Critical Values - January 2009 - (Page 15) Volume 2 • Issue 1 • January 2009 and development are required. While some members know me well, many others do not. Let me begin with a brief biography. I grew up in Malden, Massachusetts, a city outside Boston, and I am a huge Boston sports fan. I also root for the Virginia Tech football team (VT is my wife’s alma mater). I completed my undergraduate studies at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, and continued my southern trek to Richmond, Virginia, where I received my MD from Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, formerly the Medical College of Virginia. I am currently a fourth-year resident in anatomic and clinical pathology at the Medical University of South Carolina in beautiful, historic Charleston. I joined the ASCP Resident Council during my first year of residency and almost immediately became involved in ASCP activities. My extensive participation afforded some incredible opportunities to grow my pathology knowledge base. It also helped me realize that we, the next generation of clinical pathologists, are entering a profession that has changed dramatically over the past 15 or 20 years and such changes are likely to continue. Today it is not enough to be outstanding diagnosticians. For our profession to remain a viable specialty, pathologists must also become indispensable consultants who work closely with clinicians and are in frequent contact with patients. I had the privilege of serving on the ASCP Task Force on Communication, which completed its work last June. Our efforts picked up where two previous task forces, the Task Force on the Future and the Task Force on Facing the Future, left off. As a result of the findings of these two task forces, an important underlying theme of the recommendations of the Task Force on Communication was that laboratory professionals, particularly pathologists, need to be much more visible and accessible as health care providers. This means getting out on patient floors, meeting face-to-face with physicians and patients to explain test results and diagnoses, and being proactive in contacting clinicians to offer consultation services. It is our job to know about the newest diagnostic testing modalities, and it is our responsibility to pass this knowledge on to patients and colleagues so it is used effectively. It also means setting ourselves up as a source of information for legislators and government regulators as well as the media—not only to deal with questions about quality laboratory testing but also to provide background information on specific diseases, diagnostic implications, and treatments. Residents need to embrace and lead this transformation, helping the laboratory shift away from its traditional behind-the-scenes role as a “black box,.” where patient samples enter and data exit. Instead, the laboratory must become a visible, full-service diagnostic consultation practice. Being indispensable means providing a unique and valuable service, not only data. Data is a commodity that can be bought and sold. By providing a valued service, we become more than a commodity—we become indispensable. Soon clinicians will think they cannot perform their work without us. We are highly skilled and knowledgeable individuals who can synthesize the clinical, radiologic, and pathologic findings into a diagnosis and make cogent recommendations. ASCP is a leader in pathology education, with a wide range of educational products, live meetings, e-courses, and publications and, as such, is ready to help us make this crucial transition. My number one goal as Chair of the Resident Council is to increase resident involvement in the Society. There are innumerable ways to become involved, including the ASCP Resident Liaison Network and the Resident Council itself. To learn more, visit the ASCP Web page for residents (www.ascp.org/MainMenu/residents.aspx). I can be contacted through that page. I would like to hear about your concerns and the issues affecting you and your residency training program. Most importantly, ask me how you can become more involved in ASCP. Dr. Rittershaus is a fourth-year resident in anatomic and clinical pathology at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. Becoming Indispensable Transitioning to Service Provider Illustration: Tom Payne 15 http://www.ascp.org/MainMenu/residents.aspx
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