The Impact of a Single-Day Hands-On Dermatology Workshop on Medical Students' Knowledge and Confidence

Dermatology is an essential component of undergraduate medical education. Limited exposure may leave medical students underprepared to recognize common skin conditions and may contribute to misconceptions regarding the clinical scope of dermatology. This study evaluated the educational impact of a brief dermatology workshop on medical students' knowledge, diagnostic confidence, and perceptions of the specialty. A single-institution pre-post interventional study was conducted during "Dermatology Day," a structured educational workshop for first-year medical students incorporating didactic instruction, hands-on learning, and patient interaction. Anonymous surveys were administered before and after the event. The pre-event survey collected demographic information and assessed baseline dermatology knowledge using a 10-question quiz and a lesion description task scored on a five-point rubric. Confidence in core dermatologic assessment skills and perceptions of dermatology were measured using Likert-scale items. The post-event survey repeated knowledge and confidence measures and included additional questions assessing shifts in specialty perceptions. Quantitative outcomes were analyzed using paired t-tests, and free-text responses underwent thematic analysis.  A total of 27 students completed the pre-event survey, and 16 completed the post-event survey. Knowledge quiz scores did not significantly change following the intervention. However, a non-significant trend toward improvement was observed in task-based performance, with higher post-event lesion description accuracy scores. Significant gains were observed across multiple confidence domains, including identifying key dermatologic history questions, observing and describing skin findings, understanding the steps of a full skin examination, and recognizing indications for and techniques of skin biopsy. Students also reported improved understanding of dermatologists' clinical roles and greater clarity regarding the range of conditions managed within the specialty. Awareness of diagnostic challenges in skin of color increased significantly. Qualitative analysis of free-text responses identified the following two primary themes: the educational value of interacting with patients with chronic dermatologic conditions and the benefit of directly observing skin lesions during the workshop. Students frequently reported that these experiences enhanced their understanding of dermatologic disease and broadened their perception of the specialty's clinical breadth. Although differences in response rates between pre- and post-surveys and the absence of a control group limit causal interpretation, the consistent improvements in confidence and perception measures suggest an immediate educational benefit. These findings indicate that concise, hands-on educational interventions may meaningfully enhance confidence in dermatologic assessment skills and in understanding of the specialty among early medical learners. Integrating similar workshops into medical school curricula may represent an effective strategy to address the limited dermatology exposure present in many training programs. Future studies should assess long-term knowledge retention and evaluate the impact of repeated or expanded dermatology educational experiences.