MASTERPASS
Dermatology
Postgraduate
MCQs and
Revision
Notes
James Halpern with Asad Salim
Foreword by Celia Moss
1 @ CRC Press
Taylor & Francis Croup
1
r
-
:|
i
Complete Revised Updated Series
,Contents
Foreword vii
Preface viii
About the authors ix
Acknowledgements x
1 Eczematous and papulosquamous disorders 1
2 General dermatology 21
3 Hair and nails 40
4 Medical dermatology 54
5 Collagen-vascular disorders and immunology 71
6 Infectious diseases 97
7 Lesions, surgery and skin cancer 121
8 Paediatric dermatology and genodermatology 148
9 Photodermatology 173
10 Dermatopharmacology 186
11 Dermatopathology 217
Index 235
Complete Revised Updated Series v
,Foreword
There is a lot to learn in Dermatology. Trainees must master an enormous
range of diagnoses in patients of all ages, a variety of clinical skills and
laboratory investigations, and a great number of medical, physical and
surgical treatments.
Earlier generations enjoyed a leisurely training, free to develop our own
interests, dabbling here, exploring there, hopefully absorbing the essentials
along the way. The idea of an exit exam was anathema, cramping inquisitive
minds. The result was small pockets of erudition and large areas of woeful
ignorance.
Over the last two decades, higher specialist training in dermatology has
been compressed to four years. Targets and assessments became essential.
The Specialty Specific Examination (SCE) in dermatology, introduced
in 2009, is only one of many hurdles UK dermatology trainees must jump
before applying for a Certificate of Completion of Training in Dermatology.
But compared to workplace-based assessments, this annual, centralised
examination, run jointly by the British Association of Dermatologists and
the Royal College of Physicians, seems the most daunting.
James Halpern has created this revision guide to demystify the SCE and
to help dermatology trainees prepare for it. It is not a crammer. Browsing
through it will help you understand the standards expected. Working through
the examples will focus the mind and expose your weak spots. But remember
that the exam is a means to an end, not an end in itself.
Celia Moss DM, FRCP, MRCPCH
Professor of Paediatric Dermatology
Birmingham Children’s Hospital
April 2010
Complete Revised Updated Series vii
, Preface
Early in 2009 I embarked on revision for the Royal College of
Physicians postgraduate specialist certificate examination in dermatology.
Whilst revising I was frustrated by the lack of an appropriate revision aid.
The great tomes of dermatology were simply too voluminous for exam
revision and were not sufficiently up to date with the latest guidelines and
treatments. Whereas undergraduate and introductory texts lacked the detail
and depth required for a postgraduate examination. Many months ensued
whilst I combined guidelines, read review articles and summarised chapters
to produce my revision notes. It is these revision notes that form the basis of
this book.
This book is not a textbook and should not be used as such; it is a revision
aid for postgraduate examinations. Common and introductory topics are
only briefly discussed and an understanding of basic dermatology is assumed.
A ‘best of five’ multiple choice format has been used as this is now the
mainstay of postgraduate examinations worldwide. Each chapter should be
worked through in sequence as each question builds on the previous one to
give the reader an encompassed understanding of the topic. Unlike similar
books for other specialties this is not a ‘cheat sheet’ of questions taken from
examinations, in fact an effort has been made to avoid duplication of exam
questions. But candidates can be reassured that the detail in this book will
answer the vast majority of exam questions.
It is my hope that reading this book will save postgraduates from making
their own notes and allow them more time to concentrate on what is truly
important – looking after patients.
James Halpern
April 2010
I am keen to continually improve this book and I would appreciate feedback
from its readers. Please contact me at .
viii Complete Revised Updated Series
Dermatology
Postgraduate
MCQs and
Revision
Notes
James Halpern with Asad Salim
Foreword by Celia Moss
1 @ CRC Press
Taylor & Francis Croup
1
r
-
:|
i
Complete Revised Updated Series
,Contents
Foreword vii
Preface viii
About the authors ix
Acknowledgements x
1 Eczematous and papulosquamous disorders 1
2 General dermatology 21
3 Hair and nails 40
4 Medical dermatology 54
5 Collagen-vascular disorders and immunology 71
6 Infectious diseases 97
7 Lesions, surgery and skin cancer 121
8 Paediatric dermatology and genodermatology 148
9 Photodermatology 173
10 Dermatopharmacology 186
11 Dermatopathology 217
Index 235
Complete Revised Updated Series v
,Foreword
There is a lot to learn in Dermatology. Trainees must master an enormous
range of diagnoses in patients of all ages, a variety of clinical skills and
laboratory investigations, and a great number of medical, physical and
surgical treatments.
Earlier generations enjoyed a leisurely training, free to develop our own
interests, dabbling here, exploring there, hopefully absorbing the essentials
along the way. The idea of an exit exam was anathema, cramping inquisitive
minds. The result was small pockets of erudition and large areas of woeful
ignorance.
Over the last two decades, higher specialist training in dermatology has
been compressed to four years. Targets and assessments became essential.
The Specialty Specific Examination (SCE) in dermatology, introduced
in 2009, is only one of many hurdles UK dermatology trainees must jump
before applying for a Certificate of Completion of Training in Dermatology.
But compared to workplace-based assessments, this annual, centralised
examination, run jointly by the British Association of Dermatologists and
the Royal College of Physicians, seems the most daunting.
James Halpern has created this revision guide to demystify the SCE and
to help dermatology trainees prepare for it. It is not a crammer. Browsing
through it will help you understand the standards expected. Working through
the examples will focus the mind and expose your weak spots. But remember
that the exam is a means to an end, not an end in itself.
Celia Moss DM, FRCP, MRCPCH
Professor of Paediatric Dermatology
Birmingham Children’s Hospital
April 2010
Complete Revised Updated Series vii
, Preface
Early in 2009 I embarked on revision for the Royal College of
Physicians postgraduate specialist certificate examination in dermatology.
Whilst revising I was frustrated by the lack of an appropriate revision aid.
The great tomes of dermatology were simply too voluminous for exam
revision and were not sufficiently up to date with the latest guidelines and
treatments. Whereas undergraduate and introductory texts lacked the detail
and depth required for a postgraduate examination. Many months ensued
whilst I combined guidelines, read review articles and summarised chapters
to produce my revision notes. It is these revision notes that form the basis of
this book.
This book is not a textbook and should not be used as such; it is a revision
aid for postgraduate examinations. Common and introductory topics are
only briefly discussed and an understanding of basic dermatology is assumed.
A ‘best of five’ multiple choice format has been used as this is now the
mainstay of postgraduate examinations worldwide. Each chapter should be
worked through in sequence as each question builds on the previous one to
give the reader an encompassed understanding of the topic. Unlike similar
books for other specialties this is not a ‘cheat sheet’ of questions taken from
examinations, in fact an effort has been made to avoid duplication of exam
questions. But candidates can be reassured that the detail in this book will
answer the vast majority of exam questions.
It is my hope that reading this book will save postgraduates from making
their own notes and allow them more time to concentrate on what is truly
important – looking after patients.
James Halpern
April 2010
I am keen to continually improve this book and I would appreciate feedback
from its readers. Please contact me at .
viii Complete Revised Updated Series
