Evaluations
Evaluations of all residents participating in clinical rotations are completed by faculty members, fellows and selected ancillary staff (pathology assistants). Criteria used for resident performance in anatomic pathology rotations (surgical pathology, cytopathology, autopsy) include: attendance and attitude, general competence and knowledge, communication skills, judgment, ability to work with others, and leadership potential. In laboratory medicine rotations, criteria include: attendance, interest, motivation, knowledge base, quality of presentations, and teaching and interpersonal skills.
These evaluations are sent electronically from the office of the residency coordinator to all faculty members in the appropriate laboratory soon after the conclusion of each rotation (monthly for AP rotations, every 3 months for laboratory medicine rotations). They are returned to the residency coordinator electronically and anonymous hard copies are placed in the individual resident's file. The residency coordinator immediately reviews these, bringing all below-average responses to the attention of the residency director. Then appropriate discussions between individual resident and faculty member produce constructive recommendations for improvement. All evaluations are discussed with the resident every 6 months at regularly scheduled meetings with the REACH, while more senior residents (PGY-3 and above) will meet with the committee once per year. All residents are encouraged to review recent evaluations of their performance at any time between REACH meetings.
Evaluations for rotations completed outside of the department (i.e. dermatopathology, pediatric pathology, forensic pathology) are solicited from pertinent faculty members in a similar manner and are always available for review by individual residents.
Resident evaluations are generally communicated to individuals every 6 months. When appropriate (below-average evaluations), immediate communication with residents occurs in order to provide constructive suggestions for improvement. Recent evaluations are generally available for review by individual residents in the office of the residency coordinator. Individual files for each resident in the training program, containing all evaluations and pertinent information, are secured in the residency coordinator's office, where the resident, program director and authorized others may review them.
A final written evaluation by the program director for all residents completing their residency training specifically addresses both the resident's performance in the final months of training and ability to "practice competently and independently" thereafter.
