 Resident
Manual
Residency Curriculum in Laboratory Management
Goals and Objectives
In order to not only compete, but to thrive in the current healthcare environment, all
pathologists need to acquire a working knowledge of the history of health care delivery
models in the US, methods of reimbursement for technical and professional activities, the
possible professional relationships of pathologists to hospitals, clinics, and physician
groups, the basic principles of accounting, and essentials of laboratory management. Over
the past 15 years, we have found that no single method has been effective in teaching
these diverse skills and we have repeatedly revised the management rotation to respond to
changing needs.
Description and Duration of the Experience
Four principal components define the core of the education in laboratory management for
residents in Pathology: 1) a series of 11 seminars presented at monthly intervals, 2) the
CAP virtual management college monthly teleconferences, 3) a month-long core rotation in
laboratory management, and 4) active participation annually in a college or health care
system committee.
The 11 seminars are presented by faculty members and administrators in the Division of
Laboratory Medicine and elsewhere within the Hershey Medical Center. The titles have been
selected following discussions by senior faculty and managers and include needs identified
in a survey of graduates of the program conducted in 1998. The seminars are designed to
provide an introduction to terms and concepts in not only laboratory administration, but
health care delivery and financing in general. The seminars are provided for the education
of attending staff as well as residents, and the series is updated and repeated in
alternate years.
The CAP virtual management college teleconferences is a novel approach to introducing
residents to a variety of issues using audio conferencing. The presentations are made by
national faculty experts. At the conclusion of each session, there is an opportunity for
questions from the residents or other participants at each site.
The month-long core rotation in laboratory management is intended to permit a senior
level resident to participate intensively in laboratory management as practiced at the
Hershey Medical Center. The resident is expected to attend many of the conferences and
discussions as directed by the laboratory manager. In addition, prior to
initiating the rotation, the resident working with members of the Laboratory
Administration Committee, selects a project which might be focused in Anatomic or Clinical
Pathology or which might bridge these sections. A written report is expected from the
resident at the completion of the rotation (or completion of the project, if longer than
one month) which describes the project, the method of data collection and analysis, and
assessment or recommendations. One of the faculty members on the Laboratory Administration
Committee serves as the advisor for the project, and provides an evaluation of the
resident’s performance on this rotation.
Every resident is appointed annually to a committee within the department, the college
of medicine or the health system. The committee appointments carry the same expectations
for attendance and participation as for any other full member of the committee.
Evaluation
The residents serve on each committee with another faculty level representative from
the department of Pathology who serves as advisor and provides a brief written evaluation
at the end of each academic year.
A self assessment test prepared by the College of American Pathologists is available
for the residents upon completion of the month long rotation in laboratory management.
One of the faculty members on the Laboratory Administration Committee serves as the
advisor to the resident during their lab management rotations and for their project, and
in conjunction with the Laboratory Manager provides an evaluation of the resident’s
performance on this rotation.
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