Keywords

Core Curriculum, Delphi, Dermatologists, Dermatology, Nurse-Practitioners

 

Authors

  1. Bobonich, Margaret A.
  2. Cooper, Kevin D.

Abstract

ABSTRACT: The increasing presence of nurse-practitioners (NPs) in dermatology has been attributed to an increased demand for care and changes in the workforce. It was anticipated that, by 2010, 36% of dermatology practices would employ nonphysician clinicians. Currently, there is no standardized curriculum for the educational preparation of dermatology NPs. The purpose of this study was to obtain a consensus and compare the opinions of dermatology NPs and dermatologists regarding important content for a core curriculum. Using Delphi technique, data were collected using a Likert scale of importance on 91 curricular items. Results showed a high level of agreement between dermatology NPs (n = 77) and board-certified dermatologists (n = 22) as both groups reached consensus to include 57 (63%) and exclude 3 (3%) items for the core curriculum. The groups' highest-ranked items focused on general dermatology, and the lowest-ranked items included advanced surgical skills, cosmetics, and scholarly roles. The groups showed significant differences on 14 items (15%). Data were self-reported by respondents and may be biased to medical dermatology practices. Results can be used to guide the development of dermatology NP education.