Registered medical practitioners are inviited to sit for the College certificate examination.
This qualification is designed to indicate the doctor has the training to safely manage skin cancer within the General Practice setting.
The examination involves 100 multiple choice questions that are rotated from a question bank.
90 minutes is allowed to complete the examination.
60 questions pertain to the theory of skin cancer and its management. 6 possible answers are provided for each question of which only one answer is correct. Topics covered in these questions include knowledge of:
- BCC and its subtypes
- SCC and its subtypes
- Melanoma and its subtypes
- Dysplastic melanocytic naevi
- Basic anatomy of the skin
- Actinic keratoses
- Common benign nodules that might resemble malignancy
- Lipoma and dermal cysts
- Effecting shave and punch biopsies
- Efffecting simple excisions
- Effecting dermal curettage
- Basic dermoscopy
- Surgical and non surgical management of BCCs and SCCs (including imiquimod, 5FU, PDT and Diclofenac)
- Role of radiation oncology in managing BCCs and SCCs
- Essential aspects of managing melanoma
- Theory (but not practice) of skin flap closure
- Aetiology of skin cancers
- Recognition and management of common skin surgery complications
- Equipment and instruments used in simple skin surgery
40 questions relate to clinical images. These are grouped into 5 sets of 8 questions. In each group the candidate must match each of the eight images with 8 corresponding diagnoses. 4 sets of images are macroscopic clinical images. The last 8 images are dermoscopic images.
All 100 answers are written on a single sheet of paper.
Obtaining the qualification is achieved by a score of 60 or more in this multiple choice exam.
At Certificate level, candidates are not required to have skills in skin flap surgery or skin grafting. Candidates are not required to have knowledge of malignancies other than those listed above. Further, no knowledge or skills in dermatopathology / histology is required of certificate candidates.
It is College policy that no candidate is required to attend any College educational event. The College does not believe that certification should involve candidates attending workshops or seminars that they may not need.
However, prospective candidates may wish to attend workshops provided by the College that are designed to cover the core knowledge base required at the certificate level.
You can find out more about these workshops here.
See a list of current ACSCM Certificate holders here.