Cairo University Faculty of Medicine Program Specification for Master Degree Dermatology Program type: Single Department offering the program: Department of Dermatology Program code: DERM 800 Total credit points: 140 Academic year: 2009/2010 Program Coordinators Assistant Coordinators: Prof. Hoda Rasheed Prof. Wedad Zoheir Mustafa Assist. Professor: Mona Rabie Dr. Akmal S. Hassan Dr. Heba Mashaly Dr. Rania Mounir External evaluators: Prof. Nagwa Youssef I. Aim of Program To produce skilled and competent graduates specialized in diagnosis and management of diseases of skin and its appendages. Candidates will be trained and monitored to follow basic medical ethical attitudes and respond to the health demands and needs of the community. Graduates should be capable of utilizing national and international standards in patient care while following evidence based medical practice. Graduates will be encouraged to learn and practice continuous education and self learning and will be introduced to basics of scientific medical research. II. Intended Learning Outcomes of Program (ILOs) A. Knowledge and Understanding: By the end of the program the candidate should be able to: 1) The basic science related to human skin and its' appendages. 2) The etiology, pathology, clinical features, natural history and prognosis of dermatological conditions in all age groups. 3) Guidelines for differential diagnosis of various dermatologic presentations. 4) The histopathological features of the main inflammatory and neoplastic skin conditions. 5) The psychological basis of Dermatological conditions.
6) The basic concepts of dermatologic office, diagnostic and laboratory procedures, their indications, limitations and complications. 7) The principles, indications, precautions and side effects of various therapeutic modalities for Dermatological conditions including pharmacological, procedural, nutritional and psychological therapies. 8) The principles, indications, precautions and side effects of phototherapy, basic dermato-surgical procedures, laser and cosmetic procedures. 9) The principles of health education, disease prevention, amelioration of suffering and disability and rehabilitation where relevant. 10) The principles of common internal diseases and their management. 11) The role and scope of Dermatology practice including accountability, confidentiality, responsibility, legal-ethical issues and professional development. B. Intellectual Skills: By the end of the program the candidate should be able to: 1) Interpret, analyze, integrate and document the history, symptoms, physical examination to reach an appropriate provisional diagnosis and differential diagnosis for common dermatological conditions. 2) Design an appropriate diagnostic plan and select the most appropriate and cost effective investigations and diagnostic procedure. 3) Interpret and analyze the results of investigations including histopathology and laboratory findings and integrate them with the history, symptoms and physical examination to reach a correct diagnosis of dermatological conditions. 4) Combine the clinical and investigational database, with evidence-based knowledge to reach proficiency in clinical problem solving. 5) Plan management and design rational therapeutic strategies with the appropriate involvement of the patient and family. 6) Appreciate the need to recognize when a clinical problem exceeds their capacity to deal with it safely and efficiently and the need to refer the patient for appropriate help from others when required. 7) Corroborate the advances in knowledge which will occur in his work over his entire career. 8) Address the changing health needs of the society in a manner consistent with scientific advancement and trends in health care delivery systems. 9) Develop skills of decision making in different aspects of patient care. 10) Logically and scientifically interpret and criticize medical evidence. C. Professional and Practical Skills: By the end of the program the candidate should be able to: 1) Take a tactful, accurate, organized and problem-focused medical history and relate this to the general medical condition of the patient. 2) Perform a reliable and appropriate dermatological examination and relevant general physical examination.
