Length: Two 2-month rotations
This rotation offers graduated levels of training beginning with basic hematology. The first hematopathology rotation is spent primarily on the University Hospital service located at TriCore Reference Laboratories. The resident evaluates blood smears, body fluids and selected cerebrospinal fluids; reports are generated for faculty review. For in-house bone marrow specimens, the resident correlates the clinical history and laboratory findings with the morphology, performs the BM differential counts, expedites specialized testing, and helps in the interpretation of immunohistochemical and flow cytometry studies. The resident generates a draft of all bone marrow, blood, and tissue cases. The hematopathology residents review all University Hospital specimens submitted to the Hematopathology service for consultation. These cases commonly consist of fine needle aspirations or biopsies of lymph nodes and soft tissues. As the residents become familiar with the material and interpretation of the flow cytometry data and immunohistochemical stains, the resident begins to take responsibility for these cases. While there is direct supervision by faculty, there is additional interaction with hematopathology fellows working alongside the resident.
Throughout the rotation, special emphasis is placed on the integration of the results of karyotyping, FISH (fluorescence in situ hybridization), and other molecular diagnostic tests into the hematopathology report. The resident is expected to attend all of the hematopathology case conferences, journal clubs, and educational conferences taking place while on the rotation. The residents are encouraged to present cases at the monthly Citywide conference. During a second rotation through hematopathology the resident typically spends more time on the consult service and is given increased responsibility for working up and managing cases. The residents are evaluated twice during the rotation, a mid-rotation evaluation and an end-of-rotation evaluation. Many residents elect to spend additional time on hematopathology later in their residency.
