See the curriculum for the Transitional Year Residency (PGY-1).

This is a typical Dermatology Residency rotation schedule:

Throughout the three-year Dermatology Residency, you have two half days a week for academic time. Monday morning consists of three hours of conferences. Friday morning consists of a one-hour clinical conference led by the chief residents, and a two-hour dermatopathology conference led by the dermatopathology faculty at the multiheaded microscope. The remaining time may be spent reading, studying, and working on academic projects.

Rotation descriptions

Mayo Clinic continuity outpatient/inpatient dermatology

Four months a year, you will see patients in the outpatient setting, as well as inpatient consults at Mayo Clinic in the Phoenix area.

Six to eight half days a week, you will treat patients in a continuity outpatient setting. Each patient then continues with the same resident during training.

By developing close longitudinal physician-patient relationships, you will gain maximum experience and deliver the highest level of care. You will continue having one to four half days of continuity clinic throughout all of the other months of training.

Dermatopathology

One month a year, you will work with fellowship-trained dermatopathologists to diagnose new biopsies, review outside consult slides, and examine study sets.

Dermatologic surgery

Two months a year, you will perform and assist in excisions, Mohs surgery, laser, and cosmetic procedures.

Phoenix Children's Hospital

Two months a year, you will train at Phoenix Children's Hospital, one of the major pediatric hospitals in the southwestern U.S. In addition to seeing patients in the outpatient and inpatient setting, you are encouraged to participate in various interdisciplinary specialty clinics focusing on epidermolysis bullosa, vascular anomalies, and congenital and genetic skin diseases.

Valleywise Health Medical Center

Two months a year, you will train in the outpatient and inpatient settings at the Valleywise Health Medical Center, which acts as the regional burn center serving the indigent and uninsured patients of Maricopa County.

Elective rotations

One month a year, you will have elective rotations. During the PGY-2 year, a one-month optional elective rotation is available on the dermatology inpatient service at Mayo Clinic's campus in Rochester, Minnesota. While on this inpatient service, you care for an average of four inpatients as well as phototherapy day care patients. Due to the size of its referral practice, the inpatient service in Rochester provides a unique experience. You care for patients with serious, acute, and chronic skin diseases. You also have the opportunity to participate in the psoriasis day care center and spend time in the immunodermatology laboratory. Mayo funds the costs of travel, housing, car rental, and licensure fees for rotations to other Mayo campuses.

A variety of elective rotations are available during the PGY-3 and PGY-4 years. Examples of electives include dermatopathology, pediatric dermatology, surgical dermatology, outpatient clinical experiences, and clinical or translational research. Elective opportunities are available at all Mayo Clinic campuses or at other approved institutions. Elective time enhances the diversity of your educational experiences and allows you to focus on special areas of interest.

You may apply for a scholarship from Mayo Clinic for funding to spend a one-month elective overseas at an approved institution during the PGY-3 or PGY-4 year. A number of residents from our residency have obtained scholarships to spend a one-month elective at an outpatient dermatology clinic in Tanzania.

Clinical conferences, seminars, small discussion groups, journal club, and one-on-one instruction are all integral parts of the Dermatology Residency.

This is a typical conference schedule:

Monday (morning)

• Weekly — Show-and-Tell conferences (clinical photograph conferences)
• Weekly — General core curriculum conference (Arizona, Minnesota, Florida)
• Bimonthly — Dermatopathology conference (Arizona, Minnesota, Florida)
• Monthly — Dermatologic surgery journal club conference (Arizona, Minnesota, Florida)
• Three times monthly — Journal club in general dermatology

Tuesday

• Monthly — Dermatologic surgery core curriculum (Arizona, Minnesota, Florida)

Wednesday

• Weekly — Clinical Grand Rounds
• Weekly — Chief resident review conference
• Weekly — Dermatopathology core curriculum (teaching session at microscope)

Thursday

• No conferences

Friday

• Weekly — Internal Medicine Grand Rounds
• Twice monthly — Pediatric dermatology core curriculum

Research opportunities at Mayo Clinic are outstanding, and you are encouraged to participate in research projects with the faculty.

You may participate in clinical-pathological correlative studies, clinical reports, dermatopathology projects, translational research, or other projects. You are also encouraged to submit abstracts for presentations at national meetings, and are expected to submit at least two case reports or scientific studies for publication during the three-year residency training period.

During the three-year period of dermatology training, Mayo Clinic sponsors residents to attend four scientific meetings (three local meetings and one national meeting) for attendance only. In addition, residents currently may present at up to six additional national or local meetings (up to two each year) by giving an oral presentation or presenting a poster at the meeting. If accepted for presentation, travel funding is provided.

Call frequency

Call (from home) is rotated on a weekly basis among the residents. Call frequency is approximately every six weeks. An on-call faculty member is available at all times for consultation and assistance. Mayo Clinic follows the recommendations of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME).

Teaching opportunities

You have opportunities to teach Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine students and visiting students from other medical schools through bedside instruction and formal didactic lectures.