3) Choose from the repertoire of clinical skills those which are appropriate and practical in a given situation. 4) Competently carry out different therapeutic modalities for different dermatological disorders as indicated in the procedural Dermatology curriculum. 5) Perform simple diagnostic procedures and histopathological examination for different dermatological conditions. 6) Recognize patients with life-threatening conditions requiring critical care and outline an initial course of management. 7) Apply sterile, safe techniques and infection control guidelines according to international principles. 8) Monitor the efficacy of therapy by assessing the patient's response according to the relevant clinical and investigative parameters and re-evaluating management plan accordingly. 9) Communicate opinion in oral and written form D. General and Transferable Skills: By the end of the program the candidate should be able to: 1) Demonstrate respect to all patients irrespective of their socio-cultural or religious status. 2) Conduct patient interview with patience, attentive listening and respect. 3) Adequately and clearly explaining to the patient and/or his relatives the nature of the illness, diagnostic and therapeutic plans, possible complications and outcomes. 4) The ability to counsel sensitively and effectively, and to provide information in a manner which ensures that patients and families are adequately informed when being advised of their diagnosis and/or consenting to any procedures or treatment. 5) Handle appropriately difficult situations such as conveying bad news or dealing with patient and family anger. 6) Efficiently and clearly documenting patient records. 7) Discuss the progression of the patient's condition, therapeutic outcomes and professional mistakes if any, in a way that promotes patient trust and confidence. 8) Desire to achieve optimal patient care, ease suffering and in the same time appreciating the cost effectiveness of the whole treatment program to allow maximum benefit from available resources. 9) Awareness of the need to communicate with patients and their families, and to involve them fully in planning management. 10) Willingness to work effectively in a team with other health care providers, and to acknowledge and respect their opinions. 11) Practice cost effective health care through proper resource allocation that does not compromise quality of care. 12) Work with health care managers and health care providers to assess, coordinate, and improve patient care. 13) Acknowledge medical errors and help in the development of operational systems to prevent them.
14) Communicate effectively with other health care professionals to maximize patient benefit. 15) Respect contributions of other health care providers regardless of degree and occupation. 16) Seeking formal and informal consultations from colleagues. 17) Performing appropriate referral to other health care practitioners when necessary. 18) Appreciate the importance of continuing medical education in upgrading his/her knowledge and professional skills. 19) Self assessing his/her knowledge and skills and acquiring feedbacks from colleagues and supervisors continuously. 20) Use different sources of biomedical information to remain in contact with the recent advances in dermatological practice. 21) Participate in research projects and help to develop research protocols. 22) Identify the Egyptian community health needs and properly utilize the given tools to provide high quality and cost-effective patient care. 23) Understand and utilize appropriate health care quality concepts. III. Academic standards External references for standards: a. European Union of Medical specialists (UEMS). b. Joint Committee on Higher Medical Training (UK). c. Australasian College of Dermatology (Australia). IV. Program Admission Requirements According to the bylaws of the faculty of medicine Cairo University applicants should have MBBCh or equivalent degree. According to Cairo University requirement, all applicants for postgraduate studies should fulfill preliminary courses on the following subjects: (Basic Medical statistics I offered by the medical education center (MEDC) English language (Toefel or equivalent degree) Computer skills (ICDL) or equivalent computer course offered by the MEDC. Training prior to registration may be credited according to departmental and hospital evaluation. Admission for the program is open during July. V. Program Structure and Contents Program duration: Three academic years. Program structure: Total Credit points 140 First part: 1.5 year - Total credit points 50 - (Table 1) o Compulsory courses (30 weeks) Basic sciences courses Internal Medicine course General surgery course 5 credit points 2.5 credit points 0.5 credit point
