What you will do:

This is an outpatient experience under the supervision of a pathologist who is board-certified in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology and is based in the New York City area. The pathologist is an active member of multiple professional societies, including the American Society of Clinical Oncology and the College of American Pathologists. The preceptor is a passionate educator with considerable experience educating and mentoring international medical students and graduates.

This will be a very interactive rotation during which you will be involved in a range of activities. Your mornings will be spent with pathology technicians receiving and processing tissue specimens for analysis. An understanding of tissue processing is essential to your future practice of pathology, and your morning activities will introduce you to the steps that are taken before slides are read. You will appreciate the effort and technique required for proper processing, and learn how mistakes in this process can be disastrous. You will also have the opportunity to observe how technicians perform gross examinations (macroscopic examination) and the importance and role of these examinations in the diagnostic process.

In the afternoon, you will review the prepared slides with the attending physician. You will have the opportunity to learn about the patient's clinical presentation, and how to interpret the microscopic findings in the context of the presentation. Differential diagnoses will be discussed, and reading assignments will be given based on cases seen that day.

You will have the opportunity to deliver a topic presentation during the last week of your rotation.

Please note that during peak periods (summer months) that this preceptor may have as many as 10 students at a time. However, the preceptor is a gifted educator who has developed processes to ensure the development of strong relationships with all rotating students.