Frequently asked questions

We are both NHS dermatologists who have been through the struggles of getting into dermatology. There is a paucity of cold, hard data to inform potential applicants. Preparation is time-consuming and stressful. We decided to produce DermCoach to address this gap.

Furthermore, current teaching in dermatology is confusing, disjointed and doesn’t arm doctors with a systematic approach which is particularly needed when dealing with tricky cases. We are both experienced educators who enjoy communicating ideas in accessible formats. The status quo isn’t good enough – we’re here to change it.

SK: While I was a registrar, I shared an office with Dr. Fox at St. George’s Hospital. Despite my best efforts to steer clear of her, her constant nattering is quite infectious. I’ve seen her present complex cases and have never failed to be impressed with how she communicates complex ideas in an accessible format.

When it comes to the clinical aspects, we implement the best of evidence-based medicine to enable you to apply current knowledge for the benefit of your patients. No more bilateral cellulitis! (Well, mainly – we’ll tell you more when we meet!)

It’s boringly simple: to maximise the efficiency of your preparation. Dermatology is simple when you’ve been taught in a reasoned manner. We don’t want any more doctors to feel lost without a paddle when it comes to the field. We’ve done the groundwork so you can hit the ground running. Attending a DermCoach course won’t make you a consultant dermatologist alone but it will equip you with the foundational tools to base your further learning upon.

We are both products of the Southwest Thames (London) dermatology training programme. During this rotation, one spends a year under the tutelage of Dr. Jana (Consultant Dermatologist, Kingston Hospital). Comedy factor aside, Dr. Jana teaches in the optimal way – he has mastery of the subject material, teaches at the appropriate level and doesn’t luxuriate in using jargon to prove how intelligent he is.

While one has usually completed extensive general medical training by the time you enter dermatology, this training is of minimal help when it comes to dealing with an outpatient clinic. He taught in a non-judgmental way (even when we were bamboozled by simple cases), used humour and reinforcement to help embed our learning. Once he had helped build our mental scaffolding around a concept, he would then progressively add more nuance to this to eventually enable competence in the field. To this day, when I come across an unfamiliar or challenging case, I revert back to this systematic approach to work my way through.

Through a careful mix of medication and meditation. On the basis of the tolerance I’ve shown to date, I feel like I’m a solid pick for the next Nobel Peace Prize.

We have conducted pain-staking quantitative research with consultants who sit on the interview panel. In plain-English, we have sat down with the people who may be on your panel, gaining insights in how the panel thinks, what they value and how to optimise your score before you even speak! We have used this data to inform our course design meaning that you can access this expertise without having to poll consultants yourself.

Absolutely not! Truth be told, neither of us did. We did, however, spend considerable time stressing about the interview and doing our own research prior to the event. We know that junior doctors don’t have a lot of spare time and figured that putting all of our research into one course will streamline the process for future applicants.

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Our course is designed to work through the point-scoring elements of the interview. As such, we will work through the stations in turn:

1. Research and academic medicine

2. Clinical scenario

3. Suitability and commitment

​Communication skills are even more important in the current set up than before. Not only does effective communication help you maximise points at each station but there is a separate mark allocated for communication. We therefore place special focus on communication as a theme throughout the course.

Speaking from my own experience (SK), I hated courses where I’d be put on the spot to answer questions in front of people I didn’t know. I can categorically say that we will not be putting anyone on the spot. If, after the course, you would like to have a 1-to-1 session, we will signpost you to this.

It’s your call. We’ll be on hand to answer any queries during breaks and at lunchtime. Personally, we’d recommend steering clear of interview-related discussion with your direct competition!

Whatever you like! Extra points if you come in fancy dress. (Sorry, apparently I’m meant to say casual is fine.)

The course is meant to be informal so there’s no need to break out your three-piece suit.. We will give you guidance on how to present yourself on the big day however. Given that it’s online this year, onesies are acceptable.

Yes! There’ll be snacks on hand throughout the day as well as a tasty lunch. We’ll get dietary requirements from you when you register. If the course is delivered online, we’ll sadly not be able to provide catering. Deliveroo is meant to be quite good, we hear….

It’s not mandatory but we’d be very happy to examine them and give you feedback. We can also give you some hints on how to maximise the effect of your portfolio.

“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result” – a quote often misattributed to Albert Einstein.

Going through the interview (even if unsuccessful) is an excellent way to prepare for subsequent recruitment rounds. Entering the process the second time will mean that there will be fewer unanswered queries about what the interview is actually like. Our course will build on your experience and help you negotiate around the missteps that often trap candidates. In fact, we’d suggest that you might even glean more from our course having been through the process – as compared to someone who hasn’t ‘been there and done it’.

Yes, yes, yes? Although you should probably ask yourself why you were in the cupboard in the first place. But seriously, we need two weeks’ notice so that we can reasonably offer your place to another candidate.

We’d suggest going for the Interview Course. Our general course is wide-ranging and comprehensive. This will provide you with the essential prerequisites upon which to form your further preparation.

The course is designed to give you the frameworks and context to enable you to perform under pressure, even if you do get asked something bizarre and off-piste.

Modern evidence-based practice is increasingly moving away from tenuous and anecdotal opinions. We rely on the best-available data to inform our clinical courses – in a field such as medicine where therapeutic options are constantly evolving, it is important that we harness the best of current knowledge for the benefit of our patients. National guidelines are used wherever possible but we are not dogmatic – if something works, we’ll mention it!

From the practical perspective, given that we evidence all of our recommendations, you will no longer be caught out when questioned on why you picked option A over B.

It’s entirely up to you. Most applicants have limited exposure to clinical dermatology by the time that they make their application. The range of clinical scenarios that you may encounter at your interview is pretty broad. Our course will prepare you for the scenarios that you are likely to encounter – if you are given a scenario that you have practiced for extensively, it will mean that you are able to produce answers on automatic. In the event that you encounter an obscure scenario that you haven’t specifically prepared for (it happens), you will have the frameworks to demonstrate your systematic approach. In our opinion, it is easier to score highly for the obscure cases as the benchmark for what is classified as an excellent answer is lower. Either way, you’ll be ready.

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Speaking from my own experience (SK), I hated courses where I’d be put on the spot to answer questions in front of people I didn’t know. There will be no grilling on the day (aside from perhaps a grilled chicken catering option – see below!) Our aim is to help you learn in a constructive manner – we will not put any individual on the spot.

We recognise that people from a range of backgrounds attend our course – we don’t assume prior knowledge. If you are familiar with some of the background material, the introductions should serve as reinforcement while if it is unfamiliar, you will then be ready to build upon your new knowledge.

It depends! We run a range of clinical courses and each is bespoke to the audience’s needs. We will update our services page when these are available. 

Yes! There’ll be snacks on hand throughout the day as well as a tasty lunch. We’ll get dietary requirements from you when you register.

Yes and yes.  We don’t discriminate – squirrels are always welcome. But if you do wish to cancel, we need two weeks’ notice so that we can reasonably offer your place to another candidate.