Author/Authors :
McCloskey, Cindy B. Department of Pathology - University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, USA , Johnson, Kristen College of American Pathologists, Northfield, IL, USA , Brissette, Mark The Joint Pathology Center, Silver Spring, MD, USA , Conran, Richard Department of Pathology and Anatomy - Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, VA, USA , Childs, John Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Services - Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, MD, USA , George, Melissa Department of Pathology - Penn State Health Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, PA, USA , Gratzinger, Dita Department of Pathology - Stanford University School of Medicine, CA, USA , Prieto, Victor G. Department of Pathology - The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA , Rojiani, Amyn M. Department of Pathology - Augusta University-Medical College of Georgia, GA, USA , Shyu, Irene Department of Pathology - Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA , Timmons Jr, Charles Department of Pathology - UT Southwestern Medical Center and Children’s Health, Dallas, TX, USA , Hoffman, Robert Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology - Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
Abstract :
The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has highlighted the crucial role of pathologists in the health care system at a time of significant decline in the number of US medical students matching to pathology residency positions. To understand this decline, a national survey of fourth-year US allopathic medical students was conducted to assess experiences, knowledge, and attitudes of pathology and factors that impact specialty choice. Participating in a separate pathology course did not increase the probability of choosing pathology. Experiences significantly associated with choosing pathology included clinical or research opportunities in pathology during the last 2 years of medical school, autopsy observation/participation, and participation in pathology interest groups. Many respondents felt they were not sufficiently exposed to pathology to consider it as a specialty. Those who considered pathology but did not choose it were less likely to report understanding the activities of pathologists and being recruited by pathology faculty and more likely to express a preference for more direct patient contact as compared to those entering pathology. In general, respondents agreed that pathology has a good work–life balance and a satisfying degree of intellectual challenge. On the other hand, respondents generally agreed that information on social media and perception of the pathology job market do not seem to be positive and few agreed that pathology is a highly regarded specialty. We identify steps to address these issues and increase the number of US medical students choosing pathology as a specialty crucial to the future of medicine and public health.
