Menu
Graduate Medical Education at USD Sanford School of Medicine
Health Science Center 1400 W. 22nd St.
Sioux Falls, SD 57105
Pathology
Menu

Program Curriculum

The pathology residency curriculum encompasses 4 years of combined anatomic and clinical pathology rotations that are one month in duration.

PGY-1

As first year residents, emphasis is placed on grossing, autopsy, and hematopathology as well as microbiology, blood bank/transfusion medicine, and chemistry.

  • Block 1

    Autopsy

  • Block 2

    Surgical Pathology

  • Block 3

    Surgical Pathology

  • Block 4

    Autopsy

  • Block 5

    Surgical Pathology

  • Block 6

    Surgical Pathology

  • Block 7

    Autopsy

  • Block 8

    HEME

  • Block 9

    Chemistry

  • Block 10

    VA Clinical

  • Block 11

    HEME

  • Block 12

    VA Surgical

  • Block 13

    Blood Bank

PGY-2

PGY-2 and PGY-3 residents spend time in advanced surgical rotations, “hot seat”, and surgical and clinical rotations at the VA hospital. The “hot seat” rotation allows the resident significant autonomy and the opportunity to gain experience and skills in high volume, complex surgical pathology cases and frozen sections.

  • Block 1

    Blood Bank

  • Block 2

    VA Surgical

  • Block 3

    HEME

  • Block 4

    Chemistry

  • Block 5

    VA Surgical

  • Block 6

    VA Clinical

  • Block 7

    VA Surgical

  • Block 8

    Micro

  • Block 9

    Hot Seat

  • Block 10

    Cytopathology

  • Block 11

    Elective

  • Block 12

    Hot Seat

  • Block 13

    Advanced Surgical

PGY-3

  • Block 1

    HEME

  • Block 2

    Elective

  • Block 3

    VA Clinical

  • Block 4

    Blood Bank

  • Block 5

    Microbiology

  • Block 6

    VA Surgical

  • Block 7

    Hot Seat

  • Block 8

    VA Surgical

  • Block 9

    Elective

  • Block 10

    VA Surgical

  • Block 11

    Hot Seat

  • Block 12

    VA Clinical

  • Block 13

    Hot Seat

PGY-4

PGY-4 residents gain further training in surgical rotations, heme, cytology, and especially clinical rotations including molecular, blood banking/transfusion medicine, chemistry, microbiology, and laboratory management.x

  • Block 1

    Hot Seat

  • Block 2

    VA Clinical

  • Block 3

    Blood Bank

  • Block 4

    Hot Seat

  • Block 5

    Elective

  • Block 6

    HEME

  • Block 7

    Molecular

  • Block 8

    Advanced Surgical

  • Block 9

    Lab Management

  • Block 10

    Molecular

  • Block 11

    Chemistry

  • Block 12

    Elective

  • Block 13

    Elective

Call

  • Each resident takes primary AP/CP call for a week at a time, typically six weeks per year
  • Residents rotate major holidays, usually amounting to one major holiday per year
  • Staff pathologist is on call with resident at all times
  • CP call consists mainly of occasional clinical chemistry and blood banking phone calls
  • Residents take beeper call from home; there are no call rooms

Frozen Sections

  • Staff pathologist is responsible for being physically present for all frozen sections
  • Hot seat resident is responsible for frozen specimens during weekday hours
  • On-call resident is responsible for frozen sections after hours and on weekends
  • When possible, resident will perform frozen section and inform requesting physician of diagnosis

Autopsies

  • Resident on call is not responsible for forensic autopsies, unless arrangements have been made with forensic pathologist and/or assistant coroners for Minnehaha County
  • Resident on call is responsible for all weekend autopsies done at the Sioux Falls VA Medical Center and Sanford USD Medical Center (excluding forensic), unless so directed by forensic pathologist.