o Elective courses o Scientific activities o Clinical Residency training program Part 1 1 credit points 1 credit points 40 credit points Second part: 1.5 years - Total credit points 70 - (Table 2) o Compulsory courses (30 weeks) Dermatology course (4 modules) o Scientific activities o Clinical Residency training program Part 2 12 credit points 3 credit points 55 credit points Master Thesis: completed during second part 20 credit points. Table 1: First part Courses Credit Points Code Title CPs Total ILOs COMPULSORY COURSES DERM 804 Skin Physiology 1 A 1, A 6 DERM 803 Skin Biology 1 A 1, A 6, B 2, B 3, B 4, C 5 DERM 808 Histopathology of Skin 1 A 1, A 4, A 6, B 2, B 3, B 4, C 5 1 A 1, A 6, B 2, B 3, DERM 806 Medical Microbiology and Immunology B 4, C 8 5 1 A 1, A 5, A 7, DERM 817 Basic Psychiatry and Psychodermatology D 1 -D 5, D 7 -D 9 DERM 811 Internal Medicine 2.5 A 10, B 1 -B 6, C 1, C 2, C 6, D 14 -D 17 0.5 A 8, B 3, B 6, C 1, DERM 812 Principles of Surgery and Dermatosurgery C 2, C 4, C 6, D 14 -D 17 ELECTIVE COURSES MEDC 1 Critical Reading 0.5 MEDC 2 Scientific writing 0.5 MEDC 3 Evidence-Based Medicine 0.5 MEDC 4 Medical statistics II 0.5 MEDC 5 Medical ethics 0.5 MEDC 6 Communication Skills 0.5 SCIENTIFIC ACTIVITIES 1 D 1 - D 21 1 st Part Scientific activities 1 1 D 1 - D 21 CLINICAL RESIDENCY TRAINING PROGRAM DERM 815 C1 Clinical Residency training program 40 40 A 8, A 11, B 1, B 6, C 1, C 2, C 4, C 6, D 14 -D 17
Table 2: Second part Courses Credit Points Code Title CPs Total ILOs COMPULSORY COURSES DERM 815 Dermatology DERM 815 Ta Dermatology 10 DERM 815 Tb Venereology (sexually transmitted diseases) 1 DERM 815 Tc Laser Basics 0.5 DERM 815 Td Basics of Cosmetology and Dermatosurgery 0.5 12 A 1 -A 10, B 1 -B 10, C 1 -C 9, D 1 -D 23, SCIENTIFIC ACTIVITIES 2nd Part Scientific activities 3 3 CLINICAL RESIDENCY TRAINING PROGRAM DERM 815 C2 Clinical Residency Training Program 55 55 A 1 -A 11, B 1 -B 10, C 1 -C 9, D 1 -D 23, MASTER THESIS Master Thesis 20 20 Residency Training Program Basic Training: According to the Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University Bylaws for Post Graduate Programs (July, 2009), all students should have a basic training in internal medicine and surgery for 18 months. Students should spend at least 10 months in an internal medicine department, 6 months in emergency departments and 2 months in the surgery unit. During this period students will attend the basic science courses as well as the internal medicine and surgery courses. Students are also expected to complete elective courses. Specialty training: All students should complete the specialty part of the residency training program in the Dermatology department. They should spend 18 months in order to acquire the needed credit points. Students are expected to attend the outpatient clinics, inpatient section, the phototherapy unit and other specialized units under the supervision of senior staff members. During this period, the students will participate in the scientific activities of the department and complete the specified Dermatology courses.
DERMATOLOGY MASTER DEGREE PROGRAM MATRIX Courses A Knowledge and Understanding B Intellectual Skills C Professional Skills Code Name 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 DERM 804 Physiology x x DERM 803 Biology x x x x x x DERM 808 Histopathology x x x x x x x DERM 806 Micro/Immunol x x x x x x DERM 817 Psychiatry x x x DERM 811 Int. Medicine x x x x x x x x x x DERM 812 Surgery x x x x x x x DERM 815Ta Dermatology x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x DERM 815Tb Venereology x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x DERM 815Tc Laser Basics x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x DERM 815Td Cosmetology x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x MEDC 1 Crit. Reading MEDC 2 Sci. writing MEDC 3 EBM MEDC 4 Statistics II MEDC 5 Medical ethics MEDC 6 Communicat. 1 st Part Sci. activities 2nd Part Sci. activities DERM815C1 Training x x x x x x x x DERM815C2 Training x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x Master
DERMATOLOGY MASTER DEGREE PROGRAM MATRIX Courses D General and Transferable Skills Code Name 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 DERM 804 Physiology DERM 803 Biology DERM 808 Histopathology DERM 806 Micro/Immunol DERM 817 Psychiatry x x x x x x x x DERM 811 Int. Medicine x x x x DERM 812 Surgery x x x x DERM 815Ta Dermatology x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x DERM 815Tb Venereology x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x DERM 815Tc Laser Basics x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x DERM 815Td Cosmetology x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x MEDC 1 Crit. Reading x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x MEDC 2 Sci. writing x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x MEDC 3 EBM x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x MEDC 4 Statistics II x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x MEDC 5 Medical ethics x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x MEDC 6 Communicat. x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x 1 st Part Sci. activities x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x 2nd Part Sci. activities DERM815C1 Training x x x x DERM815C1 Training x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x Master
