We attempt to emphasize the importance of reliability, initiative, industry, responsibility, and the ability to work harmoniously with others at all levels including clerical and technical staff. The department provides residents with ample opportunity to reach their potential and to select a course of training which conforms best to their abilities and personal goals. The program is structured in order to retain some flexibility in training. Accordingly, in addition to the traditional program of two years in anatomic pathology and two years in clinical pathology, the trainee may elect to concentrate in either anatomic or clinical pathology. There are also opportunities to further concentrate in subspecialty areas or in research.
Resident teaching is done using two major means of instruction.
Formal, didactic sessions are conducted by the faculty, for example in weekly core lectures in anatomic and clinical pathology. A more widely used method involves practical experience during the daily work-up and diagnosis of cases and preparation for hospital conferences. In active rather than passive learning experiences, residents develop analytical and problem solving skills to complement their factual knowledge. The residency program is structured so that learning occurs incrementally and responsibility grows with increasing levels of training. Fifth year residents and fellows who have completed residency training concentrate in surgical pathology or subspecialty pathology at Kaleida Health Care Systems or Roswell Park Cancer Institute.