Online Resources for Dermatology Residents

Dear Editor,

Many postgraduates (PG) during the initial days of joining residency face challenges as dermatology is not one of the primary subjects during their undergraduate course. What books to buy? How to study? How to decide on a thesis topic? and so on. They are not familiar with the various online resources available to aid them along their journey. Here is a collection to help young residents ease the start of their journey in dermatology.

The residents must join the Indian Association of Dermatologists, Venereologists and Leprologists (IADVL) or their national association as it has many benefits. The https://iadvl.mediknit.org website which is freely available for the IADVL members gives access to the dermagyan lecture series as well as the workshop series that focuses on procedural dermatology. The digital library provides PowerPoint presentations on the various topics of the PG curriculum in dermatology. The PG can also attend the basics of research in the online training module section which will aid during their research for dissertation. The areas in need of research are available as PG thesis topic bank at https://iadvl.mediknit.org/online-training-module which can guide first year dermatology residents during the selection of topics for their thesis. A separate helpline sigclinicalresearchhelpline@gmail.com is present for the residents for research-related queries. Furthermore, basic course in biomedical research is available for free on the website https://onlinecourses.nptel.ac.in, which helps not only in refreshing their research knowledge but also is mandatory for Indian PG. Published articles from major dermatology journals which are not available as open access can be requested at iadvlejournals2015@gmail.com by the members of IADVL. For those interested in publication, the Indian Journal of Postgraduate Dermatology has been started, which encourages submissions primarily from dermatology residents. In clinical practice, helpful resources such as patient education booklets and consent forms in the regional languages are available in https://iadvl.org/consent-forms.php for IADVL members.

In dermatopathology, www.digiscan.in gives free access for IADVL members to classical histopathology of commonly seen clinical cases. The website https://pathpresenter.net has a slide library that includes more than 5000 dermatopathology slide images which are available for users who can register for free. For those interested in paediatric dermatology, the International Society of Paediatric Dermatology offers weekly case-based discussions and periodical webinars for its members (free registration for residents). The Vittartha series has a resident section that presents challenging cases seen in clinical practice by various dermatology residents across the country. The Resimed series (https://exiweb.in/ajanta/resimedkn) by the Karnataka branch of IADVL has a digital library ranging from case presentations of ‘exam-oriented’ cases to practical tips in procedural dermatology. The https://www.dermatologytimes.com offers international current updates in dermatology therapeutics. Among the multitude of apps available for download, Visual Dx (paid), Standard treatment workflow by India (free), Dermatology Scores (free) and Magnifier (free) are some of the useful apps for dermatology residents. On membership to various societies, it is essential to give priority to the local, regional ones and based on one’s interest (dermatosurgery, paediatric dermatology, pigmentary disorders and so on). Within society-related apps, the most popular ones are the IADVL derma app, ‘Dermatology A-Z’ and ‘Dermatology World’ (by American Academy of Dermatology), Medical Student: Dermatology (by British Association of Dermatologists) and European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (EADV) events (by EADV),^[1] while apps such as Medscape (free) and UpToDate (paid) are beneficial for any medical resident to have during clinical postings. Among social media, it is useful for students to join residream community page on Facebook, which caters primarily to Indian dermatology residents.

Thus, residents should have a positive exploring outlook in the face of challenging times as numerous support systems are available online nowadays with last but not least PG seniors and mentoring faculty remain the best guides from the beginning of your residency and even through your professional journey. The articles suggested for residents in dermatology further reading is listed below:

1. Singh G, Kaur V. Formulation of a Research Project. Indian J Dermatol Venereol Leprol 2007;73:273-6.

2. Vinay K, Uprety S, Sawatkar GU. Scholarships and Travel Grants for Residents and Young Dermatologists from India. Indian J Dermatol Venereol Leprol 2018;84:355-61.

3. Kanthraj GR, Srinivas CR. Journal Club: Screen, Select, Probe and Evaluate. Indian J Dermatol Venereol Leprol 2005;71:435-40.