San Diego Residency Program

Naval Medical Readiness and Training Command, San Diego (NMTRC)
Dermatology Residency Program
Naval Medical Center San Diego (NMCSD), San Diego, CA

NMCSD is a major Department of Defense (DoD) multi-service Hospital with a large graduate health education footprint together termed Naval Medical Readiness and Training Command, San Diego (NMTRC). NMRTC hosts the training of over 300 U.S. military officers in over 20 Graduate Medical Education (GME) specialty programs. Its graduates are prepared to lead in serving the medical needs of the U.S. military across the globe.

The NMCSD Dermatology Residency Program is mainly a Navy residency, however, Army applicants are routinely accepted. The program is accredited for up to 15 residents, but traditionally teaches up to 12 total residents, 10-11 Navy and 1-2 Army. There are typically 8-10 faculty, half of whom are subspecialists. The residency program provides full spectrum medical, surgical, laser, and cosmetic dermatology

care for all ages and residents rotate through a myriad of subspecialties to include Dermatopathology, Mohs Micrographic Surgery, Pediatric Dermatology, and Laser/Cosmetic Dermatology. Additional training agreements are in place for outside rotations to augment Inpatient Dermatology among other areas.

Mission / Vision

Our mission is to train the next generation of military dermatologists prepared to independently provide the full spectrum of dermatologic services to members of the US Armed Forces serving in remote regions across the globe, while also meeting the standards set for an ACGME accredited residency program. In this aim, we provide an extensive clinical, procedural, and pathological experience that, when accompanied by detail-rich academics, educational resources, and mentorship, create excellent military officers and physicians, ready to care for any skin condition.

Aims

Provide a staged progression of oversight and autonomy, helping our residents build the skills, leadership and confidence necessary to achieve our goals while training at a large military medical center that provide sinpatient and outpatient care to military members and family members of all ages.
Make medical dermatology the core focus for our trainees where they work closely with the general dermatology faculty to establish a panel of
patients and provide a continuum of comprehensive dermatologic services, including necessary procedures and dermatopathology interpretation.
Provide cutaneous surgical and procedural training sufficient to equip graduates with the skills for solo practice upon graduation. Laser and procedural dermatology is a focus of our program and we have embraced the necessary mission of rehabilitating Wounded Warriors and work in close partnership with our orthopedic, plastic surgery, and physical therapy colleagues through Project CARE (Comprehensive Aesthetic Restorative Effort) to improve the lives of those injured while serving in the US Armed Forces.
Through partnerships with the University of Southern California/Los Angeles County Hospital and Rady Children’s Hospital provide training in complex inpatient consultation and pediatric dermatology.
Provide an extensive didactic educational series composed of combined weekly grand rounds conferences with the University of California San Diego, regular review of dermatology texts and journals, as well as multidisciplinary and morbidity and mortality conferences.
Establish the pursuit of innovation, dermatological excellence, and education of others.

Additional Curriculum and Locations Offered

Rady Children’s Hospital:

Pediatric Dermatology; Inpatient Dermatology, Laser medicine,

LA County and USC Medical Center, Los Angelos, CA:

Inpatient Dermatology, Complex Medical Dermatology

COMPASS Dermatopathology Lab, San Diego:

Dermatopathology, and possible Medical, Laser, and Mohs

Multiple civilian opportunities:

While NMCSD and the above outside rotations provide more educational experience than many programs, we also help our residents find specific educational endeavors based on their interests – which occurs during their elective rotation(s). Some examples include: wound care and hyperbarics, cosmetics, laser, Mohs, patch testing, research, etc.