RESIDENT ROUNDS: PART I

The Florida State University College of Medicine (FSUCOM) Division of Dermatology is a vibrant, thriving, and unique learning environment. The program was initially accredited in January 2015 and is currently accredited until 2027. There are currently six residents and one Mohs surgery fellow. The mission of FSUCOM and the Division of dermatology is nobly stated as follows: “The Florida State University College of Medicine will educate and develop exemplary physicians who practice patient-centered health care, discover and advance knowledge, and are responsive to community needs, especially through service to elder, rural, minority, and underserved populations.”

The division has diverse and talented faculty members to provide residency and fellowship training. A robust clinical and didactic program, an extensive array of treatment modalities and technologies, and rotations at numerous training venues all provide the residents and fellows with the much-needed skills to address the dermatologic needs of today’s diverse patient populations.The full-time faculty includes eight general dermatologists, five Mohs surgeons, three dermatopathologists, and one fellowship-trained pediatric dermatologist. There is also a part-time plastic surgeon on staff who supervises the residents during complex closures.The residents’ clinical training occurs primarily at the offices of Dermatology Associates of Tallahassee. There are six additional satellite clinics where the residents provide dermatologic care to elderly and rural patients who have difficulty traveling and are geographically separated. The residents also rotate through the Tallahassee Veterans Affairs Health Care Center and Southeast Plastic Surgery Center. They provide inpatient consultations at Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare Hospital.In addition to rotating on our robust Mohs surgery rotation, the residents receive hands on experience with a variety of lasers including fractional CO2, pulse dye, xenon-chloride excimer, and Nd:YAG lasers. The Division of Dermatology also provides superficial radiation therapy (SRT) on site and the residents gain experience using SRT to treat non-melanoma skin cancers and keloids. Additionally, residents receive hands-on training in cosmetic dermatology to include hair transplantation, liposuction and fat transfer, as well as neuro-modulators and fillers.The structured didactic training includes journal club, textbook sessions, kodachrome review, dermatopathology lecture, and read-outs with the dermatopathologists, dermatologic pharmacology, and dermato-ethics. The entire FSUCOM is invited to our yearly live patient grand rounds each spring. The residents are required to prepare scholarly papers, present at regional and national conferences, participate in clinical research projects, and complete one international rotation or mission trip. The pace is vigorous, but the academic rewards and training benefits are commensurate.