Department of
Pathology, Anatomy and Laboratory Medicine

Practice-Based Learning

  • Residents demonstrate the ability to analyze practice experience and perform practice-based improvement activities using a systematic methodology, including:
    • Residents are given results of their concordance with staff diagnoses and are expected to use this information to direct their studying and improve their diagnostic acumen. First and second year residents should use this to direct their readings. Third and fourth year residents should review the data to look for areas of weakness and direct their readings toward these. They should also review discordant cases with an attending.
    • Senior residents learn how to identify and report on a variety of QA monitors (case turnaround time, 10% review and 5 year look back on pap tests, cyto-histologic correlation, etc.).
  • Locate, appraise, and assimilate evidence from scientific studies related to patients’ health care problems. First and second year residents should be able to do this under faculty guidance while third and fourth year residents should be able to perform this independently. Specific examples include:
    • Perform literature search and review to find relevant scientific references to aid in the workup of cytopathology cases (computer-based searches).
    • Obtain and incorporate information about their patient population (via COPATH computer searches and medical records chart review) for clinicopathologic study of selected diseases.
  • Residents demonstrate competency in the use of information technology to manage information, access on-line medical information, and support their own education, including:
    • Accessing of patient clinical information and previous pathology accessions via Merlin and Copath.
    • Performance of computer searches of the medical literature.
    • Demonstrating competence in the use of digital imaging technology.
  • Senior residents (third and fourth year) actively participate in the teaching of medical students and other health care professionals rotating through the anatomic pathology section, including: Teaching students and residents from other disciplines during review of cytopathology cases.

Evaluation

Rotation evaluation

Review of resident portfolio yearly to assess improvement and discuss self-education