Surgical Pathology
David Frishberg, MD, vice chair and executive director of Anatomic Pathology, gives a surgical pathology lecture.
The Pathology Department at Cedars-Sinai has a large, subspecialized anatomic pathology faculty, and surgical pathology is organized into subspecialized rotations.
- Bone/soft tissue/head and neck pathology
- Breast pathology
- Cardiovascular pathology
- Frozen section rotation
- Genitourinary pathology
- GI and liver pathology
- Gynecologic pathology
- Pulmonary and mediastinal pathology
The department assesses more than 58,000 surgical specimens, more than 24,000 cytology specimens, and 2,500 fine needle aspirations annually. The goal of the surgical pathology rotations is to train the resident to become a broadly competent surgical pathologist, prepared to move on to a fellowship and the career of their choice.
This training includes the ability to:
- Make accurate and timely diagnoses
- Integrate findings with each patient’s circumstances
- Clearly communicate diagnoses and pertinent information orally and in writing
- Develop life-long learning wherein acquired skills and information are applied widely to diagnostic problem-solving
Success in surgical pathology requires preparation, acceptance of responsibility for one’s cases and education, devotion to duty, focus, excellent time management, and the ability to use organizational and educational resources.
Rotation Structure
July and August of the residency’s first year are comprised of "boot camp," during which:
- Residents learn one-on-one with a chief resident the fundamentals of gross pathology in each of the subspecialty areas (gynecology, cardiac/pulmonary, GU, GI, breast, skin/bone/soft tissue/head and neck)
- Residents attend an orientation lecture series covering gross pathology and the basics of, and approaches to, histology in the different organ systems
- Residents learn hospital and departmental information systems
At Cedars-Sinai, residents rotate in each subspecialty area for one month, with fewer anatomic pathology (AP) rotations for those who are focused on clinical pathology (CP). In general, mornings are devoted to biopsy sign-out and afternoons to alternate grossing and signing out of the grossed specimens. Six physician assistants participate in grossing biopsies and large cases daily, allowing the resident to be responsible only for their subspecialty area. There also is a separate frozen section rotation.
Overall Schedule at Cedars-Sinai
- Residents are expected to read the subspecialty rotation manual prior to starting a rotation, and review it with a subspecialty faculty member on the first rotation day.
- The work day is 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., or longer as needed for optimal patient care and learning within ACGME guidelines.
- There is daily communication with faculty members regarding sign-out times and specific case issues.
General Surgical Pathology Conferences
- Consensus conference, daily (PGY 2 – PGY 4 residents)
- AP didactic conference, every Monday
- Unknown slide conference, every Tuesday
- General Oncology Tumor Board, every Wednesday
- Pathology grand rounds, fourth Friday of each month
Have Questions or Need Help?
If you have questions or would like to learn more about the Anatomic and Clinical Pathology Residency Program at Cedars-Sinai, please call or send a message to Program Coordinator, Chau Nguyen.
Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
8700 Beverly Blvd., Room 8709
Los Angeles, CA 90048-1804