Residency Goals & Objectives

The fundamental goals of the pathology residency program are to provide an opportunity for knowledge acquisition, skills training and practice, and to provide guidance in accomplishing exemplary patient care.

Residents develop expertise in laboratory service and management, and data investigation and interpretation.

Our faculty recognize the resident as a mature physician seeking special competence in pathology. Our staff pathologists and other personnel willingly give of their time, knowledge, and guidance to the resident seeking it. Our training programs emphasize interpretative, investigative, and management skills, and are structured to avoid overemphasis in the technical aspects of pathology. The pathology laboratory is the resident's classroom, so we make every effort to utilize the laboratory's potential for instructional purposes. 

Broad Program Objectives

Upon completion of the program resident will be able to:

  1. Comprehend the bases of pathologic processes.
  2. Explain pathologic processes that apply to individual patients, as well as to the general patient population.
  3. Analyze laboratory and clinical data.
  4. Interpret laboratory data for clinicopathologic correlation.
  5. Practice the technical and mechanical aspects of laboratory pathology.
  6. Perform laboratory management.

Pathology Rotation Schedule for Residents

 

FIRST YEAR:

Autopsy I - 3 months (includes Neuropathology; Histology orientation, Immunohisto Chemistry)
Surgical Pathology I - 3 months
Transfusion Medicine I - 3 months (includes Apheresis and 2 weeks of Molecular Practicum)
Hematology I - 3 months (includes Coagulation and Cytogenetics)

 

SECOND YEAR:

Surgical Pathology II - 3 months 
Cytopathology I - 3 months
Chemistry - 3 months (includes Toxicology, Informatics)
Microbiology - 3 months (includes 1 month of Immunology)

 

THIRD YEAR:

Autopsy II - 2 months (includes Neuropathology; 1 month Forensic Pathology)
Surgical Pathology III - 4 months
Transfusion Medicine II - 3 months (includes Apheresis, Donor Center, Tissue Typing Laboratory)
Hematology II - 3 months (includes VA Hospital, Flow Cytometry)

 

FOURTH YEAR:

Surgical Pathology IV - 4 months (includes “slide only” and teaching months)
Cytopathology II - 2 months 
Molecular Genetics - 1 month         
Electives - 6 months (may include 1 month of Molecular Genetics)​

 

 

 

Electives

Elective rotations are an integral part of the AP-CP program and are available after satisfactory completion of the core rotations. The choices are left to the interests, needs, and career goals of the resident but must have the approval of the Director of Resident Training and director of the laboratory involved.  Electives are available in various subspecialty anatomic and clinical pathology services, in addition to the services comprising the required rotations. The VCUH Office of Graduate Medical Education allows residents one month of extramural elective time over the course of resident training. If you are interested, please discuss this with the Director of Resident Training early in the process. There must be goals and objectives, agreed upon in writing, by the person in charge of the rotation and by the Director of Resident Training. These should include experiences that cannot be attained at VCUH. The person responsible for the rotation at the outside facility must write an evaluation at the end of the month. Requests for extramural electives must receive written approval from both the Director of Resident Training and the Director of Graduate Medical Education. Please see the Resident Coordinator for the required form.