The impact of dermatology lectures on internal medicine residents

Background: Most medical students receive an average of 10 hours of dermatology teaching before starting residency, and only 25% take dermatology elective in medical school. Internal medicine (IM) residents regularly encounter dermatologic complaints and diseases, yet 63% of primary care residents state that they are inadequately prepared to diagnose common skin disorders. A recent study showed that an isolated didactic curriculum is a sufficient teaching method for IM residents, as measured by a multiple-choice test.