Pathology Medical Student Fellowship
Each year, the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine offers a one-year fellowship position for Larner College of Medicine medical students who have completed some or all of their clinical core rotations. Successful completion of the Pathology Student Fellowship, which includes intern-level clinical duties intermixed with Graduate College course work, will culminate in the awarding of a Master's degree in Pathology from the University of Vermont Graduate College. At the conclusion of the Fellowship, the student will rejoin the Larner College of Medicine to complete the remainder of their clinical rotations.
Program Objectives
- Enhance the student's knowledge of pathology as a basic science and as a field of medical practice.
- Educate students in the appropriate use of laboratory information in clinical problem solving.
- Design a program that will take into consideration the unique needs and interests of each student.
- Introduce students to the principles of basic and applied research.
Who is the Program for?
The Pathology Student Fellowship is an excellent opportunity for students looking to enhance their knowledge of applied pathophysiology and laboratory medicine, to get involved in research, and to strengthen their CV for residency applications, regardless of specialty interest. Students chose to participate for many reasons; some are curious about Pathology, but unsure if it’s the right choice for them. Others plan on applying into Pathology, but hope to strengthen their application and make the transition to residency smoother. The majority of student fellows, however, do not end up pursuing a career in Pathology at all. For the latter, this year is an incredible opportunity, and here are a few examples of why:
• Surgery: Understand what happens when you send a specimen to pathology, or what exactly happens during an intraoperative frozen section. Gain confidence in interpretation of pathology reports, which you will ultimately explain to your patients as a surgeon! Fully understand what happens when a patient needs a blood transfusion. Develop a familiarity with anatomy through autopsy.
• Medicine: Gain knowledge of what impacts the results of the laboratory studies you order from CBCs to blood cultures, and what impacts the timeline of the tests that you order. Get to know your pathologists, who can act as guides in what laboratory tests to order and how to interpret the results. Gain experience in autopsies, a process which you may find yourself explaining to family members in obtaining consents. Gain confidence in blood products and understand what goes on behind the scenes when you order a type and screen or cross match!
• Hematology/Oncology: Learn how various cancers are staged and what goes into reading bone marrow biopsies for leukemia patients. Fully understand what happens when a patient needs a blood transfusion. Spend time in the genomics department and understand the genetic testing and karyotyping performed on tumors to identify appropriate therapies. Gain exposure to the histopathology of tumors in surgical pathology, and gain confidence in understanding the pathology reports, or discussions at tumor boards.
• Obstetrics and Gynecology: Understand what happens when you send a specimen to pathology, or what exactly happens during an intraoperative frozen section. Learn how a fetal screen and Kleihauer-Betke are performed to determine how much Rh immune globulin to administer. Learn about placental pathology and participate in a fetal autopsy.
In summary, the Pathology Student Fellowship is an excellent experience, regardless of whether or not you plan to go into Pathology and Laboratory Medicine in the future. In the nearly 70 years that the Fellowship has been operating, approximately 1/3 head into Pathology and 2/3 head into other specialties.
Program Expectations
Students are fully integrated into the activities of the Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Department with the expectation that they will:
- Assume full responsibility for patient cases and perform duties comparable to that of a first-year pathology resident.
- Enroll in select courses through the UVM Graduate College, which must be completed for the Master's degree program.
- Present a formal presentation at Pathology Grand Rounds, typically based on research that they have worked on over the past year.
- Participate in the Resident In-Service Exam in the spring.
Required Rotations for the Pathology Student Fellowship
While on these rotations, emphasis is placed on basic principles of disease and their application to clinical practice. Each block is 4-weeks long, totaling 13 blocks in the academic year.
- 3 blocks of surgical pathology
- 2 blocks of autopsy service
- 1 block of transfusion medicine
- 1 block of genomics/cytogenetics
- The remaining 6 blocks can consist of:
- Elective rotations on other anatomic or clinical pathology services.
- Cytopathology, Dermatopathology, Hematopathology, Clinical Chemistry, Medical Microbiology, and others.
- While engaged in these rotations Student Fellows will learn about the specialized ancillary testing techniques used in diagnosis, including flow cytometry, immunohistochemical staining, and FISH.
- Devote some of their time to basic research under the supervision of a faculty member.
Core Course Requirements for the Master's Degree in Pathology
PATH 6300 Pathology Rotations (required rotations noted above): 23 credit hours
PATH 6000 Biomedical Research Design: 1 credit hour
PATH 6080 Pathology Journal Club: 1 credit hour
PATH 6090 Pathology Grand Rounds: 1 credit hour
PATH 6100 Clinical Genomics and Cytogenetics (required molecular/cytogenetics rotation noted above): 2 credit hours
NSCI 6270 Responsible Conduct in Biomedical Research: 1 credit hour
Students will receive 7 transfer credits from Foundations courses (required grade minimums):
- 3 credits (BIOC 6001): 80% or higher in NMGI
- 4 credits (CLBI 6010 and PATH 6070) 80% or higher in FoCS or 80% or higher combined average in MedNeuro, Connections, CRR, and HDRH
Stipend
The Student Fellows receive a stipend and have student loans deferred during the Fellowship year.
For more information and to Apply
Contact the Director of the Pathology Student Fellowship, Dr. Joanna Conant. Informational session occurs in September; date, time, and location will be shared via the Weekly Wire. Application includes submission of CV and personal statement to the Pathology Student Fellowship Director and is due in early October. Interviews are conducted in early November with the decisions by the end of the month. Program begins July the following year.