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.
RACGP's Certificate of Primary Care Dermatology is proudly supported by Sonic Healthcare.
What's new
Registrations are now open for the Certificate of Primary Care Dermatology.
Register now
Partner offer
We are excited to announce that we have partnered with Macquarie Medical Systems to provide the following special offers :
- Full certificate course participants will receive complimentary course references
- Save 20% off the RRP on the course references.
- Discounts on specific DermLite dermatascopes (save up to $334 RRP)
- 5% discount off all products purchased through their online store
View special offer savings
What does it involve?
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
The Certificate does not include:
- Half day workshop Introduction to Dermoscopy – all you wanted to know but were afraid to ask
What topics are covered
- Introduction to the skin
- Melanoma and melanocytic lesions
- Benign skin tumours
- Practical procedures in dermatology
- Sexually transmitted infections and skin
- Cutaneous manifestations of internal disease
- Premalignant and malignant keratinocyte and non-melanoma skin cancers
- Eczema, dermatitis and related conditions
- Psoriasis and other papulosquamous diseases
- Bacterial skin infections
- Light related skin diseases and pigmentation disorders
- Vascular tumours and malformations
- Hair and nail disorders
- Viral infections with cutaneous manifestations
- Fungal skin infections
- Acne vulgaris, acne rosacea and related disorders
- Urticaria
- Exanthems and drug reactions
- Systematic immune reactions affecting the skin
- Skin infestations and bites
- Vesicular and bullous diseases
- Connective tissue diseases
- Neonatal skin diseases
- Skin disease and biologic agents
- General practice dermoscopy
While the full certificate offers 25 online courses, you don’t have to sign up for them all. Instead, you can choose which topics are of most interest to you and register for individual courses to upskill in those specific areas.
For a more detailed breakdown of what is covered in each course, please refer to the description in the syllabus.
Browse the syllabus
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 (pending COVID restrictions)
See 2023 workshop dates above
|
The two-day dermatological surgery workshop is delivered at various locations across Australia.
|
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 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 $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 |
You can bundle up all elements and pay for the full certificate in advance. This includes 25 online courses, 2 day dermatological surgery workshop, clinical experience and 3 major course references. Participants will have three 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
Testimonials
“As a rural GP every day, several times a day, I am asked about skin complaints. The RACGP Certificate in Primary Care Dermatology has been a wonderful resource in improving my proficiency in skin cancer management and confidence with a wide range of other skin conditions.”
“Thank you for organising a fabulous workshop and giving up your weekend to run it. The quality of the teaching given was outstanding. It is a great privilege to learn from many years of experience. I'd certainly recommend it to others.”
“Very useful course for practical application in daily general practice.”
“I have been able to confidently treat a lot more skin conditions in primary care whilst referring complex cases appropriately. It has also made me more aware of urgent skin conditions such as scarring alopecia requiring early treatment, and spotting melanomas during non-dermatologically related consults. I feel patients presenting with dermatological issues are getting better care from me.”
“I have increased confidence and clinical skills to successfully manage a wider range of skin conditions.”
“The course covers a comprehensive range of dermatological topics as well as surgical skills relevant to primary care. GPs can complete the course at their own pace. There is an opportunity to reinforce learning with a placement with a specialist dermatologist towards the end of the course, which is an invaluable experience.”
“The course offers a broad understanding of multiple common as well as infrequent skin presentations. A better understanding for these helps provide improved patient care.”
FAQs
View our FAQs page for the answers to some frequently asked questions.
View FAQs
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.
RACGP's Certificate of Primary Care Dermatology is proudly supported by Sonic Healthcare.
Sonic Healthcare recognises that medical education is a key part of our role and responsibility as a major provider of diagnostic medical services. The rate of change in medicine, and the need for medical practitioners to be ahead of these changes, means that education is a vital component to good medical practice and, indeed, a prerequisite to it.
As scientific and technological breakthroughs expand the boundaries of our medical knowledge, so too do the educational needs of the current and future generations of doctors. From seminars and conferences, through to surgical audits and online education, Sonic’s medical experts are continually looking for ways to share their knowledge with other medical professionals.
Find out more