Human Pathology (2015) 46, 1408–1409
www.elsevier.com/locate/humpath
Correspondence Inspiring medical students to love pathology To the Editor: In 2010 and 2011, respectively, we read with interest 2 excellent articles: “If not, why not? Reasons why postgraduate trainees chose—or did not choose—to become pathologists” by Ford [1] and “Residency choices by graduating medical students: why not pathology?” by Hung et al [2]. First, Ford [1] found that the second most frequently given reason by clinical residents for not choosing a pathology career was insufficient contact with pathologists, and the study by Hung et al [2] found that medical students often viewed pathology as “clinically invisible.” These 2 groups also refer to the shortage of medical pathologists in Canada, the United States, the UK, and Australia and the need to actively recruit more medical students into pathology. Second, we found another group describing “little attention given to appropriate medical student education in the area of laboratory medicine” despite doctors' decreasing ability to appropriately order and interpret medical investigations [3], with a trend of teaching pathology subjects by nonpathologists [3]. In 2010, in response to such issues, we designed and implemented an 8-week elective course for final-year medical students, which focuses on inspiring students to consider a career in pathology and at the same time teach them about the appropriate use of diagnostic investigations in pathology. Coursework includes (i) complex case studies with investigations for interpretation, discussion and reporting; (ii) rotations through laboratories; (iii) close mentoring by pathologists; (iii) interactive lectures by specialist clinicians on “how I use investigations in my discipline”; and (iv) group work on a multiheaded microscope. Now in its 6th year, the elective has consistently gained excellent feedback from students using scaled evaluation instruments. Recent student comments included “definitely worthwhile if you want to be a thinking doctor” and “made me think about pathology as my future career.” Student comments on the best features of the course included “knowledge into lab investigations and which ones to order” and “opportunity to visit and experience labs and how things are handled behind the scenes.”
0046-8177/© 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
To date, 7 of our elective students have attempted the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia Pathological Sciences examination, and all have been successful. Only 2 cohorts have completed prevocational training thus far, but already 4 of 24 of the junior graduate doctors who completed this elective in 2010 and 2011 have applied for and accepted accredited specialist training positions in Pathology in New South Wales. In addition, a recent survey conducted by the New South Wales Health Education and Training Institute of 391 junior medical officers in New South Wales found that 1.2% of that cohort intended to pursue pathology as a specialty, and all of those candidates were The University of New South Wales graduates [4]. Our experience suggests that focused exposure of medical students to pathology teaching has a positive impact on choice of pathology as a career.
Simone L. Van, Es MBBS, Grad Dip Med, FRCPA, Cert FPA Tanya Grassi, MBBS(Hons), BSc(Vet)(Hons) Gary M. Velan, MBBS, DipHEd, PhD Rakesh K. Kumar, MBBS, PhD, MD, FRCPA(Hon), FFSc(RCPA) Department of Pathology, School of Medical Sciences The University of New South Wales Sydney NSW 2052, Australia E-mail: [email protected] Wendy Pryor, MBBS, PhD, FRCPA Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia Surry Hills 2010, Australia
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.humpath.2015.04.016
References [1] Ford JC. If not, why not? Reasons why Canadian postgraduate trainees chose—or did not choose—to become pathologists. HUM PATHOL 2010; 41:566-73. [2] Hung T, Jarvis-Selinger S, Ford JC. Residency choices by graduating medical students: why not pathology? HUM PATHOL 2011;42:802-7. [3] Smith BR, Aguero-Rosenfeld M, Anastasi J, et al. Educating medical students in laboratory medicine: a proposed curriculum. Am J Clin Pathol 2010;133:533-42. [4] Webb N, Llewellyn A, Crampton R, Nair K. The May 2014 JMO Census. Gladesville, NSW: Health Education and Training Institute; 2014.
www.elsevier.com/locate/humpath
Correspondence Inspiring medical students to love pathology To the Editor: In 2010 and 2011, respectively, we read with interest 2 excellent articles: “If not, why not? Reasons why postgraduate trainees chose—or did not choose—to become pathologists” by Ford [1] and “Residency choices by graduating medical students: why not pathology?” by Hung et al [2]. First, Ford [1] found that the second most frequently given reason by clinical residents for not choosing a pathology career was insufficient contact with pathologists, and the study by Hung et al [2] found that medical students often viewed pathology as “clinically invisible.” These 2 groups also refer to the shortage of medical pathologists in Canada, the United States, the UK, and Australia and the need to actively recruit more medical students into pathology. Second, we found another group describing “little attention given to appropriate medical student education in the area of laboratory medicine” despite doctors' decreasing ability to appropriately order and interpret medical investigations [3], with a trend of teaching pathology subjects by nonpathologists [3]. In 2010, in response to such issues, we designed and implemented an 8-week elective course for final-year medical students, which focuses on inspiring students to consider a career in pathology and at the same time teach them about the appropriate use of diagnostic investigations in pathology. Coursework includes (i) complex case studies with investigations for interpretation, discussion and reporting; (ii) rotations through laboratories; (iii) close mentoring by pathologists; (iii) interactive lectures by specialist clinicians on “how I use investigations in my discipline”; and (iv) group work on a multiheaded microscope. Now in its 6th year, the elective has consistently gained excellent feedback from students using scaled evaluation instruments. Recent student comments included “definitely worthwhile if you want to be a thinking doctor” and “made me think about pathology as my future career.” Student comments on the best features of the course included “knowledge into lab investigations and which ones to order” and “opportunity to visit and experience labs and how things are handled behind the scenes.”
0046-8177/© 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
To date, 7 of our elective students have attempted the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia Pathological Sciences examination, and all have been successful. Only 2 cohorts have completed prevocational training thus far, but already 4 of 24 of the junior graduate doctors who completed this elective in 2010 and 2011 have applied for and accepted accredited specialist training positions in Pathology in New South Wales. In addition, a recent survey conducted by the New South Wales Health Education and Training Institute of 391 junior medical officers in New South Wales found that 1.2% of that cohort intended to pursue pathology as a specialty, and all of those candidates were The University of New South Wales graduates [4]. Our experience suggests that focused exposure of medical students to pathology teaching has a positive impact on choice of pathology as a career.
Simone L. Van, Es MBBS, Grad Dip Med, FRCPA, Cert FPA Tanya Grassi, MBBS(Hons), BSc(Vet)(Hons) Gary M. Velan, MBBS, DipHEd, PhD Rakesh K. Kumar, MBBS, PhD, MD, FRCPA(Hon), FFSc(RCPA) Department of Pathology, School of Medical Sciences The University of New South Wales Sydney NSW 2052, Australia E-mail: [email protected] Wendy Pryor, MBBS, PhD, FRCPA Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia Surry Hills 2010, Australia
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.humpath.2015.04.016
References [1] Ford JC. If not, why not? Reasons why Canadian postgraduate trainees chose—or did not choose—to become pathologists. HUM PATHOL 2010; 41:566-73. [2] Hung T, Jarvis-Selinger S, Ford JC. Residency choices by graduating medical students: why not pathology? HUM PATHOL 2011;42:802-7. [3] Smith BR, Aguero-Rosenfeld M, Anastasi J, et al. Educating medical students in laboratory medicine: a proposed curriculum. Am J Clin Pathol 2010;133:533-42. [4] Webb N, Llewellyn A, Crampton R, Nair K. The May 2014 JMO Census. Gladesville, NSW: Health Education and Training Institute; 2014.
