McCloskey Cindy B, Johnson Kristen, Brissette Mark, Conran Richard, Childs John, George Melissa, Gratzinger Dita, Prieto Victor G, Rojiani Amyn M, Shyu Irene, Timmons Charles, Hoffman Robert
Department of Pathology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, USA.
College of American Pathologists, Northfield, IL, USA.
Acad Pathol. 2020 Sep 14;7:2374289520951924. doi: 10.1177/2374289520951924. eCollection 2020 Jan-Dec.
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.
在匹配病理学住院医师职位的美国医学生数量大幅下降之际，新型冠状病毒肺炎疫情凸显了病理学家在医疗保健系统中的关键作用。为了解这种下降情况，对美国四年制的全科医学四年级学生进行了一项全国性调查，以评估他们对病理学的经历、知识和态度，以及影响专业选择的因素。参加单独的病理学课程并不会增加选择病理学的可能性。与选择病理学显著相关的经历包括在医学院最后两年的病理学临床或研究机会、尸检观察/参与以及参加病理学兴趣小组。许多受访者认为他们对病理学的接触不够充分，无法将其视为一个专业。与选择病理学的人相比，那些考虑过病理学但未选择它的人不太可能报告了解病理学家的工作，也不太可能被病理学教员招募，并且更倾向于与患者有更直接的接触。总体而言，受访者一致认为病理学具有良好的工作与生活平衡以及令人满意的智力挑战程度。另一方面，受访者普遍认为社交媒体上的信息以及对病理学就业市场的看法似乎并不乐观，很少有人认为病理学是一个备受推崇的专业。我们确定了应对这些问题的步骤，并增加选择病理学作为专业的美国医学生数量，这对医学和公共卫生的未来至关重要。
