Certificate of Primary Care Dermatology

Are your dermatology skills only skin deep?

register now 

Certificate of Primary Care Dermatology

Are your dermatology skills only skin deep?

register now 
Education > CPD Home > Courses and events > Certificate of Primary Care Dermatology
Last updated 8 May 2026

Expand your skills in diagnosing and treating dermatological conditions in your practice

The Certificate of Primary Care Dermatology has been developed to help GPs and GPs in training increase their expertise and confidence when presented with dermatological cases in their practice.

As a participant, you will learn to better understand and treat a broader range of common skin conditions (including skin cancer), as well as recognise the conditions that need urgent referral.

The certificate consists of:

  • 25 online courses delivered through gplearning
  • a two day dermatological surgery workshop
  • three full days or six half days of clinical experience

RACGP’s popular 2-day dermatological surgery workshop and pre-requisite online course

The dermatological surgery workshops enable participants to perform a range of dermatological surgical techniques used in general practice. This includes determining when to use non-surgical treatments for skin cancer, complications and risk, as well as introducing you to more advanced surgical techniques.

Workshop prerequisite is DermCert4, Practical procedures in dermatology. The course covers 15 common procedures such as steroid injections, local anaesthesia, biopsy techniques, curettage, flap repairs, closures and wound care.

Introduction to dermoscopy half day workshop 

Expand your knowledge in the use of dermoscopy in the diagnosis and monitoring of skin lesions. 

This 4-hour workshop provides an introduction and overview of dermoscopy, and how it can help you as a busy GP. It will provide a firm foundation as you develop your dermoscopy skills, by introducing you to the ways of identifying structures and types of skin lesions using dermoscopy, and the language used in describing skin lesions as seen using dermoscopy.

Half-day workshop cost: $400

2026 workshop dates

Please note Diploma programs offered by the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners are vocational training for graduate medical practitioners and are not higher education awards in accordance with the Australian Qualifications Framework.


Brisbane

 

Introduction to dermoscopy
(not part of the Certificate)

2 day dermatological surgery workshop
(part of the Certificate)

Price

$400

Workshop only cost: $2640
Workshop and module 4: ‘Practical Procedures in Dermatology’ cost: $2990

Date

Friday 5 June, 1:00pm - 5:30pm

Saturday 6 and Sunday 7 June, 8:30am - 5:00pm

RACGP Queensland is offering a limited number of heavily discounted places for Queensland GPs working in Modified Monash Model (MMM) areas 2–7 to undertake the Dermatological Surgery Workshop in Brisbane as a stand-alone event or bundled with DermCert4 (pre-requisite) and/or the Introduction to Dermoscopy Workshop. Please see the scholarship page here for more information.


Sydney

 

Introduction to dermoscopy
(not part of the Certificate)

2 day dermatological surgery workshop
(part of the Certificate)

Price

$400

Workshop only cost: $2640
Workshop and module 4: ‘Practical Procedures in Dermatology’ cost: $2990

Date

 Friday 30 October, 1:00pm - 5:30pm

Saturday 31 October and Sunday 1 November, 8:30am - 5:00pm

Register now

How long does it take to complete?

You can complete the certificate at your own pace – sign up per course or register for the whole certificate. Once you’ve registered, you’ll have three years to complete all components.

Each course differs in how many hours it takes to complete it – some only require one hour of core education, while others can extend to 25 hours once you include the recommended reading and any predisposing/reflective activities.

For a more detailed breakdown of how many hours it takes to complete each course, please refer to the syllabus.

browse the syllabus

How much does it cost?

see the fee schedule

Component

Description

Cost (incl GST)

Online courses

There are 25 online courses included in the certificate and the cost per course differs.

Please refer to the fee schedule for pricing details for each course.

Workshops

The two-day dermatological surgery workshop is delivered at various locations across Australia.

The half day workshop, ‘Introduction to dermoscopy – all you wanted to know but were afraid to ask’ is delivered at various locations around Australia. Please note that this workshop is not a compulsory requirement to complete the Certificate of Primary Care Dermatology.

The workshop on its own costs $2640, but a discount is available if you bundle it with pre-requisite course DermCert 4. Rural and remote GPs may also be eligible to receive assistance under the Rural Procedural Grants Program.

The workshop on its own costs $400, but a discount is available if you bundle it with pre-requisite course DermCert 4 & 2 day dermatological surgery workshop.

Clinical experience

Clinical experience is offered to those who have completed all online courses and attended a face-to-face workshop.

The three full days or six half days of hosted attachment cost $1210.

Full certificate

Bundle all elements of the course and pay for the full certificate in advance and receive;

  • 25 online courses, over 143 hours of CPD
  • 2-day dermatological surgery workshop (eligible for CPD hours)
  • 3-day clinical experience (eligible for CPD hours)
  • 3 major course references/ textbooks

Participants have three (3) years to complete the full certificate.

This will cost $13,500, which is a saving of $1418.

How do I sign up?

You can start the certificate whenever you like. To register, you will need to complete an online registration form.  As soon as your registration is processed and you’ve paid for the relevant components, the content will be available for you in gplearning.

register now

 

 

Further information

Find out more about the Certificate of Primary Care Dermatology via the links below:

Any further enquiries can be sent to dermcert@racgp.org.au or call our Member Services Centre on 1800 472 247.