Department of
Pathology, Anatomy and Laboratory Medicine

Practice Based Learning

  • Residents show the ability to analyze practice experience and perform practice-based improvement activities using a systematic methodology, including:
    • Evaluating their concordance with staff diagnoses and using these results to direct their studying and improve their diagnostic acumen (all PGY levels).
    • As senior residents 9PGY 3-4), actively participate in monthly Clinical Pathology Quality Assurance Committee meetings, learning how to identify and report on a variety of QA monitors (case turnaround time, mislabeled/unlabeled specimens, clotted specimens, etc.).
  • Residents show ability to locate, appraise, and assimilate evidence from scientific studies related to patients’ health care problems, including: (all PGY levels)
    • Perform literature search and review to find relevant scientific references to aid in the workup of Chem/Immuno cases (computer-based searches).
    • Obtain and incorporate information about their patient population (via COPATH and Medsite computer searches and medical records chart review) for clinicopathologic study of selected diseases.
  • Residents are able to explain study designs and statistical methods to the appraisal of clinical studies and other information on diagnostic and therapeutic effectiveness (PGY 3-4).
  • Residents demonstrate competency in the performance information technology to manage information, access on-line medical information, and support their own education, including (all PGY levels):
    • Access of patient clinical information and previous pathology accessions via Medsite and Copath.
    • Perform computer searches of the medical literature.
    • Perform digital imaging technology.
    • Access web-sites pertaining to specific laboratory diagnoses
  • Residents actively participate in the teaching of medical students and other health care professionals employed in the Chem/Immuno section, including (PGY 3-4):
    • Teaching medical students as lecturers (senior residents only), leaders in small groups and laboratory sections.
    • Teaching medical technologists, med tech students and other clinical residents during clinical path rotations.
  • Residents make informed decisions regarding diagnostic workup of clinical consults (all PGY levels):
    • They consider specialized testing, etc. based on patients’ clinical history, up-to-date scientific evidence gleaned from textbooks, journal articles, internet-based searches, and clinical judgment.
    • They are expected to be able to handle more difficult cases and their approach and diagnosis should more closely correlate the final diagnosis as they progress through their residencies.
  • Residents use available information technology (hospital and laboratory information systems, internet-based literature searches) (all PGY levels)
    • To support workup and diagnosis of Chem/Immuno consults.
    • To help educate clinicians by providing relevant literature references.
  • Residents work with health care providers, in the generation of accurate and clinically useful Chem/Immuno reports and effective communication of results to clinicians (all PGY levels).
  • Demonstrate competency in handling practical problems related to laboratory operations and management through involvement with basic issues of laboratory management, such as evaluation of analytical instrumentation, laboratory staffing, cost accounting of a new analytical method relative to an older one, and new method evaluation for technical performance (PGY 3-4).