Evidence of Learning Assessment

Type of Assessment: Primary Learning

Website: Online Dermatology Tech Program (Association of Certified

Dermatologists Techs)

Source: Videos (each video is about 15-40 minutes long)

Analysis:
For the past two weeks, I have had the wonderful opportunity of
taking an online Dermatology Tech class alongside my ISM experience
with my mentor. There is a plethora of videos dedicated to teaching
Medical Assistants or Certified Nursing Assistants (which I am) about
how to perform duties in Dermatology under the supervision of a
Dermatologist. Here is a breakdown of everything I have learned so
far:
Anatomy is very important in Dermatology in order to correctly
chart a patients skin conditions. In order to document the condition,
the direction and location of the skin condition are needed. Some key
words for writing the direction of the condition include: right or left,
proximal or distal, medial or lateral, dorsal or ventral, and anterior or
posterior. After identifying the correct direction of the skin condition,
it is necessary to identify the part of the patients body where the
condition is located, such as: glabella, canthus, forearm, eyelid, etc.
Then, after correctly meeting both requirements, the dermatology
tech will need to write the correct identification of the skin condition,
such as upper eyelid, medial or lateral canthus, dorsal hand, etc.
Learning about the skin structure and function is also necessary
in order to answer the patients questions during the time before the
doctor comes into the room and while answering phone calls from
patients. There are three layers of the skin: epidermis, dermis, and
subcutaneous tissue. The subcutaneous tissue is the deepest layer of
the skin, and contains the blood vessels and nerves that pose a higher
risk when making an excision. The next layer is the dermis, which
contains the hair follicle (three stages of growth include Anagen,
Catagen, and Telogen), glands (sweat glands- apocrine gland, eccrine
glands; oil gland- sebaceous gland), and protein fibers (collagen and
elastin). The next layer is the epidermis, which is where the skin cells
are produced and develop throughout each layer. In the lowest layer,
the basal layer, melanocytes (produce pigment called melanin) and
keratinocytes are produced. Basal cell carcinoma occurs in the
keratinocytes in the basal layer, and melanoma occurs in the
melanocytes. As the keratinocytes move up each layer and grow
farther away from blood vessels, they change shape and squamous
cell carcinoma occurs in these skin cells.
Ive also learned most of the basics of how to code each visit,
procedure, and diagnosis. E/M codes are evaluation and management
codes, which are the codes for the visit and change depending on how
intense each visit is. The codes are also different for new patients,
consults, and established patients. CPT codes are current procedural
terminology (or procedure codes) and are different for each
treatment. For instance, in treating actinic keratosis with liquid
nitrogen, the 1st AK receives the code 1700 and the next 13 receive
the code 17003, and if more than 15 AKs are treated, then the code
17004 is used. Next, are the ICD codes, which are the International
Classification of Diseases codes. In the past, ICD-9 was used, which
gave each skin condition a blanket code, but the shift to ICD-10
introduced subcategories to each skin condition, for instance,
psoriasis used to have one code, but after ICD-10, each subcategory of
psoriasis receives a code.
 I am still learning more and more everyday about the
information required to become a Dermatology Tech and this program
has done a fantastic job of informing me about everything I need to
know!