Advanced Acne Therapy in Primary Care

Advanced Acne Therapy in Primary Care

New course starts Monday 18 Jan 2027, apply below 

Applications will close on Friday 11th Dec, or earlier should the course reach full capacity.

Limited places available 

About this course

Advanced Acne Therapy in Primary Care aims to equip General Practitioners (GPs) with the clinical knowledge, practical skills, and interprofessional competencies required to manage patients with acne. GPs will be supported in selecting patients who may need treatment with isotretinoin and understand the responsibilities of primary care in patient selection, follow-up, and monitoring of isotretinoin treatment.

Who is this programme suitable for?

This course is open to GPs and trainee GPs who provide care to patients under the General Medical Services scheme. Kindly note that if you are not a registered GP or on a GP training scheme, your application will not be processed.

Tutors

Dr Cathal O'Connor

MB, BCH, BAO, MRCPI

Dr Cathal O’Connor is a consultant dermatologist (adult and paediatric) and is dual-trained as a consultant paediatrician. He graduated from University College Cork and completed training in paediatrics, adult medicine, and dermatology with the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland (RCPI). He undertook a PhD with the Irish Clinical and Academic Training (ICAT) programme, followed by a senior fellowship in genodermatoses and paediatric dermatology in London. He is author of several dermatology textbook chapters, has over 100 academic publications and has a special interest in immune-mediated skin diseases such as eczema and psoriasis, paediatric dermatology, and genetic skin disease.

Dr Olga Tummon

Dr Olga Tummon is a Specialist Registrar in Dermatology in Ireland and is currently in the latter stages of higher specialist training. She has completed training across multiple tertiary centres.

She is actively involved in research and has presented work at national and international dermatology meetings. Her research interests include inflammatory dermatoses, dermatology in medically complex patient groups, and the interface between obesity and systemic dermatological therapies. She holds a first-class MSc in Obesity.

She has a strong interest in medical education and has contributed to undergraduate and postgraduate teaching, including national dermatopathology teaching initiatives and GP-focused education. She previously served as the RCPI National Dermatology Trainee Representative and was involved in trainee advocacy and the development of national teaching programmes.

Prior to studying medicine, she completed an honours degree in Psychology, which informs her interest in the psychosocial impact of skin disease and patient-centred care.

Dates 

Self-directed learning - 18th Jan - 29th Jan Module 1&2

Tutorial 1: 2nd Feb OR 4th Feb - 4.30 - 6pm

Self-directed learning 8th Feb - 19th Feb - Module 3&4

Tutorial 2: 23rd OR 25th Feb 4.30 - 6pm

Please note live tutorials are mandatory

We will be allocating the tutorial groups and once confirmed we will send an email letting you know what dates you have been allocated

Price 150 euro

Click below to book 

What will you learn?

On completion of the programme, learners will be able to:

• Assess acne severity and determine first line treatment.

• Reassess patients’ response to first line treatment to determine if second line treatment and/or isotretinoin is required.

• Determine optimal treatment pathway and identify suitability of patient for isotretinoin treatment.

• Monitor patients receiving isotretinoin for side effects, perform appropriate follow-up assessments, and support adherence to treatment.

• Manage communication with patients sensitively and accurately, ensuring informed decision-making and psychosocial support.

• Escalate concerns appropriately by identifying cases requiring re-referral or discontinuation of treatment.

Modules

Module 1: Initial Assessment and Treatment Options This module aims to enable GPs to confidently recognise acne severity, assess mental health implications, and initiate first line treatments (60 minutes, asynchronous)

Module 2: Isotretinoin and Its Place in Acne Treatment This module aims to familiarise GPs with second line treatment of acne with isotretinoin (60 minutes, asynchronous).

Tutorial 1: Initiation of Isotretinoin In this tutorial, participants will explore common scenarios suitable for isotretinoin initiation, consider initial assessment and dosage strategies, and discuss presentations requiring dermatology referral (90 minutes, live online).

Module 3: Monitoring Patients on Isotretinoin in Primary Care This module aims to support GPs in providing safe follow-up and ongoing monitoring of patients prescribed isotretinoin (60 minutes, asynchronous).

Module 4: Managing Side Effects and When to Discuss or Re-Refer This module aims to help GPs manage common isotretinoin side effects, identify adverse reactions, and escalate care when necessary (60 minutes, asynchronous).

Tutorial 2: Complex Cases and Communication Challenges In this tutorial, participants will explore complex cases complicated by comorbidities or poor adherence, they will identify effective communication frameworks for effective and empathetic conversations, and they will discuss how to navigate communication challenges with dermatologists and allied professionals (90 minutes, live online).

Assessments

There are four assessments, one after each module. All assessments are online and can be taken asynchronously. These include: multiple choice questions, case-based questions, interactive case-based quizzes, data interpretation tasks, timeline activities, branching scenarios, and reflections.