Creating Pathologists From a Post-Sophomore Pathology Fellowship: 21 Years and 126 Fellows at an Academic Pathology Department

Abstract

Medical student exposure to pathology is a continued concern for departments across the country as traditional pathology content is trimmed from medical school curricula. In a longstanding effort to recruit and expose more medical students to the practice of pathology, our institution has supported a year-long post-sophomore fellowship in pathology since the 1930s. The program employs 6 full-time medical students per year to function as junior residents, taking an active role in delivering surgical pathology and autopsy services, with additional opportunities for teaching, research, and electives. We evaluated residency specialty choices and current practice locations for our department’s former post-sophomore fellows (PSFs) who participated in the program from 1995 to 2016. We surveyed them about their reasons for pursuing the post-sophomore fellowship and the program’s effect on their clinical practice. From 1995 to 2016, our department employed 126 PSFs, 54 (43%) of whom pursued careers in pathology after completion of the post-sophomore fellowship. This represented 63% of our medical school’s graduates who matched into pathology during this time frame (1997-2018; 86 total). Thirteen former PSFs (32.5%) have held academic faculty positions in pathology. PSFs who chose another specialty affirmed the positive influence of the fellowship on their current practice. Our post-sophomore fellowship program is exceptional in the number of students participating each year, and our institution shows a higher percentage of former PSFs pursuing careers in pathology compared to similar studies. The post-sophomore fellowship is an effective tool for recruiting medical students to a career in pathology.