THE AMERICAN BOARD OF DERMATOLOGY WORKING DEFINITIONS

Patient Care: Residents are expected to provide patient care that is compassionate, appropriate and effective for the promotion of health, prevention of illness, and treatment of disease.

• Provide care that is sensitive to each patient's age, gender, cultural, economic, and social circumstances.
• Gather essential and accurate information about the patient
• Synthesize clinical history, physical examination findings, laboratory results and current scientific evidence to arrive at a correct diagnosis and treatment plan
• Provide a written action plan for management of acute and chronic cutaneous problems
• Provide to patients and their families information that is necessary to understand illness and treatment
• Perform routine physical examination, especially the critical visual examination of the patient's skin; perform appropriate diagnostic and therapeutic procedures
• Provide information about skin cancer and melanoma, heritable, occupational and infectious disorders and other conditions in which prophylactic measures are appropriateˇ Make appropriate referrals to other medical or surgical specialists

Medical Knowledge: Residents are expected to demonstrate knowledge of established and evolving biomedical, clinical and social sciences, and the application of their knowledge to patient care and the education of others.

• Actively participate in designing and implementing basic or clinical research projects; present teaching conferences
• Know, critically evaluate and use current medical information and scientific evidence for patient care

Practice-Based Learning and Improvement: Residents are expected to be able to use scientific evidence and methods to investigate, evaluate, and improve patient care practices.

• Analyze one's practice experience to recognize strengths, deficiencies, and limits in knowledge and expertise
• Locating, appraising and assimilating evidence from scientific studies related to patient's health problems
• Critically review published medical literature related to patient problems
• Use information technology to manage information, access on-line medical information and support their own education
• Actively participate in the education of patients, families, students, residents and other health professionals

Communication and Interpersonal Skills: Residents are expected to demonstrate interpersonal and communication skills that enable them to establish and maintain professional relationships with patients, families, and other members of health care teams.

• Communicate effectively with patients and families to create and sustain an appropriate professional relationship
• Enabling patients to be comfortable asking questions about their disease or treatment

Professionalism: Residents are expected to demonstrate behaviors that reflect a commitment to continuous professional development, ethical practice, an understanding and sensitivity to diversity and a responsible attitude toward their patients, their profession, and society. 

• Demonstrate respect, compassion, and integrity; a responsiveness to the needs of patients and society that supersedes self-interest
• Demonstrate a commitment to ethical principles pertaining to patient privacy and autonomy, the provision or withholding of clinical care, confidentiality of patient information, informed consent, conflict of interest and business practices
• Demonstrate respect for the dignity of patients and colleagues as persons including their culture, age, gender and disabilities

Systems-Based Practice: Residents are expected to demonstrate both an understanding of the contexts and systems in which health care is provided, and the ability to apply this knowledge to improve and optimize health care.

• Work effectively in various health care delivery settings and systems
• Know how types of medical practice and delivery systems differ from one another, including methods of controlling health care costs and allocating resources
• Know the relative costs of procedures and treatments; ask patients how they pay for medications
• Advocate for quality patient care and assist patients in dealing with system complexities