How to Assess Dermatology Resident Surgical Training: New Techniques

Dermatology surgery training is rapidly evolving with an ever increasing focus on resident procedural training. However, surgical training varies greatly between different residency programs. The ACGME requires dermatology training to ensure competency in the surgical treatment of skin disease. It is crucial that residents are provided with ample opportunities to hone their skills and with evaluative methods that are valid, reliable, and objective in order to identify potential resident weaknesses that can be addressed and improved upon to protect patient safety. Newer assessment methods used in other surgical subspecialties include the objective structured assessment of technical skill (OSATS), simulation, gaming, and learning assessments. Further studies are needed to evaluate these tools in dermatologic surgery to meet the need for developing objective and reliable assessment techniques as well as standardized surgical evaluation tools for dermatology residents. © 2016, Springer Science+Business Media New York.