Derm Challenge: More Than a Game...

Welcome to the Derm Challenge.  This game is designed for Physician Assistants and Nurse Practitioners who practice in the field of dermatology.  I am a board-certified dermatologist practicing in Melbourne, Florida, and I currently have two PAs and one NP working with me.  We practice as part of a multi-specialty group, Melbourne Internal Medicine Associates, and we think we have the best of all lives.  We love derm.

The Derm Challenge is a game, nothing more or less.  It is knowledge based, much like Trivial Pursuit, but since it is our specialty, it is anything but trivial.  The rules are pretty straightforward, as you will see below, and at the end of each month, I will award a nice bottle of wine to the winner of the month.  

Here are the rules:

1. Don't take it too seriously.  Seriously.  It's just a game.

2, Each day I will post a question, usually in the form of a clinical photo, with some additional questions added on as bonuses from time to time.

3. All rulings by the judge (me) are final.  No quibbling.

4. Please do not cooperate among players, and also please do not use dermatologists as a source of answers.  It's not fair to the other players.

5.  Some time after 5 PM on the day after the question is posted, I will reveal the answer and an explanation.  The answers generally are based on diagnostic criteria and some background about the illness, but my answers almost never will discuss treatment, in that it is far beyond the scope of the game.

6. The images are of real patients, and should be respected as such.  The photos either come from the National Library of Dermatologic Teaching Slides, or they come from my own personal collection of over  three thousand clinical photos I either took myself, or copied with permission from the phenomenal image library at Wilford Hall Medical Center's dermatology residency teaching library. These images are intended for teaching purposes only.

7.  At the end of the year, I will award a prize to the Grand Winner, who won more monthly prizes than anyone else.  This year, it will be a bottle of Dom Perignon champagne.

8. All answers, all scores (except for the winners) and all emails and email addresses will be kept confidential by me, to the limits of my abilities.  I realize your privacy is important, and your privacy will be protected as much as possible.

As a last word, please share this game with your colleagues.  The goal is to have some fun, challenge yourselves, and maybe score some vino in the process.  À vos santé!