There is some overlap with immunology and hematopathology. Some immunological diseases show up on a peripheral smear and flow cytometry such as Wiscott-Aldrich syndrome, autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome (ALPS), etc. An elective in clinical pathology is suggested for those interested in immunology and who would like to get experience on how to consult with a pathologist to help with diagnosing immunological diseases. 

Did you know, McGovern Medical School anesthesia residents actually spend one month with us in their intern year? The residents will rotate through two weeks of hemotherapy where they will learn management techniques and options for intra-operative bleeding, one week of transfusion medicine where they will learn proper indications for blood product(s) transfusion(s), and one week of coagulation where they learn how to read thromboelastographs (TEGs) and other miscellaneous lab tests. This may not be offered at your anesthesia residency, so take advantage of an elective in clinical pathology if you have time! 

Dermatologists can work extensively with pathologists or they can read their own biopsy slides if they also do a one-year fellowship in dermatopathology. Dermatology residents spent a significant amount of time at the scope, regardless if they’re going to be dermatopathologists later or not. An elective in anatomic pathology is highly recommended for aspiring dermatologists/dermatopathologists, so come get a head start! 

You may benefit from rotating through hemotherapy where you can learn management techniques and options for intra-operative bleeding, transfusion medicine where you can learn proper indications for blood product transfusion(s), and coagulation where they learn how to approach a bleeding patient and order appropriate testing. An elective in clinical pathology can give you this valuable exposure.

You may do Pap smears or skin punch biopsies as a family medicine physician, so we can help you understand the language in which they are reported. A big part of pathology is understanding our workflow, how long things take to process, and when it is an appropriate time to set up a follow-up appointment to discuss the results of a biopsy or excision. In addition, a week or two in hematopathology and coagulation will get you familiar with learning the indications for ordering certain laboratory tests, learning how to interpret the lab findings, and proceeding with the next steps. An elective in either anatomic or clinical pathology is highly recommended for aspiring family medicine physicians! 

You may do Pap smears or skin punch biopsies as an internal medicine physician, so we can help you understand the language of which they are reported. A big part of pathology is understanding our workflow, how long things take to process, and when it is an appropriate time to set up a follow-up appointment to discuss the results of a biopsy or excision. In addition, a week or two in hematopathology and coagulation will get you familiar with learning the indications for ordering certain laboratory tests, learning how to interpret the lab findings, and proceeding with the next steps. An elective in either anatomic or clinical pathology is highly recommended for aspiring internal medicine physicians! 

There are some neurological conditions that will require you to consult apheresis/transfusion medicine such as NMDA encephalitis, Guillain Barre, etc. That’s us! We can help with therapeutic apheresis including plasma exchange, red blood cell exchange, photopheresis, etc. If you want to learn more about these treatment options, an elective in clinical pathology is recommended. On the other hand, an elective in anatomic pathology can provide exposure to neuropathology, which will allow to you learn about pathology impacting the central nervous system and help you in your future career.  

You will perform Pap smears, biopsies, and excisions of masses on your patients so it is important to know how those lesions are worked up and reported. Even placenta pathology is a valuable specimen for you to see! A big part of pathology is understanding our workflow, how long things take to process, and when it is an appropriate time to set up a follow-up appointment to discuss the results of a biopsy or excision. An elective in anatomic pathology is highly recommended for those considering Ob-Gyn.  

There may be times that you will have to get biopsies or excisions of masses (amyloidosis, pterygium, marginal zone lymphoma, etc) on your patients so it may be nice to see how those lesions are worked up and reported. A big part of pathology is understanding our workflow, how long things take to process, and when it is an appropriate time to set up a follow-up appointment to discuss the results of a biopsy or excision. An elective in anatomic pathology is recommended.

If you are considering a career in pathology or are still undecided and want to learn more about the possibilities in pathology, doing electives in anatomic and clinical pathology is recommended! For third year residents we also offer a 3 week elective which covers both anatomic and clinical pathology.

Are you set on pathology as a career (excellent choice!)? Then we recommend that you enroll in our fourth year APC course to get more in-depth exposure to pathology! We can’t wait to work with you!

You will order laboratory tests and may order or do a biopsy, so we can help you understand the language in which they are reported. A big part of pathology is understanding our workflow, how long things take to process, and when it is an appropriate time to set up a follow-up appointment to discuss the results of a biopsy or excision. In addition, a week or two in hematopathology and coagulation will get you familiar with learning the indications for ordering certain laboratory tests, learning how to interpret the lab findings, and proceeding with the next steps. In addition, there may be some conditions that will require you to consult apheresis/transfusion medicine such as NMDA encephalitis, Guillain Barre, etc. That’s us! We can help with therapeutic apheresis including plasma exchange, red blood cell exchange, photopheresis, etc. An elective in clinical or anatomic pathology is highly recommended for aspiring pediatricians! 

Interventional radiology works extensively with many different subspecialties of pathology including cytology, hematopathology, and surgical pathology.  Our job relies heavily on the ability of the interventional radiologist to take an adequate set of samples/biopsies for diagnosis and ancillary studies. Come join us on a rapid on site evaluations (ROSE) and see how we interact with one another. An elective in anatomic pathology is a MUST for aspiring interventional radiologists! Still not convinced? Take this quiz

You will interact with pathology at tumor boards and use pathology reports in your treatment of patients, so it is important for you to understand the way we report pathologic findings. An elective in anatomic pathology is recommended for you! 

Surgeons work extensively with pathologists and an elective in anatomic pathology is a MUST if you’re planning on going into any surgical subspecialty! Still not convinced? Take this quiz 

Urologists work extensively with pathologists so an elective in anatomic pathology is a MUST if you’re planning on going into urology! A big part of pathology is understanding our workflow, how long things take to process, and when it is an appropriate time to set up a follow-up appointment to discuss the results of a biopsy or excision.