Residency Training Programs

The department offers a three-year residency program along with a graduate degree program (PhD) in both anatomic pathology and clinical pathology. In addition, a residency program in Laboratory Animal Medicine is available through the Division of Laboratory Animal Medicine. All three residencies qualify the incumbent to take the respective specialty board examinations.

Anatomic Pathology Residency

Introduction

The Veterinary Pathology residency program in the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine is a three-year program designed to concurrently fulfill requirements for ACVP board eligibility and to partially fulfill the requirements for the Ph.D. degree, unless the resident has previously attained the PhD degree. The resident will participate in diagnostic pathology services and in departmental instructional programs on a full-time basis. Time will be scheduled for instruction, seminars, conferences, guided self-study, and participation in research projects. Enrollment in up to 8 semester hours of graduate study per semester (5 in summer semester) can be scheduled. Specialty board certification is an important credential in veterinary medicine and the successful student will make an early commitment to preparation for the board examination of the American College of Veterinary Pathologists (ACVP).

Requirements include the DVM degree or equivalent and academic qualifications acceptable for admission to the Pathobiological Sciences Department Graduate Program and to the LSU graduate school. Successful completion of the Veterinary National Board Examination and licensure by a state board of veterinary medicine is desirable. The starting date and reappointment date is August 15th each year, unless negotiated otherwise, and the appointment title is Resident and House Officer, Department of Pathobiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine. The stipend is $30,000 per annum. Appointments will be reviewed and renewed annually. Residency stipends last for 3 years. At that time the resident is expected to obtain graduate student funding either through grant support from the research mentor or through successful competition for an SVM-wide stipend.

Objectives

A three-year residency program, depending on the options followed, of diagnostic biopsy and necropsy rotations, classroom and laboratory education, and pathobiological research will meet the following objectives:

Satisfy eligibility requirements and provide focused training for examination by the American College of Veterinary Pathologists.
Expose the students to research expertise in a field of their interest and to encourage their earning of a Ph.D. degree in Veterinary Medical Sciences.
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.

Successful completion of the residency program will earn a certificate of residency in veterinary pathology and eligibility for the ACVP certification examination. Enrollment in the residency program can be separate or it can be incorporated into a Ph.D. degree program. The latter is strongly encouraged unless the candidate already possesses the Ph.D. degree.

Pathology Residency Guidance Committee (guidance committee)

The resident will be assigned a guidance committee, which is composed of pathologists and which will oversee the progress of the training program, supervise preparation for the ACVP examination, encourage scholarly activities, and provide general counseling.

During the second year, a qualifying examination will be given by the guidance committee to those residents who will pursue the Ph.D. degree. Upon successful completion of this examination, the student will be eligible to formally become a Ph.D. student. The guidance committee will function until the oversight of the resident is discharged to the Graduate Advisory Committee or until completion of the residency, whichever comes first.

Tuition Waiver and Benefits

The University provides a waiver of tuition for full-time residents and house officers, as long as the semester-hour limit is not exceeded (8 hrs regular semesters, 5 hrs summer semester). After completion of the residency program, Ph.D. candidates in the LSU graduate school also have a full tuition waiver.

Residents are eligible for graduate student benefits including student insurance. They are allowed faculty parking privileges and 10 days of vacation per year, contingent upon approval of their guidance committee.

Training

Yearly Organizational Format

The following schedule will constitute the typical yearly activities for a resident:

Year I

The resident will participate in the diagnostic activities of the necropsy laboratory for a minimum of 2 days each week.
The resident will participate in weekend and holiday diagnostic duty rotations under the supervision of departmental faculty and/or senior resident.
The resident will be placed on one week of biopsy service per month under the supervision of departmental faculty, when the guidance committee deems he/she is ready.
The resident will participate in the instructional activities of certain professional curriculum courses, i.e. VMED5173, 5241, 5242 and 5452.
The resident will participate in the weekly AFIP seminar, the gross pathology rounds, and other departmental training activities.
The resident may enroll the first semester in the Graduate School as approved by the guidance committee and may take graduate courses subject to the guidelines stated above.
The resident will be required to present at the PBS Graduate Symposium. The resident will be encouraged to attend and present at local and national scientific meetings.

