‍VisualDx

As a new healthcare provider and aspiring Dermatology Nurse Practitioner, I’m always looking for opportunities for education, training, and networking. I recently purchased the VisualDx Plus (VisualDxComplete 7 + Derm Expert) annual subscription plan from VisualDx using my 50% off discount membership benefit with the Society of Dermatology Nurse Practitioners (SDNP) for an annual fee of $250. I will be writing a separate article reviewing my experience with VisualDx soon. Join the Mahogany Dermatology community to be notified with that article is published. I was recently browsing the VisualDx website to see all their features and offers when I came across an initiative between them and Vaseline called See My Skin.

The Paucity of Skin of Color Images

See My Skin is a manifestation of Vaseline’s Equitable Skincare for All Program which is a collaboration between them, HUED and VisualDx, utilizing VisualDx’s catalog of 46,000 various skin of color images. According to the website, the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology reported that less than 6% of internet searches yield images of various skin tones. They provided a citation, but the link is inactive. Nevertheless, the paucity of skin of color resources in health professional programs has been well documented. The availability of resources on the internet is slightly better with social media, filters, and the wave of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives. As one of many skin of color patients, I can attest to how challenging it can be to find images of skin and hair that looks like me doing a standard Google search, including dermatology provider websites.

Now that I have transitioned into dermatology, I am much more aware of the availability of credible resources, but even as a healthcare professional I was not exposed to those resources in my bachelor's, master's, or doctoral programs; professional organizations outside of dermatology; or work setting. This is evidence that the gaps in knowledge persists both amongst healthcare professionals (especially those outside of dermatology) and the public. When only 3% of dermatologists are Black and only 4% are Hispanic; when it takes 12 years to become a dermatologist; when the Hispanic community is projected to be the largest minority group in America in 20 years; and when it takes anywhere from 35 to 75 days to get an appointment with a dermatologist, we know we can’t rely solely on dermatology providers to meet the demands and we need access more robust resources.

Vaseline’s See My Skin

DEI initiatives were necessary due to the increased awareness of the impact of health inequities in every facet of our lives. The healthcare inequities in dermatology include access to skin of color education, inclusive research, skin of color resources, cultural competence, inclusive care practices, access to skin of color providers, poor health outcomes for melanoma, misdiagnosis, delays in diagnosis and treatment, and biased artificial intelligence algorithms. Vaseline has been a staple treatment recommendation in dermatology, so this collaboration is brilliant.

When you visit the See My Skin website, you’ll notice a search box where you can enter your dermatologic concern. With the assistance of the Vaseline Dermatology Review Board, a search will yield:

-A definition

-Images of various skin tones

-Assistance to improve search results

-Expert recommendations for at home care

-Guidance on when to seek medical assistance

-How to prepare for an appointment

-An invitation to submit your photos

-A link to Find a Dermatologist or affordable, culturally competent clinic

HUED

HUED describes themselves as a digital health equity company that aims to provide equitable and inclusive healthcare experiences for Black, Latinx, and Indigenous communities. They understand that providing quality healthcare starts with quality education of healthcare professionals, stakeholders, and the community. HUED was started by Kimberly Wilson after her own negative experience in the healthcare system where she felt she would have received better care and experienced better outcomes had she received culturally competent care.

At the time of this writing, there are 5 health equity courses, including:

-Cultural competence and humility

-Anti-racism

-Unconscious bias

-Social determinants of health

-An introduction to perinatal health equity

Skin of Color Dermatology Provider Directory: Nurse Practitioners Welcomed

The most exciting part of my search, was discovering the Vaseline & HUED directory includes nurse practitioners! There are a number of directories that list Black and Brown dermatology providers, but those lists are not always inclusive of nurse practitioners and physician assistants. Finding words like, providers, clinicians, nurse practitioner (NP) and physician assistants (PA) on a website by a large organization or brand is an example of inclusivity. There are a number of initiatives aiming to increase access to inclusive care for patients, but those initiatives do not always extend to healthcare providers like NPs and PAs. Vaseline, VisualDx and HUED are providing a great example of how that is executed via their directory. Initiatives of this magnitude will help address the demands in dermatologic care aforementioned in this article.

Until recently, in order to be listed on the directory you had to complete the HUED health equity courses and those courses were only made available to large organizations. However, in my meeting with HUED, I learned that since April they have been scaling and welcoming feedback on how to best be of service to the medical community. One change that you can take advantage of is that now the health equity courses are available to clinicians and small practices of just one (like myself). To be listed, you answer their questions or email them directly if you have any specific questions at directory@huedco.com. At the close of our meeting, the director was kind enough to grant me access to their courses in exchange for my feedback. I’ll be writing a separate review of my impression of those courses in the near future. Join the Mahogany Dermatology community and follow me on Instagram to be notified when that article is published.

Mastering the Art of Networking

Considering how welcoming HUED was to me and receptive to receiving my feedback, I think this is a great opportunity for NPs and PAs to take advantage of the courses and marketing power, to be listed in the directory, and to use our collective voices to share our feedback, contributions to patient care, and make ourselves available for future partnerships.

Once you’ve taken the courses and been listed in the directory, I would love to hear about your experience and continue to the conversation. If you know of any other potential partnerships or ways we can leverage this opportunity, I’d be glad to hear it.

Kimberly Madison, DNP, AGPCNP-BC

Kimberly Madison is a new dermatology nurse practitioner with a passion for writing, entrepreneurship, financial literacy, and mentorship. I created this blog to share my journey as I become a dermatology nurse practitioner and entrepreneur. Most importantly, I’m looking forward to helping nurse practitioners and aspiring students to better understand the business of dermatology and their role in improving access to care, providing culturally competent care, and advancing education.

‍