Recent survey results suggest that the use of simulation-based training and skills-based assessment is increasing among dermatology residency programs over the use of apprenticeship-based surgical training, according to researchers.
“Advances in educational theory have encouraged surgical residency programs to shift away from the apprenticeship-based training model and toward a curriculum centered on extended periods of deliberate practice, where individuals repetitively practice defined tasks to improve particular aspects of performance,” Joseph F. Sobanko, MD, director of dermatologic surgery education and assistant professor of dermatology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, and colleagues wrote. “This method, coupled with rigorous skills assessment, provides trainees with specific, informative feedback.”