• School of Medicine ›

Program Goals and Objectives

 

Patient Care:

• Provide reliable, accurate, and timely pathologic diagnostic services
• Provide appropriate and effective pathology consultation services
• Acquire procedural and cognitive skills necessary to perform these functions, as outlined in descriptions of specific rotations
• In direct encounters with patients, families, or donors: 
  
• Behave with compassion and respect for patient autonomy and privacy 
• Perform interviews and physical examinations, as needed 
• Obtain informed consent, as needed 
• Document encounter in medical record per hospital policies and procedure: 

 

 

 

Medical Knowledge:

• Acquire knowledge of established and evolving biomedical, clinical, epidemiological, and social-behavioral sciences 
• Apply this knowledge to patient care 
• Provide expertise in Interpretation of laboratory data as a part of patient-care decision-making and patient-care consultation  
• Participate in pathology conferences, rounds, teaching and scholarly activity  
• Gain experience in the management and direction of a pathology laboratory:  education in quality assurance, safety, and regulations  
• Use hospital and laboratory information systems  
• Integrate published medical knowledge and clinical experience  
• Use information technology  
• Use evidence to support clinical decisions 
• Use practice guidelines established by professional societies

Practice-Based Learning and Improvement:

• Engage in reflection and self-assessment to identify strengths, weaknesses, and knowledge deficits 
• Incorporate feedback from others into practice 
• Set learning and improvement goals 
• Take appropriate steps to achieve goals 
• Develop the habit of life-long learning 
• Use information technology to optimize learning 
• Assess the quality of medical literature 
• Practice evidence-based medicine 
• Participate in quality improvement activities to improve practice outcomes 
• Participate in education of patients, families, students, residents, and other health professionals

Interpersonal and Communication Skills:

• Write clear, concise, and accurate pathology reports that demonstrate an understanding of the needs of clinicians and patients 
• Provide expert consultation in pathology to other health care professionals, officers of the court, and policy and government agencies 
• Use effective verbal and non-verbal communication skills in interactions with others 
• Work effectively as a member, and eventually a leader, of a health care team or other professional group  

Professionalism:

• Place the needs of the patient first 
• Respect patient privacy and autonomy 
• Maintain civil and respectful relationships with others 
• Behave with honesty and integrity and adhere to ethical principles 
• Demonstrate a commitment to carrying out professional responsibilities:  be punctual, be available, be dependable, accept responsibility, accept feedback on performance, acknowledge errors, work to improve, and finish work in a timely fashion 
• Complete evaluations of rotations and faculty providing effective and constructive feedback  
• Behave with sensitivity, compassion, and empathy toward a diverse patient population and co-workers 
• Strive to be a role model of professionalism  

Systems-Based Practice:

• Understand the role of the pathologist and laboratory-based medicine in the health care system at the local, regional, national, and international level 
• Understand the role of professional societies in setting practice guidelines, education, and advocacy 
• Be an advocate for patients 
  • Use the resources of the system to ensure availability of services 
  • Use expertise to ensure appropriateness of care 
  • Improve quality of care through assessment of self (see PBLI), local practice, and health care system  
  • Perform risk-benefit analysis and cost awareness in making patient-care decisions 
  • Optimize patient safety 
    • Identify system problems and errors 
    • Find and implement solutions 
• Understand the flow of information and money through the health care system 
  • Learn coding systems 
  • Understand reimbursement system