Attitudes and Beliefs of Pathology Residents Regarding the Subspecialty of Clinical Chemistry: Results of a Survey

Abstract

Context.—Previous studies suggest that training in pathology residency programs does not adequately prepare pathology residents to become competent in clinical chemistry. Objectives.—To define the beliefs of pathology residents in the United States regarding their preparation for practicing clinical chemistry in their career, their attitude toward the discipline, and the attractiveness of clinical chemistry as a career. Design.—The residents of all pathology residency programs in the United States were given the opportunity to participate in an online survey. Results.—Three hundred thirty-six pathology residents responded to the survey. Analysis of the survey results indicates that pathology residents are more likely to believe that their income may be lower if they select a career that has a clinical chemistry focus and that their faculty do not value clinical chemistry as much as the anatomic pathology part of the residency. Residents also report that clinical chemistry is not as enjoyable as anatomic pathology rotations during residency or preferable as a sole career path. A large proportion of residents also believe that they will be slightly prepared or not prepared to practice clinical chemistry by the end of their residency and that they do not have enough background and/or time to learn clinical chemistry during their residency programs to be able to practice this specialty effectively post graduation. Conclusions.—Our survey results suggest that many pathology residents do not have a positive attitude toward clinical chemistry and do not experience a supportive learning environment with an expectation that they will become competent in clinical chemistry with a residency alone.