMC. Additionally, they participate on inpatient rounds during the City of Hope and Children’s Hospital rotations.
Outreach and Teaching Opportunities
Residents regularly attend the tattoo removal clinic and free clinic at the Kheir clinic. Senior residents have the opportunity to teach and mentor Family Medicine Residents by supervising a Family Medicine Dermatology clinic.
Elective
Third year residents may devote four weeks to a rotation at an outside facility in order to expand experience and benefit future career plans.
