MCW Pathology & Laboratory Medicine Residency Program - Core Curriculum & Rotations
Overview
Curriculum
The curriculum is organized as 13, 4-week blocks per year.
The core curriculum involves:
- 26, 4-week blocks of required Anatomic Pathology (AP) rotations
- 18 blocks of required Clinical Pathology (CP) rotations
- 1 required AP/CP rotation (AP/CP Boot Camp)
- 6 blocks of elective time. (Elective time may be spent performing additional months of core rotations, free-standing elective rotations, or research.)
Rotations
The 4-year rotation schedule entails:
- 10 blocks of required AP and 3 blocks of required CP in PGY-1
- 5 blocks of required AP and 8 blocks of required CP in PGY-2
- A more flexible and balanced mixture in PGY-3 and PGY-4
Each rotation has a set of rotation-specific goals and objectives organized around the core competencies, including training level-specific competencies.
All residents will receive the entire complement of rotation documents at the beginning of each academic year.
Additionally, at the beginning of each rotation, the rotation director will provide the goals and objectives to the resident and discuss them face-to-face in order to clearly establish expectations for the rotation.
Laboratory Management Curriculum
In addition to the Lab Management University modules and additional live didactics, residents are required to participate in various management activities throughout their entire training. These include: attending various management meetings; performing a mock or actual CAP inspection; participate in instrument or new test validations; participate in QC review; participate in proficiency testing review; and execute a quality improvement project.
Rotation Details
Anatomic Pathology (AP)
Rotations include autopsy, surgical pathology, cytopathology, pediatric pathology and forensic pathology.
Clinical Pathology (CP)
Rotations include clinical chemistry/toxicology, coagulation, cytogenetics, flow cytometry, hematopathology, laboratory management, microbiology, molecular diagnostics and transfusion medicine.
Evaluation Process
Residents are evaluated formally at the completion of each rotation using a standardized electronic evaluation organized around the milestones and the six core competencies. Each evaluation is discussed face to face with the resident, as well, with opportunity for written response. Also, during each rotation, a mid-rotation informal written and face-to-face evaluation is conducted to assess progress, provide constructive criticism, and provide suggestions for weak areas that require special attention.
On a semiannual basis, written evaluations of residents are performed by technical and support staff who interact with residents regularly, in several areas of the department and laboratory. Additional, semi-annual peer evaluations are accomplished via an anonymous web-based survey mechanism. Finally, rotating medical students will be asked to provide written evaluations of residents with whom they have worked at the end of their rotations through the department.
Objective evaluation is accomplished in part by the annual Resident In-Service Examination, in which all residents participate. This primarily address medical knowledge, with lesser components of the other core competencies. Additionally, non-elective rotations have an end of rotation quiz to provide additional objective evaluation.
Teaching faculty are evaluated electronically and anonymously by residents at the completion of each rotation. These evaluations are provided in aggregate to each faculty person at the end of the academic year. These evaluation help inform, along with feedback from the program director, the teaching evaluation portion of the annual written faculty reviews conducted by the pathology chair.
Portfolio
Residents are required to maintain an electronic portfolio of various activities during their entire training period, including: scholarly activities (abstracts presented, manuscripts published); QI projects completed; LMU modules completed; test utilization management activities; instrument or new test validations; formal conference presentations; CP consultations performed.