Program Description
The University of Florida residency program provides instruction in all facets of anatomic and clinical pathology, including an opportunity for research. There are 16 residency positions funded by Shands Hospital and the GVAMC. The program provides 4 years of training to meet all requirements for AP/CP board certification. In anatomic and clinical pathology, diverse and interesting case material is received from three major teaching hospitals: Shands Hospital, Alachua General Hospital and the Malcom Randall Veterans Administration Medical Center. At these institutions, all medical specialties are represented. The majority of residents choose to pursue training in both Anatomic and Clinical Pathology that will permit them to take both the Anatomic Pathology and Clinical Pathology boards given by the American Board of Pathology (AP/CP-4 residency program). As residents advance, they are expected to take more responsibility for clinical services. This is achieved by placing residents in supervisory roles over more junior residents, and by giving them responsibility for review of primary laboratory data, laboratory decisions regarding the workup of abnormal test results, preliminary evaluations of frozen sections, and surgical pathology specimens, and on-call decisions regarding various aspects of pathology (Graduated Responsibility).
Pathology occupies a central role in the biotechnology revolution incorporating elements of traditional microscopic and laboratory diagnosis, molecular biology, flow cytometry, image analysis, immunohistochemistry, protein biochemistry, monoclonal antibodies, and cytogenetics among other state-of-the-art technologies. While the contemporary disciplines are taught, we recognize that pathologists of the future will continually renew their knowledge base through a process of continuing organized and self-educational experiences. This process begins during residency training and must continue throughout the pathologist's career. Therefore, the pathologist of the future must be a physician scientist capable of assimilating new information and translating that knowledge into improved clinical skills and research acumen. In both Anatomic and Clinical Pathology, residents are expected to study histologic slides, gross specimens, autopsy specimens, and/or laboratory data for interpretation, analysis, and diagnosis as much as possible prior to sign-out after their initial rotation(s) of observation and instruction. At sign-out, these data are reviewed with the attending pathologist for final diagnosis or further workup as required. The advanced resident experiences graduated responsibility by reviewing the histologic slides independently of the attending faculty member and coming to his or her own diagnosis. The cases are then reviewed by the attending faculty member with the resident. In this way, pathology is taught at the surgical bench, in the autopsy suite, at the microscope and in the clinical laboratory as an interactive, interpersonal tutorial providing a vigorous, and rigorous educational experience.
Our educational process is active and not passive as the residents are integral members of the Department of Pathology. We recognize that in every sector, the Pathologist must act as a consultant, be knowledgeable about laboratory administration, data management/informatics, technology development and implementation, and continuous quality improvement. Likewise, proper utilization of resources is an important concept that the resident physician must acquire. Distribution of resources requires an appropriate background in cost management, cost accounting and social and medical ethics.