Year II

Activities of Year I will be continued.
The residents who will continue in a Ph.D. degree program will begin to identify and plan their research areas and activities. Also, they will complete the required laboratory rotations for PBS.
The residents will continue graduate course work as directed by their guidance committee.
Residents will be expected to have made at least one presentation at a regional or national meeting and are encouraged to submit at least one manuscript to a refereed journal for publication. Residents again are required to present at the PBS Graduate Symposium.
The resident will determine, subject to approval of the guidance committee, whether to pursue Option 1 or Option 2 for his/her Year III.
After successful completion of the Year II and satisfactory review by the guidance committee and the departmental pathologists, the resident will be granted Senior Resident status and will be given increased responsibilities, which include case coordinator status for necropsy and biopsy cases, and signage privileges for final reports. At the discretion of the departmental pathologists, cases may be randomly selected for review to assure accuracy and evaluate the continued competency and progress of the Senior Resident.

Year III

Option 1:

The resident must have successfully attained Senior Resident status to enter Option 2.
The term of service for Option 2 will be from July 1 to June 30 of the following year.
The Senior Resident will assume 50% FTE service commitments for the term of service based on the formula that 1 week of necropsy is equal to 2 weeks of service and 1 week of biopsy is equal to 1 week of service. Weekend and holiday service will be included in the responsibilities.
At completion of the Senior Residency, the resident is expected to sit for the board examination for the American College of Veterinary Pathologists. Senior Resident pay will be extended from the June 30 end of the term of service until September 30 of that year. No additional service duties will be assigned during this time, but any remaining open cases for which the Senior Resident was responsible must be completed.
Up to 6 credit hours per semester of additional courses may be taken by the Senior Resident during the fall and spring semesters of the term of service.
After taking the exam, the Senior Resident is expected to enter a PhD program of study and to obtain funding for that program of study individually, through the support of the research mentor, or by successfully competing for a SVM graduate stipend. Continued participation in slide conference, gross rounds, and/or other activities that will help maintain pathology skills is encouraged.
Before completion of the program, at least 2 presentations approved by the committee and the submission of one manuscript for publication are required.
The resident will receive a certificate of residency at the satisfactory completion of Year III.

Option 2:

Subject to approval of the guidance committee and the departmental pathologists, the resident will shift primary focus to the pursuit of the PhD degree. Completion of the third year of residency, as required by the American College of Veterinary Pathologists for board eligibility, will necessitate partial continuation of the Year I/II activities, including but not limited to 1 week of biopsy service per month, one weekend of necropsy service per month, and participation in holiday necropsy service. This continuation extends until completion of the Ph.D. degree or for 3 years, whichever comes first. Continued participation in slide conference and gross rounds is required unless excused by the residency coordinator. The residency stipend with continue throughout the third year in order to compensate the research mentor for the time requirements for these continued activities.
Those pursuing the Ph.D. degree will be actively involved in their dissertation research. All class work should be completed during this year.
A certificate of residency will be awarded upon successful completion.
The resident will be eligible for taking the ACVP certifying examination after completion of this program and with the signature of a sponsoring ACVP diplomate.
Before completion of the program, at least 2 presentations approved by the guidance committee and the submission of one manuscript for publication are required.

Flexible Option:

Occasionally, circumstances (e.g. funding stipulations or research obligations) may arise that prohibit a candidate from following either of the aforementioned options. In these cases the resident, along with the guidance committee, may formulate an individually tailored program. The program must then be approved by the pathology faculty.

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. Therefore, residents will attend necropsy orientation with the VMED 5452 course. They will be trained in the Necropsy SOPs, Trimming SOPs, and Pathology SOPs by faculty pathologists and in the Safety SOPs by the SVM safety officer.

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). The duty pathologist will sign out all reports.

Senior Residents will have increasing autonomy and will have signage privileges. However, at least 10% of all cases will be monitored by faculty pathologists assigned to the service with the senior pathologists. Cases will be selected at random and if problems either in content or timeliness are noted, they will be addressed with the Senior Resident. It is anticipated that initially 20-25% of the cases will be monitored with reduction to 10% as the faculty is convinced of reporting quality.

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 and guidance committee in making their recommendations to the Department Head regarding annual appointment renewal.

Graduate Training

When residents enter their graduate training, the oversight of that resident is primarily transferred to the research mentor and graduate committee. Those who have selected Option 2 and, in some cases the Flexible Option, will have continuing obligations as described above and will continue to receive annual evaluations from the residency coordinator. The residents are encouraged to seek out research mentors with a history of research productivity and ongoing extramural support. In these settings, the resident will be expected to apply for NIH, K08 support, or USDA postdoctoral grants as applicable.

