The Case for a New Model for Pathology Residency Training Requirements

Ron Domen, MDPenn State Hershey Medical Center and

College of MedicineHershey, PA

Special Thanks to my Co-Author

• Jennifer Baccon, MD, PhD

• Domen RE, Baccon J. Pathology residency training: time for a new paradigm. Human Pathology 2014;45:1125-1129

Historical Notes• Prior to 1900 – pathology was the study of “morbid”

anatomy (autopsy)• 1900 – AMA established “Section on Pathology and

Physiology”– Helped to define scope and educational requirements– 1924: Minimum training for a pathologist: preferably some

hospital experience, 2 (better 3) years of “special study under a good pathologist in a laboratory where there is plenty of material”

• Early 1900s – clinical physiology and clinical chemistry increasingly became aids in disease diagnosis and treatment and began to define “clinical pathology” as a separate area of medical practice

Historical Notes (cont)• In the early decades of the 20th century “clinical

pathologists” also performed AP duties (Today, should CP more properly be called, Laboratory Medicine?)

• Pre-WW II – growing numbers of hospital and state-run clinical laboratories with increased oversight by pathologists

• 1932 – ASCP designated an arbitrary time of 3 years of study for qualification in clinical pathology (accepted by the Council on Medical Education and Hospitals of the AMA)

American Board of Pathology• Formed in 1936• 1938 examination requirements (5 years)

– Clinical internship (1 year)– Clinical pathology training (1 year)– Pathologic anatomy (2 years)– Additional pathology training or practice in pathology (1 year)

• 1973/74 - Clinical internship year eliminated• 1985 – fifth year added (intention was to be a clinical year)• 2002 – fifth year eliminated• 2002 – present: AP (18 months) + CP (18 months) +

Electives (12 months)

Thomas M. Peery, MDJAMA 1959;171(15):2065-2068

“This rapid expansion of services accounts for most of the pressing problems which confront the clinical pathologist today. First and foremost, we find that no one pathologist can possibly encompass all that must be known for the proper expansion and development of laboratory services.”

Townsend JF, Van Peenen HJ, Senhauser DA, Lucas FV.J Med Educ 1971;46:456-460

“Physicians preparing for academic careers really require more than four years of educational experience to become competent in clinical and anatomic pathology. In the authors’ experience, they need six years. At end of that time, they…have begun to attain depth in one area of pathology.”

Gorstein F, Weinstein RS.Hum Pathol 2001;32:1-3

“Remarkable scientific advances have broadened the potential scope of practice and have made mastery of the entire body of pathology information an impossibility.”

Christopher N. Otis, MDHum Pathol 2006;37:929-931

“Aside from the basic medical knowledge in anatomic pathology, the other areas [molecular pathology, cytogenetics, bioinformatics, management skills] are different angles on the same topics necessary for clinical pathology training…Is it time to consider an entirely new approach to residency training in pathology, an approach that allows for training in the basic core competencies while providing enough latitude for the trainee to differentiate throughout training?”

The Current State• 2-plus-2 years paradigm of combined AP/CP training

– Minimum of 18 months in each area– 12 months of elective time– Up to 6 months of research

• AP-/CP-only (24 months + 12 months of electives)• Employers increasingly want fellowship trained graduates• >90% of residents pursue a fellowship (30-40%, 2

fellowships)*– Required for a desired position– To enhance their skills and develop area(s) of expertise– To enhance their ability to secure employment– (top 6) surg path, cytopath, hemepath, GI/hepatic, dermpath, forensics

*2014 ASCP Survey; and, Lagwinski N, Hunt JL. Archiv Path Lab Med 2009;133:1431-36

The Current State (cont)• What do employers want/look for:

