Dermatologic Procedures Course Description

Course Credits: Earn up to 15.50 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ and AAFP Prescribed Credits

Course Price: $1,695

Dermatologic Procedures is a two-day course.

Patients expect primary care clinicians to care for skin problems. New techniques allow rapid assessment and treatment with less scarring. Although often neglected in residency training, various skin procedures can and should be performed daily in your practice. Why refer the patients out when you can diagnose and treat most of them? This dermatology CME course includes training for common skin procedures, including skin anesthesia, common nerve blocks, skin biopsy techniques, cryosurgery, electrosurgery, surgical excisions/repairs, dermoscopy, and coding. Over 1,000 actual clinical slides are used in addition to text to review treatment of lipomas, cysts, warts, skin tags, chalazions, abscesses, actinics, seborrheics, basal cell cancer, squamous cell cancer, malignant melanoma, and much more. 

The first day of the course is dedicated to the performance of the most useful dermatologic procedures. This includes understanding the approach to the patient with a skin lesion including providing safe and effective local anesthesia. We then learn how to perform skin biopsies including the punch, tangential, and curette/cautery techniques. The cryosurgery section provides a review of the use of topical refrigerants, liquid nitrogen, and hand-held cryo units. Next, we introduce and practice electrosurgery of lesions using hyfrecators and cutting/coagulation machines. As most CME course participants say after seeing electrosurgery: “Amazing! Practical.” "Used every day in the office", "These techniques enable treatment of common problems you never thought you would treat; skin lesions, benign nevi, telangiectasias of the face, ingrown toenails, pyogenic granulomas, and more." Day one concludes with learning the concepts and performing surgical excisions and repairs.

The second day of the dermatologic procedures course begins with an extensive introduction to dermoscopy as used in a primary care setting with hands-on practice. It continues with an in-depth review of benign and malignant clinical conditions. A wealth of clinical slides of various skin lesions and procedural videos are used to reinforce the content. Additional useful material includes an interactive session on procedural coding and at the end of the course, the development of an implementation plan is discussed.