Job summary
Guy's and St. Thomas' Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
St. John's Institute of Dermatology
Dermatology
Senior Clinical Fellow in Dermapathology
Full Time: 40-hours
Fixed Term: 24-Months
Applications are invited for this fixed term 2-year appointment commencing March/April 2026. The post of Clinical Fellow in Dermatopathology in St John's is unique in the UK. Appropriate for pathologists and dermatologists towards the end of, or having completed, their speciality training, during the two year period, most of which is in the form of an apprenticeship model, doctors will become highly skilled in all areas of dermatopathology. Clinical Fellows will be encouraged to take the Royal College of Pathology Diploma in Dermatopathology and/or the International Diploma in Dermatopathology during their tenure of the post.
Main duties of the job
The purpose of this programme for specialty training in dermatopathology is to set the standards required for practising as a Consultant dermatopathologist and satisfying the standard expected in the The Royal College of Pathologists' Diploma in Dermatopathology and the International Diploma in Dermatopathology examinations.
Duties and responsibilities
Clinical:
The postholder will, together with colleagues, be responsible for the provision of specialty services to the Guy's & St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust to include:
(a) Diagnosis and treatment of patients of the trust in such hospitals, health centres or clinics or other premises as required.
(b) Continuing clinical responsibility for the patients in your charge, allowing for all proper delegation to, and training of, your staff.
Training of junior staff:
The postholder will take responsibility for the training and direction of junior staff allocated to him/her under aegis of the training plan that that postholder has agreed with their supervising consultant.
Teaching:
The postholder will be expected to contribute as appropriate in the teaching of undergraduate and postgraduate students.
About us
As an organisation we are committed to developing our services in ways that best suit the needs of our patients. This means that some staff groups will increasingly be asked to work a more flexible shift pattern so that we can offer services in the evenings or at weekends.Creating a world-leading Academic Health Sciences Centre.All our vacancies can be viewed on our website.Our excellent benefits include final salary pension scheme. Please visit our website to find out more.
*** Please be advised that this vacancy may close early should we receive sufficient number of applications ***
Job description
Job responsibilities
The programme is divided into four stages, AD.
At all stages of the programme the Clinical Fellows will alternate between routine and referral blocks with a 4-week cycle.
Routine: these cases constitute the biopsies & excisions generated from within St Johns, St Thomas and those received from primary care. Cases for Multidisciplinary Meetings (MDMs), Mohs cases and sentinel lymph nodes also fall within this block.
Referral: these are those cases sent to a pathologist in the department for a specialist opinion. The precise role of the Fellow in this component of work will differ according to the supervising Consultants practice.
Stage A
This stage approximates to the first 3 months in the post. Fellows will familiarise themselves with the cut-up manual and procedure; the day-to-day running of the reporting room, of which they will take charge. Fellows will review all cases processed for reporting and write a surgical report.
Early in the post those Fellows with a dermatology background should spend one day in the laboratory following the processing of tissue after prosection, and cut a section. They should also observe the technical aspects of immunocytochemistry.
Stage B
From 3-6 months Fellows should take increasing responsibility for preparing histochemical and immunocytochemical request forms for discussion with the supervising Consultant.
Stage C
Between 6-12 months Fellows should be developing a detailed understanding of reporting complicated cases, including: lymphomas with associated immunocytochemistry; difficult adnexal tumours; alopecia samples; dermal spindle cell tumours and sarcomas.
At this stage Fellows will make arrangements to attend immunfluoresence reporting sessions once per week by arrangement with the IMF department.
Fellows will begin to present cases at the MDMs under supervision of the responsible Consultant.
Stage D
Stage D of training begins after 12 months in the post. At this stage Fellows should be able to write surgical reports for difficult and complex cases, including referral specimens. During this period a Fellow with a dermatology background should be rosted for attachments in General Histopathology, which ideally will include the following:
- Haematopathology; including systemic lymphoma classification and diagnosis; metastases; large cell and follicular lymphomas; bone marrow interpretation including the typing of leukaemias.
- Breast pathology; some experience of the common breast malignancies
- Salivary gland tumours; the more common tumours, which have some resemblance to cutaneous adnexal neoplasms.
- Gynaecological pathology; particularly CIN and VIN, and the common malignant tumours.
- Other sub-specialities: gastro-intestinal, urological and respiratory, with particular emphasis on tumour pathology.
A short attachment period in the department of Oral Pathology is also required.
Subject to satisfactory progress, all Fellows will now have the opportunity to present cases at each of the MDMs in the absence of a Consultant.
By the end of Stage D, the trainee should be able to demonstrate a level of knowledge and skill consistent with practise as a consultant in dermatopathology in the National Health Service.
Job description
Job responsibilities
The programme is divided into four stages, AD.
