Why Dermatology PAs Should Keep Learning at Every Career Stage

Lisa Weiss, PA-C, has practiced dermatology in the Atlanta area for 12 years and works at Goodman Dermatology. She serves as co-medical director of the Rapids Conference, an immunodermatology meeting, alongside Justin Love, PA-C, and also plans CME programming for the Georgia Derm PA Society and Texas Derm PA Society.

In a recent Dermatology Times interview, Weiss emphasized the importance of continuous learning and encouraged clinicians to seek educational opportunities regardless of their experience level.

Why No Clinician Knows Everything About a Disease State

For Weiss, continuing education begins with recognizing that there is always more to learn. Regardless of experience, she said clinicians should remain open to expanding their knowledge as they encounter different disease states.

“I would never want to see a clinician that said, ‘Oh, I already know everything about that disease state.’ There's no such thing as knowing everything about a disease state,” Weiss said.

That mindset, she suggested, means clinicians should not assume an educational opportunity has nothing to offer simply because they are already familiar with a topic.

Finding Value in Both Basic and Advanced Education

Weiss cautioned against deciding not to attend a conference because its agenda appears too introductory. Educational value can come from sessions at either end of the spectrum, she said, without one necessarily being more worthwhile than the other.

“You can learn something from even the most elementary deck and you can learn something from the most advanced deck,” Weiss said.

Rather than focusing solely on the perceived level of a session, Weiss encouraged clinicians to approach continuing education as an ongoing part of their professional development.

Making Continuing Education a Career-Long Commitment

Weiss said she works on 5 conferences and typically attends 2 additional meetings each year that she is not involved in organizing. Despite more than a decade in dermatology and extensive involvement in CME programming, she continues to prioritize educational opportunities.

“I work on five conferences, and I typically go to two other ones during the year that I don't work on, because the continuing of education, I think, is what makes you a stronger provider,” Weiss said.

Her advice ultimately centers on remaining comfortable with gaps in one's own knowledge and using colleagues and educational opportunities to address them.

“Never be afraid to say that you don't know something and take the opportunity to learn from somebody who does,” Weiss said.