The Emory Health Care system handles over 50,000 surgical pathology specimens annually. Including cases accessioned to Emory University Hospital, Grady Memorial Hospital and Crawford Long Hospital , Veterans' Affairs Hospital , and Egleston Children's Hospital. Training in surgical pathology begins at Emory University Hospital under the supervision of the anatomic pathology faculty and the surgical pathology fellows. Residents receive instruction in the proper gross examination of specimens and tissue sampling.
Ample time is provided to review slides prior to case sign out by the faculty.
With increasing experience residents are expected to formulate diagnoses in final form prior to signout. Approximately 20 frozen sections are performed daily at Emory University Hospital. First year residents are initially paired with senior residents for this activity. They learn technical aspects of cutting and staining these preparations, limitations of the method, importance of ancillary information, and proper methods of communicating diagnoses to clinicians. With increasing experience they may function in a semi-independent way.