PrintProspective Fellows - Overview of Lab Medicine and Pathology Fellowships
The Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology fellowship programs offer advanced training in different areas of anatomic and clinical pathology. Fellows have responsibilities that are intermediate between those of a resident and a staff pathologist. They are supervised as necessary by staff pathologists, who approve and sign all diagnoses. However, they have considerable freedom in working up cases, and elaborating preliminary diagnoses before the cases are reviewed and discussed with the staff pathologists. Fellows gain considerable experience in interacting as a consultant and discussing cases with clinical and surgical colleagues. Additional training is provided through intra- and interdepartmental conferences for which fellows are responsible. Fellows also attend intradepartmental teaching conferences and interdepartmental conferences, according to the specialty.
Another important aspect of fellows' teaching consists of administrative/supervisory skills. Fellows assist in the teaching and supervision of junior residents. They do not compete for cases with residents; rather, they interact with residents in the work-up of the cases; it is an interaction that benefits both fellows and residents. Through interactions with technical and administrative personnel in the different laboratories, fellows gain considerable experience in lab management. Finally, fellows are strongly encouraged to participate in research projects with faculty members; the department provides all the necessary support for carrying out the projects, presenting the results at meetings and publishing the manuscripts.
The general goal of the fellowship programs is to instill expertise in different areas of anatomic and clinical pathology, ensuring trainees that will become leaders in their field and who will excel either in community practice or in academic pathology. Fellowships provide the credits for subspecialty board certification examinations, where applicable.