Undergraduate dermatology education in Ireland: a survey of interns

Background: 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. Aims: 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. Methods: 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. Results: 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. Conclusion: 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?”.