– Diagnostic competency– Fellowship training (surg path, dermpath, cytopath, bb/tm, GI path)– Strong interpersonal and communication skills– Laboratory management and administrative competency– Professionalism (cooperation, collegiality, flexibility, knowing when to

ask for help, etc)– Able to engage with, and understand, clinicians and can serve in the

role of consultant– Able to work well with others at all levels, be involved with medical

staff governance, and be an advocate for pathology (leadership skills)• Most of these are “cross over” skills that could be learned as part of

an AP-only program with 1 or 2 areas of concentration in CP

Hum Pathol 2006;37:969-73; Arch Pathol Lab Med 2007;131:545-55; Arch Pathol Lab Med 2009;133:1139-1147

The Current State (cont)• What employers are getting:

– Nearly 1/3 of new hires have a major deficiency in a critical area, and 71% of employers report difficulty hiring entry-level pathologists. Why? (for example):• Preparedness in clinical and administrative areas• Inadequate training/experience

– Independent sign-out in surg path and clinical decision-making– Poor technical proficiency

• Laboratory management and administrative skills• Professionalism and Work Ethic

– Unrealistic expectations about work-load/hours– Interpersonal and communication skills– Flexibility regarding responsibilities and willingness to acquire new skills– Interpersonal interactions– Honesty and reporting/recognizing errors

• Regulatory and compliance skills/knowledge

Arch Pathol Lab Med 2007;131:545-55; Arch Pathol Lab Med 2009;133:1139-1147; and, Post MD, et al. Employer expectations for newly trained pathologists…(manuscript submitted).

Why Change the Current Training Model?

• Knowledge is rapidly increasing and changing• Current graduates are not optimally prepared• Maintaining competency in all areas of AP and LM/CP (short-

and long-term) is unrealistic• Many/most graduates are currently pursuing fellowships and

specializing/sub-specializing• Community practices are increasing in size allowing

for/requiring more specialization – changing practice patterns (impact of ACA?)

• Acquiring the basic LM/CP skills needed in community practice can be obtained in both AP- and CP-only programs either as part of core training or during a focused fellowship

• Tailoring MOC requirements should become easier

Why Change? (cont)• Is length of training less important than subject mastery?

Achievement of defined competency and outcome goals/Milestones?

• Does a “one size fits all” approach to length or content of training make sense in light of the current gaps in training, knowledge explosion, and employer needs?

• Could changing the training paradigm offer more standardization of content and increased educational opportunities across all residency programs (large vs small programs)? Role of technology?

• Future of reimbursement for GME?• Impact of student loan debt on career choice and length of training• Pathology is ever-changing and expanding and more tailored

approaches to training are called for

Proposed Changes in Residency Training

APC Park City Report on Combined AP/CP Residency Training (Oct 1988)• 3 years combined AP/CP training to include overlap

areas (molecular pathology, computer science, management)

• 2 years of additional training which could include:– General AP and/or CP– A subspecialty of pathology– Research– A clinical year (IM, Peds, etc)

• AP/CP ABPath certification after 5 years of training• Up to 1 year of subspecialty training during the 5 years

could count towards certification in that subspecialty• AP- and CP-only training would still be offered

Wells A, Smith BRClin Lab Med 2007;27:229-240

• More and more community practices are getting larger where specialty-based practice can more easily occur

• Many (most?) residents choose AP/CP training because most will go into community practice (where <20% of their time will be spent on LM/CP issues)

• Full global skills in LM not required and targeted expertise in 1 or 2 areas of CP could be obtained

Wells A, Smith BR. The goals of resident training in laboratory medicine in combined anatomicpathology/clinical pathology programs: an overview. Clin Lab Med 2007;27:229-240

Core AP/LM(CP) Training

AP-Only TrackLM(CP)-Only Track

Fellowship(1-2 years)Fellowship

(1-2 years)

Rethinking Pathology Residency Training(Domen RE, Baccon J. Hum Pathol 2014;45:1125-1129)

12 months of AP and CP rotations or other clinical rotations tailored to resident’s career plans

24 months

Cytopathology BB/TMDermatopathology Chemical PathologyForensic Pathology HematologyHematology Medical MicrobiologyMedical Microbiology Molecular Genetic PathMolecular Genetic Pathology HLANeuropathology Selective PathologyPediatric Pathology Clinical InformaticsSurgical Pathology ResearchSelective PathologyClinical InformaticsResearch

