University of Hertfordshire marks 20 years of post-graduate dermatology education
A University of Hertfordshire postgraduate dermatology programme is being recognised for helping train multi-professional clinicians to support skin disease management services across the NHS and internationally.
Since its launch in 2006, more than 500 healthcare professionals, including doctors, nurses, pharmacists and advanced practitioners, have been trained through the programme.
Skin conditions are among the most common reasons people visit their GP, accounting for around one in four of all GP consultations in the UK.
Despite this, dermatology has historically received limited training time within undergraduate medical and nursing education.
Herts’s MSc in Clinical Dermatology was developed to help address this critical gap by educating healthcare professionals to take an evidence-based approach to managing a wide range of skin conditions and ultimately improving care offered to patients. The programme combines a practice focussed approach with the development of key academic skills.
Ms Rebecca Penzer-Hick, Senior Clinical Lecturer and Programme Leader in the School of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Department of Medicine, Applied and Clinical Sciences University of Hertfordshire, said:
"We are helping practitioners to develop a deeper understanding of specialist clinical dermatology, giving them the confidence and competence to support and treat patients effectively.
“For many people with a long-term skin condition, the impact on their mental health and wellbeing is significant. At Herts, we reflect this in what we teach students, focusing not only on diagnosis and treatment but also on the patient experience and, in particular, the impact on their mental health.”
The programme offers students a unique learning opportunity, providing multi-professional in class learning, something that no other University in the country provides. Students have a degree of flexibility in deciding which modules to study, and part-time students can take up to five years to complete.
In 2018, the teaching team was nominated by members of the British Dermatological Nursing Group and won the Team of the Year award.
And in 2023, the team received a Quality in Care Dermatology Award in the Dermatology Education Programmes for Healthcare Professionals category.
Judges praised the University of Hertfordshire’s approach to delivering a formal qualification in dermatology, describing it as “far-reaching and the single most impactful education programme to have transformed dermatology care in the UK”.
Postgraduate dermatology education at Herts has grown to include the MSc in Skin Lesion Management and is aligned with national workforce priorities and changing models of care.
Ms Penzer-Hick said:
“Demand for master’s-level education is expected to continue rising in response to the growing burden of skin disease and our courses have continued to evolve in response to changing clinical requirements.
“Maintaining relevance for students has been assured through regular module reviews led by academics who remain closely connected to clinical practice.
“Whether responding to the needs of patients living with skin cancer or those living with long-term skin conditions, facilitating high-quality patient care and service development remains at the centre of everything we do.”
Learn more about the course.