For correspondence and additional information please contact:
Dr. Nobuko Wakamatsu
Department of Pathobiological Sciences
School of Veterinary Medicine
Louisiana State University
Baton Rouge, LA 70803
Phone: 225-578-9679
Fax: 225-578-9701
e-mail: nwakamatsu@vetmed.lsu.edu

Clinical Pathology Residency

The residency in Clinical Pathology, which will be under the direction of an ACVP certified Clinical Pathologist, is a three year program designed to permit the incumbent to concurrently fulfill the requirements for board eligibility of the American College of Veterinary Pathologists and to partially fulfill the requirements for a PhD degree. The resident will participate in diagnostic service and the veterinary medicine instructional program on a full-time basis. Time will be scheduled for tutorial instruction, rounds, seminars, guided self-study and participation in research projects. Enrollment in up to eight credit hours of graduate academic studies per semester will be scheduled. Each year the appointment will be reviewed, with reappointment contingent upon satisfactory completion of the previous year's program. The clinical pathology residency is designed to provide three years of post-DVM training in veterinary cytology, hematology, and clinical chemistry. In addition to the clinical residency, a student will be expected to complete a PhD program in a chosen area. Completion of the residency and the PhD degree will serve as partial fulfillment for certification by the American College of Veterinary Pathologists. This training program will utilize faculty and facilities of Pathobiological Sciences as well as other departments within the School of Veterinary Medicine. The starting date for the Clinical Pathology Residency is usually in August.

Requirements:

DVM or its equivalent
Completions of the National Board Examination and a State Board of Veterinary Medicine examination is desirable
Academic qualifications acceptable for admission to LSU Graduate School

Salary: $24,000

Functions and Duties:

Participate in the clinical and hospital diagnostic service under the supervision of a board certified Clinical Pathologist.
Participate in didactic and tutorial instructional programs of the School of Veterinary Medicine. The resident will participate in clinical instruction, year II didactic instruction and in the instruction of year IV veterinary students.

Graduate Study Program:

The graduate academic program is considered to be an integral part of the residency program. It is included to provide research experience which will prepare the resident for a career in academia, biomedical research, industrial or pharmaceutical pathology, or veterinary diagnostic pathology. A stipend will be provided after completion of the residency training, but the student will be responsible for tuition costs.

Requirements for admission to the LSU Graduate School are given in the current catalog under �Requirements of Advanced Degrees. The resident should apply for admission to the Graduate school at the time of acceptance into the residency. Requirements for graduation may vary from one department to another. Therefore refer to �Option Requirements for Graduate Studies� as published by the SVM Graduate Academic Council for additional information. At least 24 credit hours of course work, of which at least 12 credits are at or above the 7000 level, are required by all departments. Basic courses required for PhD candidates in Veterinary Clinical Pathology include: Statistics, Biochemistry, Cellular Pathology (VP7501), Veterinary Clinical Hematology (VP7525), Veterinary Clinical Chemistry (VP7526), Veterinary Clinical Cytology (VP7527), and Pathology of Companion Animals (VP7517).

To apply for admission to the Graduate Studies program in PBS, submit an application packet (which consists of your CV, a statement of your research interest, copies of all transcripts, your GRE scores, your GPA, and 2-3 letters of reference) by postal mail to the Graduate Application Coordinator, Department of Pathobiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, and fill out and submit an online application at the LSU Graduate School's web site.

Faculty Mentor:

The resident will be assigned to a Veterinary Pathology faculty mentor within Pathobiological Sciences. The mentor will oversee the progress of the residency training program, supervise preparation for board examination and publications, and provide general counseling. The faculty mentor may or may not be the graduate advisor, but will work in collaboration with the resident's graduate committee.

Evaluation and Reappointment:

A written critique will be provided every quarter by faculty member(s) with whom the resident has been assigned. Each year the resident's program will be reviewed and recommendations will be made for program goals in the coming year.

Benefits:

The university provides a waiver of tuition for full-time residents and house officers, as long as the semester-hour limit is not exceeded (8 hours regular semesters and 5 hours summer semester). After completion of the residency program, PhD candidates continue to have tuition waived. Residents are eligible for graduate student benefits including insurance. They are allowed faculty parking privileges and 10 days of vacation per year, contingent upon approval of their guidance committee.

Application:

The starting date for the Clinical Pathology Residency is usually in August. Candidates may apply for the residency by submitting a letter of intent, statement as to objectives for the residency and subsequent career goals, official transcripts, three letters of reference from individuals currently familiar with the applicant's professional status, and current curriculum vitae. The information should be mailed to the following address: Dr. Stephen D. Gaunt, Department of Pathobiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803

Contact Information:

For correspondence and additional information please contact:

Dr. Stephen D. Gaunt

Department of Pathobiological Sciences

School of Veterinary Medicine

Louisiana State University

Baton Rouge, LA 70803

225-578-9715

e-mail: sgaunt@vetmed.lsu.edu