Undergraduate dermatology education in Ireland: a survey of interns

Dermatological conditions are the fourth most common of all diseases affecting humans, and affect almost one third of the world's population, necessitating effective undergraduate dermatology education.

1. To enquire about the self-perceived confidence of newly qualified junior doctors in recognising and diagnosing dermatological conditions. 2. To ascertain information pertaining to newly qualified junior doctors' undergraduate dermatology education.

A mixed-methods survey on undergraduate dermatology education and self-perceived confidence levels of interns in relation to dermatological conditions was distributed to interns working within two Irish intern networks. Mann-Whitney U testing was used to test for differences between those who had a dermatology placement versus those who did not. Qualitative thematic analysis was used to analyse reflections and comments.

Fifty-seven interns completed our survey. A total of 60% of respondents were female (n = 34). The median age range of respondents was 25-29 years. Fifty-eight percent of interns had a clinical dermatology undergraduate placement (n = 33). Forty-nine percent of interns were dissatisfied with their undergraduate dermatology education (n = 28), while 26% (n = 15) were satisfied and 25% (n = 14) indicated neutral feelings. Confidence levels reported were reasonable where inflammatory and malignant dermatoses were concerned. Statistical significance was established across several areas in dermatology between those who had a dermatology placement versus those who did not. Thematic analysis revealed themes of ineffective dermatology education, of a basic knowledge of dermatology, and of dermatology knowledge via other specialties.

This study demonstrates that undergraduate dermatology education is not standardised across various universities in Ireland. It also revealed several areas within dermatology within which there was a statistically significant difference in confidence levels between those who had a clinical undergraduate dermatology placement versus those who did not. This raises the question: "Would mandating a dermatology clerkship may be beneficial to interns?".