Barriers Against Change• Impact on residency training programs?• Impact on patient care/pathology work-flow in hospital?• Significant changes in current ABPath and RRC policies (and

Milestones)?• Affect on billing, hospital contracts, CLIA regulations, etc?• Impact on community practice; small groups vs large(r) groups?• Job market concerns in general? Academic vs private/community

practice?• Would pathology become too fragmented and lose

control/distinctness as a specialty?• Planning the future - change is usually not sought out or embraced

until pressures or incentives force it to happen (run the risk of being “too little, too late”)

Additional Recommendations• All trainees would be expected to be competent in

overlapping areas: laboratory management and administration, basic informatics, clinical consultation, regulatory and accreditation, molecular pathology, quality improvement, professionalism, interpersonal and communication skills, problem-solving/critical thinking skills, etc

• Formation of a task force with representatives from key groups – ABPath, CAP, APC, PRODS, ASCP, ACGME/RRC, community pathologists, etc – to formulate a White Paper with a binding plan for recommendations and implementation

References• Domen RE, Baccon J. Pathology residency training: time for a new paradigm. Hum Pathol

2014;45:1125-1129• Wells A, Smith BR. The goals of resident training in laboratory medicine in combined anatomic

pathology/clinical pathology programs: an overview. Clin Lab Med 2007;27:229-240• Talbert ML, Ashwood ER, Brownlee NA, et al. Resident preparation for practice: a white paper

from the College of American Pathologists and Association of Pathology Chairs. Arch Pathol Lab Med 2009;133:1139-1147

• Peery TM. Horizons in pathology. JAMA 1959;171:2065-2068• Weinstein RS (chair), et al. Park City Report on Combined AP/CP Residency Training. October 1,

1988• Townsend JF, Van Peenen HJ, Senhauser DA, Lucas FV. The education of physicians for specialties

in laboratory medicine. J Med Educ 1971;46:456-460• Horowitz RE. Expectations and essentials for the community practice of pathology. Hum Pathol

2006;37:969-973• Horowitz RE. The successful community hospital pathologist – what it takes. Hum Pathol

1998;29:211-214• Kass ME, Crawford JM, Bennett B, et al. Adequacy of pathology resident training for employment:

a survey report from the Future of Pathology Task Group. Arch Pathol Lab Med 2007;131:545-555

References• Otis CN. Residency training in anatomic pathology: looking forward in the 21st century. Hum Pathol

2006;37:929-931• Lagwinski N, Hunt JL. Fellowship trends of pathology residents. Arch Pathol Lab Med

2009;133:1431-1436• Gorstein F, Weinstein RS. Rethinking pathology residency training and education. Hum Pathol

2001;32:1-3• Frank K, Wagner J. ASCP Fellowship & Job Market Surveys: A Report on the 2014 RISE, FISE, FISHE,

NPISE, PISE, and TMISE Surveys. www.ascp.org • Editorial. Clinical pathology and modern medicine. JAMA 1932;99:1430-1431• Magath TB. The importance of clinical pathology to modern medicine. Science 1932;76(1972):333-

336• Chemistry and its relation to medicine. The Lancet 1890;135(3466):260• Dreschfield J. The relations of pathology and its study. Br Med J 1886;2(1337):323-326• Approved examining boards in medical specialties: American Board of Pathology. JAMA

1940;9(115):737-738• Post MD, Johnson K, Brissette MD, Conran RM Domen RE, et al. Employer expectations for newly

trained pathologists: report of a survey from the Graduate Medical Education Committee of the College of American Pathologists. (manuscript submitted for publication)

References• Wells A, Smith BR. The challenge of training pathologists in the 21st century. Hum

Pathol 2006;37:932-933• Sanford AH. The role of the clinical pathologist. JAMA 1930;95(20):1465-1467• Alter NM. The functions of the full time pathologist in hospitals. JAMA

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