Gaining experience face-to-face

Brittany Valk, DO, was able to attend her very first in-person AAD Annual Meeting.

Dr. Valk’s story

I was fortunate to attend the Hands-On Nail Procedure Course, which was led by experts in the field of nail surgery. Because of the materials required for this course, there was an additional cost not included in the conference registration. I was so happy to have the resident stipend to help me cover extra costs. Each participant performed various nail procedures on a cadaveric hand, with guidance by the instructors. The skills and knowledge I gained in this course helped me feel confident about performing nail procedures as a community dermatologist after residency graduation. I also discovered a passion for nail surgery and hope to expand my training in this field.

Additionally, after attending this course, my co-resident and I organized a nail procedure lab for our co-residents using the cadaver at our local hospital, led by our faculty Mohs surgeon.

This resident financial assistance allowed me to participate in this invaluable experience, and I am grateful for the AAD donors’ continued support of dermatology resident training.