Diagnostic Pathology Residency

Starting Date

The starting date of the residency program and reappointment date is July 1 each year. Senior residents remain in the program through August of their last year with full pay, time at which they are expected to sit for their scheduled Phase II examination. 

Stipend

The appointment is as Resident and House Officer, with a starting salary of $35,000 (subject to raises depending on administrative decisions) and full health insurance and other benefits offered to employees of the LSU as well as tuition exemption during the residency program. The program has a duration of 3 years, and appointments will be reviewed and renewed for continuation annually depending on the successful progress in completing the program’s goals as determined by annual evaluations performed by the Anatomic Pathology faculty. 

Tuition Waiver and Benefits

Enrollment in the residency program can be separate or it can be incorporated into a PhD degree program. The latter is strongly encouraged unless the candidate already possesses the PhD degree. Residents willing to pursue a PhD degree are encouraged to remain at LSU to obtain their graduate degree following their residency training program.

The University provides a waiver of tuition for full-time residents as eligible staff of 6 credit hours per semester. After completion of the residency program, Ph.D. candidates in the LSU graduate school also have a full tuition waiver.

Other benefits to this program include annual financial support for attendance to national and regional meetings, and for exam fees. Funding may vary from year to year depending on LADDL and school-wide finances. Residents in the program can also apply for competitive awards such as the Taylor Pathology Resident Award.

Program Goals

Overall goal: To train the new generation of veterinary anatomic pathologists in major competencies related to interpretative and comparative gross and microscopic pathology that will help the candidate develop a successful career in diagnostics, academia, or pharmaceutical/biotechnology industry adhering to the standards set forth by the ACVP.

Specific goals:

• Satisfy eligibility requirements and provide focused training for examination by the American College of Veterinary Pathologists.
• Provide educational training required to teach in this field following completion of the training program.
• Provide the advanced training required to perform state of the art diagnostic and interpretive techniques in veterinary pathology.
• Provide training and experience in designing and conducting a pathology research project.
• Provide training and experience in the preparation of scientific data for publication and presentation.
• Provide familiarity with areas of comparative medicine through participation in research, conferences, and seminars.
• Expose residents to research expertise in a field of their interest and to encourage their earning of a PhD degree in Veterinary Medical Sciences.
• Provide residents with basic forensic pathology training. 
• Successful candidates that complete the residency program will earn a certificate of residency in veterinary pathology and eligibility for the ACVP certification examination. 

Program Structure

The program has a duration of 3 years. Incoming residents will work on the necropsy service under direct supervision of the pathologist on duty and senior residents in the program during the first month in the program. During this period, the incoming resident will also rotate through all laboratory sections of the LADDL to understand testing availability and facilitate inter-section collaboration. Within the first 3 to 6 months, incoming residents are expected to join the biopsy service and continue on both necropsy and biopsy service for the duration of their program. It is expected for residents to sit for the Phase I exam of ACVP during the Spring of their second year. During Year 2 and Year 3, residents gain more independence handling the necropsy floor, instructing rotating students, and finally attain status of Case Coordinator for biopsy service during their Year 3, point at which they will be given more independence to finalize and distribute results under supervision of the pathologist on duty. Senior residents are expected to sit for the ACVP Phase II exam in the Fall (August) of their last year. 

Residents are expected to also participate in formal anatomic pathology courses instructed by the anatomic pathologists (Veterinary Cellular Pathology, Histopathology Slide Conference, Advanced Systemic Pathology, Journal Club), which are designed for preparation for Phase I and Phase II examinations, respectively. Residents can participate from other graduate-level courses in the department to gradually fulfill requirements for a graduate degree, if desired. 

Residents are also expected to lead specialty rounds (Dermatopathology, Ocular Pathology) and to work on a minimum of 1 peer-reviewed publication during their program. 

Residents are also expected to be involved in teaching courses for veterinary students (Diagnostic Pathology rotation for Phase II veterinary students and General Pathology and Systemic Pathology for Phase I veterinary students).

Variations from  general program structure may occur based on progress in the program, however, the duration is time-limited to 3 years and with annual reappointment based on demonstrated progress. 

Residency Guidance 

The Anatomic Pathology Residency Program and Anatomic Pathology Faculty at LSU strive to provide a highly personable program and is integrated by faculty of diverse backgrounds. The six Anatomic Pathologists on staff collaboratively oversee the progress of the training program, supervise preparation for the ACVP examination, encourage scholarly activities, and provide general counseling as needed. We strongly promote an environment of collegiality, healthy interaction, and team-work, all essential for the profession. 

Proficiency Assessment

It is essential that residents take control of their cases in order to learn the profession; yet quality of results must be assured for our clientele. During the first 2 years of training, all necropsy and biopsy cases will be reviewed with the Duty Pathologist. Deficiencies will be discussed and remediated (for example, inadequate tissue sampling will result in the resident retrieving the wet tissues and trimming appropriate tissues, improper trimming technique will likewise result in retrimming of the wet tissues, inappropriate interpretations or comments will be corrected before the final report is submitted). Residents in the program also need to follow standard operating procedures in the laboratory, meet the expected turnaround times for reporting results to the clients, and also learn how to utilize a laboratory information management system (LIMS). Residents will consult and learn from the pathologists’ criteria for case prioritization. The duty pathologist will sign out all reports. 

Senior Residents will have increasing autonomy and will have signage privileges. However, cases will be monitored by faculty pathologists assigned to the service and if problems are identified, they will be addressed with the Senior Resident. Monitoring will be performed at the discretion of the faculty.

Residents will be evaluated annually to determine whether or not they are making satisfactory progress in their program. Evaluations are constructed by the Residency Coordinator with input from all faculty pathologists. The Resident will be evaluated on Scholarship, Service, Teaching, Attitude, and Areas of focus or needed improvement for the coming year. The evaluation is written and will be discussed individually between the Resident and Residency Coordinator. This evaluation will be used by the Residency Coordinator in making their recommendations regarding annual appointment renewal.

How to Apply

Applicants must possess a DVM or equivalent degree from an AVMA-listed veterinary college. Applicants must submit:

• Letter of intent stating career goals
• Curriculum vitae
• Veterinary school transcripts including GPA (and any other transcript, if possessed), and
• Three letters of reference.

In addition, foreign graduates of countries where English is not the official native language should include official transcripts of TOEFL, IELTS or PTE scores. Exceptions may apply if candidates have earned a degree in the US.   

Applicants should apply to the specific position announcement that is typically posted in the ACVP Careers website approximately in July or August every year. Candidates should follow the specific deadlines and submit copies of original documents. If interested in seeking a PhD, candidates will also be required to apply to the graduate program through the LSU Graduate School online. 

The Anatomic Pathology program is not part of the residency matching program.

Externship and Short Visit Coordinator

Emi Sasaki, DVM, DACVP

[email protected] 

Anatomic Pathology Faculty

Louisiana Animal Disease Diagnostic Lab

LADDL Website