Leadership perspectives on osteopathic medical school applicants to pathology residency training

Melissa R. George, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Penn State Health Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, PA, USA.
Charles F. Timmons, Department of Pathology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA.
Kristen Johnson, CAP Learning, College of American Pathologists, Northfield, IL, USA.
Stephanie Barak, Department of Pathology, George Washington University Hospital, Washington, DC, USA.
Mary P. Berg, University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus, Department of Pathology, Aurora, CO, USA.
Bronwyn Bryant, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA.
John M. Childs, Geisinger Medical Laboratories, Danville, PA, USA.
Julie Katz Karp, Department of Pathology & Genomic Medicine, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Barbara E. Knollmann-Ritschel, Department of Pathology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, USA.
Amanda Lofgreen, Department of Pathology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA.
Thomas McCarthy, American Board of Pathology, Tampa, FL, USA.
Victor G. Prieto, The Department of Pathology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA.
Gary W. Procop, American Board of Pathology, Tampa, FL, USA.
Tyler Sandersfeld, American Board of Pathology, Tampa, FL, USA.
Kristie L. White, Department of Laboratory Medicine, UCSF Medical Center, San Francisco, CA, USA.
Cindy B. McCloskey, The Department of Pathology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, USA.

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Date

1-1-2024

Journal

Academic pathology

Volume

11

Issue

1

DOI

10.1016/j.acpath.2024.100107

Keywords

Osteopathic students; Pathology residency

Abstract

The number of graduating allopathic (MD) medical students matching into pathology has declined in recent years, while the number of osteopathic (DO) medical students has increased modestly, given the rapid expansion of osteopathic medical schools. Nonscholarly publications and materials on the internet often perpetuate negative perceptions of osteopathic physicians. Anecdotally, perspectives exist that some pathology residency programs are not DO-friendly; however, the reasons and how widespread an effect this might be are unclear. Our survey queried pathology chairs and residency program directors about their perceptions of osteopathic applicants and their knowledge of osteopathic medical school/training in general. This study utilized two similar, parallel surveys of pathology chairs and residency program directors with general questions structured around the perceptions and knowledge of both allopathic and osteopathic physicians, their medical training, and the consideration of osteopathic applicants to pathology residency. Pathology residency leaders acknowledge some negative perceptions of osteopathic physicians in the medical profession, the news, and social media. They also have some knowledge and perception gaps regarding osteopathic training and applicants, although experience with training osteopathic physicians as residents has been equivalent to that with allopathic physicians, and consideration appears to be fairly equal for osteopathic applicants. Even though negative perceptions of osteopathic physicians persist in news and social media, our surveys demonstrate that the leadership of pathology residency programs does not hold the same degree of bias and that DOs perform well in allopathic pathology residency programs without evidence of inferior outcomes.

Department

Pathology

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