Frequently Asked Questions
- How many resident positions are in the program?
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We are currently accredited for 24 residents.
- What is the structure of the Pathology Residency Program at UH Cleveland Medical Center?
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Most residents pursue the 4-year combined Anatomic and Clinical Pathology (AP/CP) track. Three-year AP-only and CP-only tracks and a 4-year residency plus research track (AP-only or CP-only plus one full year of research) are also available. The first year of the 4-year AP/CP track is usually devoted to anatomic pathology with the second year devoted to clinical pathology.
The third and fourth years integrate anatomic and clinical pathology rotations with elective time.
- How are the Surgical Pathology rotations organized?
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Surgical Pathology is organized by sub-specialty sign out. Residents rotating on Surgical Pathology will be assigned to one of 6 subspecialty services, typically for a one to two week period.
- What are the subspecialty benches in Surgical Pathology
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Breast, ENT/Thoracic, Genitourinary (GU), Gastrointestinal (GI, including liver and pancreas), Peds/perinatal + Bone and soft tissue, and Gynecologic (GYN).
- Does UH Cleveland Medical Center have Pathologist Assistants?
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Yes, we have 9 PAs.
- What types of surgical specimens are handled at UHCMC?
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With an annual volume of surgical specimens exceeding 50,000, residents are exposed to benign and malignant cases covering all of the subspecialty areas as well as transplant pathology, dermatopathology, neuropathology and endocrine.
- What is the didactic education program like for residents?
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Required educational conference for residents are from 12:00 - 1:00 pm four to five days of the week. These include didactic lectures on AP and CP topics, including molecular pathology, bioinformatics, and laboratory management, as well as special conferences such as gross conference, unknown slide conference, CP case conference and anatomic and clinical pathology journal clubs. Residents receive protected time to attend these conferences.
- Does the residency have a “bootcamp” for new PGY1 residents?
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The program provides a month-long training period for PGY1 residents that includes introductory lectures and directly supervised, hands-on training in anatomic pathology.
- What is the call schedule like?
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PGY1 residents take home-call for anatomic pathology issues, including after-hour intraoperative consultation (frozen section) and autopsy [beginning in the late fall after serving at least two weeks on the frozen section rotation]. Weekend autopsies are only performed on Saturday, unless an urgent need arises. PGY2 residents take home-call for clinical pathology issues, which may include but are not limited to: transfusion medicine calls and apheresis consults, hematopathology smear review, and critical value calls. Senior residents in the PGY3 and PGY4 years may take home-call in either AP or CP but less frequently than in the first two years.
- What research opportunities are available?
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Though not required, all residents are encouraged to pursue research projects as part of their training. Residents may also choose to do research elective rotations, allowing them to have an extensive research experience in more diverse areas of research. Many of our residents attend and present posters or presentations at national meetings each year.
- Do residents have their own workspace?
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Each resident has a dedicated workspace in the Pathology Residency Room. There are additional shared sign out rooms located in the surgical pathology area.
- What fellowships does UHCMC Department of Pathology sponsor?
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Fellowships offered include Blood Banking/ Transfusion Medicine (1), Cytopathology (1), Hematopathology (2), and Surgical Pathology (2). All fellowships are ACGME accredited.
- Do residents receive money for books or travel?
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Residents in their PGY1 year receive $500.00 towards books. Residents in their PGY2 year and beyond receive $1,000 toward books and travel annually.
- Does the department provide educational resources?
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The department provides access to a board prep question bank, ASCP Lab Management University and ExpertPath™ for all residents. UHCMC and Case Western Reserve libraries also contain additional resources, including access to UpToDate® and numerous electronic texts on Clinical Key® by Elsevier.
- What are the salary and benefits?
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Information regarding salary and benefits are updated yearly.