At all stages of the programme the Clinical Fellows will alternate between routine and referral blocks with a 4-week cycle.
Routine: these cases constitute the biopsies & excisions generated from within St Johns, St Thomas and those received from primary care. Cases for Multidisciplinary Meetings (MDMs), Mohs cases and sentinel lymph nodes also fall within this block.
Referral: these are those cases sent to a pathologist in the department for a specialist opinion. The precise role of the Fellow in this component of work will differ according to the supervising Consultants practice.
Stage A
This stage approximates to the first 3 months in the post. Fellows will familiarise themselves with the cut-up manual and procedure; the day-to-day running of the reporting room, of which they will take charge. Fellows will review all cases processed for reporting and write a surgical report.
Early in the post those Fellows with a dermatology background should spend one day in the laboratory following the processing of tissue after prosection, and cut a section. They should also observe the technical aspects of immunocytochemistry.
Stage B
From 3-6 months Fellows should take increasing responsibility for preparing histochemical and immunocytochemical request forms for discussion with the supervising Consultant.
Stage C
Between 6-12 months Fellows should be developing a detailed understanding of reporting complicated cases, including: lymphomas with associated immunocytochemistry; difficult adnexal tumours; alopecia samples; dermal spindle cell tumours and sarcomas.
At this stage Fellows will make arrangements to attend immunfluoresence reporting sessions once per week by arrangement with the IMF department.
Fellows will begin to present cases at the MDMs under supervision of the responsible Consultant.
Stage D
Stage D of training begins after 12 months in the post. At this stage Fellows should be able to write surgical reports for difficult and complex cases, including referral specimens. During this period a Fellow with a dermatology background should be rosted for attachments in General Histopathology, which ideally will include the following:
- Haematopathology; including systemic lymphoma classification and diagnosis; metastases; large cell and follicular lymphomas; bone marrow interpretation including the typing of leukaemias.
- Breast pathology; some experience of the common breast malignancies
- Salivary gland tumours; the more common tumours, which have some resemblance to cutaneous adnexal neoplasms.
- Gynaecological pathology; particularly CIN and VIN, and the common malignant tumours.
- Other sub-specialities: gastro-intestinal, urological and respiratory, with particular emphasis on tumour pathology.
A short attachment period in the department of Oral Pathology is also required.
Subject to satisfactory progress, all Fellows will now have the opportunity to present cases at each of the MDMs in the absence of a Consultant.
By the end of Stage D, the trainee should be able to demonstrate a level of knowledge and skill consistent with practise as a consultant in dermatopathology in the National Health Service.
Person Specification
Education
Essential
- Full GMC Registration, with licence to practice
- MRCP (UK) or equivalent
Desirable
- At least one year postgraduate training in Dermatology at Registrar or SHO level
- Certificate of Completion of Specialist Training (CCT)/Certificate of Eligibility for Specialist Registration (CESR)
Knowledge and Skills
Essential
- A broad training in General Medicine
- Ability to work as an effective member of a multidisciplinary team
Desirable
- Experience in histopathology
- Familiarity of the basic conditions encountered in routine dermatopathology
Other
Essential
- Evidence of understanding of the role of clinical management
- Evidence of understanding of and adherence to the principles of Good Medical Practice set out by the General Medical Council
- Evidence of contribution to effective clinical audit and clinical risk management
Desirable
- Management training or qualification
- Evidence of leadership in the development of clinical services
- Experience in clinical guideline development
- Appraisal training
Research and Teaching
Essential
- Understanding of the principles and applications of clinical research
- Involvement in medical research project
- Experience of undergraduate teaching and post graduate training
Desirable
- Evidence of original research
- Teaching qualification
Person Specification
Education
Essential
- Full GMC Registration, with licence to practice
- MRCP (UK) or equivalent
Desirable
- At least one year postgraduate training in Dermatology at Registrar or SHO level
- Certificate of Completion of Specialist Training (CCT)/Certificate of Eligibility for Specialist Registration (CESR)
Knowledge and Skills
Essential
- A broad training in General Medicine
- Ability to work as an effective member of a multidisciplinary team
Desirable
- Experience in histopathology
- Familiarity of the basic conditions encountered in routine dermatopathology
Other
Essential
- Evidence of understanding of the role of clinical management
- Evidence of understanding of and adherence to the principles of Good Medical Practice set out by the General Medical Council
- Evidence of contribution to effective clinical audit and clinical risk management
Desirable
- Management training or qualification
- Evidence of leadership in the development of clinical services
- Experience in clinical guideline development
- Appraisal training
Research and Teaching
Essential
- Understanding of the principles and applications of clinical research
- Involvement in medical research project
- Experience of undergraduate teaching and post graduate training
Desirable
- Evidence of original research
- Teaching qualification
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
