Clinical Pathology Residency

Combined PhD Program with Clinical Pathology Residency

ACVP Externship

There is a continuing need for well-trained veterinary pathologists for positions in government, academic, and private sectors. To help fill this need, the American College of Veterinary Pathologists has established a Scholarship Program designed to support externship experiences for veterinary students interested in learning more about activities of veterinary anatomic and clinical pathologists. Learn more about the Clinical Pathology Externship at CSU.

Program Highlights

• Preparation for ACVP Board Qualification
• Elective opportunities for areas of special interest to trainee
• Develop skills in Research, Teaching and Diagnostics
• Clinical Service rotations at the Clinical Pathology Laboratory located within the Diagnostic Medicine Center

Resident Life

Residents are expected to spend the majority of their time at the Clinical Pathology Laboratory during weeks when they are on duty. Exceptions include attendance of scheduled classes or seminars, with the permission of the faculty person on duty, and research-related responsibilities that cannot be rescheduled.

Average daily case exposure includes;

• approximately 25 cytology cases (tissue aspirate, tissue imprint, and fluid analyses)
• approximately 50 hematology cases (of which 10-20% may have hematologic abnormalities requiring pathologist review)
• about 50 chemistry panels

Cytology and hemopathology reports are written in conjunction with the faculty clinical pathologist on duty.

Multiple Learning Opportunities

Depending on individual trainees' interests, opportunities exist to;

• acquire skills in operating automated laboratory equipment
• learn special analytical and quality control procedures
• use special teaching funds for more intensive laboratory evaluation of clinical cases

Interesting or controversial case materials are reviewed with the entire group of clinical pathologists once weekly in our section rounds, which also serves as a seminar course for credit for pathology, medicine, and oncology residents.

A weekly seminar course for clinical pathology residents includes journal article critique, new textbook reviews, case discussions, and laboratory technology updates.

A weekly microscopy seminar provides cross training opportunities for anatomic and clinical pathology trainees

Attended by faculty of the entire Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology Department, during which both anatomic and clinical pathology cases are presented and critiqued by the residents in preparation for the ACVP board examination.

Additional anatomic pathology training for clinical pathology residents is available through elective rotations in;

• histopathology
• necropsy services
• participation in the weekly VTH necropsy rounds for veterinary students
• a weekly seminar course for review of archived AFIP cases
• a weekly course with directed comparisons of histological and cytological findings from the same lesion in a single clinical case

Several VTH Medicine Service Seminars and Rounds are open for Clinical Pathology Residents to participate:

• Small Animal Medicine Grand Rounds
• Large Animal Medicine Grand Rounds
• Small Animal Medicine Resident Case Rounds
• Journal Clubs
• VTH Resident Research Seminar

Elective Courses offered at the VTH:

• Medicine
• Surgery
• Cardiology
• Metabolism
• Nutrition
• Oncology

Teaching Experience

Opportunities to teach both Veterinary Students and Graduate Students

• Junior and Senior Veterinary Student Practicums
• Second Year Students in the foundation Bioanalytical Pathology Course (VM724)

Research Focus

Clinical Pathology residents have the opportunity to choose areas of research for their graduate programs from any discipline represented at the University.

Research opportunities include, but are not limited to;

• arthropod-borne infectious disease
• the study of bacterial and viral pathogenesis
• epidemiology of natural diseases
• immunoparasitology
• inherited metabolic disease
• malarial molecular biology and immunology
• mycobacterial diseases
• oncology
• retrovirus pathogenesis/therapy
• toxicology
• transmissible spongiform encephalopathies
• vector biology

In addition to their successful research pursuits, graduates from our program have demonstrated a consistently high rate of passing the ACVP examination. As a result of this interdisciplinary training philosophy, graduates from our Clinical Pathology training program have been successfully employed in academia, the pharmaceutical industry, commercial reference laboratories, and government.

More information can be found at American Society for Veterinary Clinical Pathology.

Check out our Application Procedures page for more information.