Master Thesis All master-degree students should prepare a thesis within the field of Dermatology. The department and the ethical committee must approve the research protocol. The thesis is supervised by one or more senior staff members from the Dermatology department and may include other specialties according to the nature of the research. The thesis should be evaluated and approved by a committee of three professors including one of the supervisors and an external professor. Scientific Activities: The students should attend & actively participate in the scientific activities of the departments including: o Journal club. o Seminars. o Scientific meetings arranged by the department & other national, regional & international dermatological societies. Each activity will be monitored and given credit points registered in a special section in the residency-training logbook. The student should collect the required points before allowed to sit for the final examination. VI. Regulations for Progression and Program Completion According to the Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University Bylaws for Post Graduate Programs, after collecting the required credit points for the respective courses, the first phase of residency training and the scientific activities, the student will be eligible to sit for the first part examination in basic sciences and internal medicine and surgery before proceeding to the second part. In case the student fails to pass the examination, he/she may proceed in the clinical training and can resubmit for the next examination. After passing the first part, the student is allowed to submit a protocol for the Master Thesis at the beginning of the second part. Before submitting to the final examination, he/she should finish and approve his/her thesis, complete phase 2 of Dermatology training program and collect the required credit points. The student will receive his/her degree after passing the final examination. Master degree should be obtained within a maximum of 6 years after registration date. VII. Assessment A: Assessment Tools Supervision and Monitoring of Training Program According to the Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University Bylaws for Residency Training Programs, professors are entitled to carry continuous assessment during the program. A residency training logbook and scientific activities logbook will be kept for each student to document all his/her clinical, laboratory and/or operative/procedural activities as well as his/her participation in different scientific activities. The head of the department should allow the students to undergo the final examination when they complete their training program and collect the credit hours needed for scientific activities.
Formal Assessment According the Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University Bylaws for Post Graduate Programs (July 2009). Students should be assessed at the end of first part and of the second part. 1. First Part Final Exam: Skin Biology and Skin Physiology: 3-hours written examination (2 papers) + oral examination. Microbiology / Immunology: one and half hour written examination + oral examination. Histopathology: one and half hour written examination + practical examination. Psychiatry: one and half hour written examination + oral examination. Internal Medicine: 2-hours written examination (2 papers) + oral examination+ clinical examination. Principles of General surgery and Dermatologic-Surgery: one hour written examination. 2. Second Part Final Exam: Dermatology: Three written examinations (3-hours each) including short essay questions and MCQs + Oral examination + Clinical examination + Practical examination. This will be followed by the clinical, practical and oral examinations on separate days. It is mandatory to pass each of the three papers of the Dermatology examination separately. B: Assessment Schedule: 1. First Part Final Exam: The written examination (Three-hour) includes short and long assay questions, and MCQ (including problem solving). This will be followed by the practical and oral examinations in separate days. 2. Second Part Final Exam: The written examinations will be held in two days (Three-hour each) include short and long assay questions, and MCQ (including problem solving). This will be followed by the practical and oral examinations in separate days. C: Weighing Of Assessment (Marks allocated to courses): (50 marks for each credit point)
Courses Marks Code Title Written Oral C/P* Total FIRST PART DERM 804 Skin Physiology 30 20 DERM 803 Skin Biology 30 20 --- 100 DERM 808 Histopathology of the Skin 30 --- 20 50 DERM 806 Microbiology and Immunology 30 20 --- 50 DERM 817 Psychiatry 25 25 --- 50 DERM 811 Internal Medicine 60 30 35 125 DERM 812 Surgery 25 --- --- 25 Total First Part 400 SECOND PART DERM 815Ta DERM 815Tb DERM 815Tc DERM 815Td Dermatology Venereology Laser Basics Cosmetology 300 100 150 550 Total Second Part 550 VIII. Evaluation of Program Intending Learning Outcomes Evaluator Tool Sample 1. Senior Students Questionnaire at the end All the PG students of the program 2. Alumni The faculty is currently Not yet determined developing an Alumni office for postgraduates 3. External Evaluators Review program and courses Once before implementation Bi-annual report Attending the final exam 4. Quality Assurance Unit Annual program reviewer 5. College Quality Assurance committee Annual program review Date of approval by department council Program Coordinators Head of Department Prof. Wedad Zoheir Mustafa Prof. Hoda Rasheed Assis. Prof. Mona Rabie Dr. Akmal S. Hassan Dr. Heba Mashaly Dr. Rania Mounir