Development of a commercial reference laboratory elective rotation for residents in clinical pathology

Objectives: To develop a curriculum for a commercial reference laboratory clinical pathology training elective. Methods: A 4-day elective at Quest Diagnostics was developed. The elective included 32 sessions composed of interactive didactic sessions and laboratory tours/ demonstrations. Ten residents who attended the elective completed a written evaluation and scored each component of the curriculum. Results: Written comments were very positive and demonstrated the goals of the elective were achieved. Laboratory tours and one-on-one sessions with the medical directors were especially well received. Most of the residents stated that the rotation gave them exposure to an area of laboratory medicine that they were not familiar with. Conclusions: The elective provided a resident training experience that was highly regarded and exposed residents to an area of laboratory medicine not encountered in most pathology training programs. Our curriculum could serve as a model for establishing a similar elective in other training programs.