Applications
Only applications submitted through ERAS© (Electronic Residency Application Service - Association of American Medical Colleges) will be considered. Information about ERAS may be obtained from www.aamc.org. The following documents should be submitted through ERAS for your application to be reviewed;
- Curriculum vitae
- One page personal statement (please include the specific track for which you are applying, i.e., AP/CP, AP-3, or CP-3.
- Medical school transcript
- Dean’s letter (when available)
- Three letters of reference
- Official transcript of USMLE or COMLEX scores
Our program is accredited for 38 positions. We usually accept up to 8 AP/CP or AP3 residents, and up to 2 CP residents each year. Please note that the CP3 program has a separate NRMP match number from the AP/CP – AP3 program. Completed applications must be received no later than December 1. Applicants selected for an interview will be contacted by the department to arrange for a mutually suitable time. Interviews typically begin in late October and are completed by late January.
Additional Information for International Medical Graduates:
The residency program is open to international medical graduates. In order to be competitive, an applicant should have scores of at least 82 on both steps I and II CK of the USMLE in the first attempt and a passing score on Step 2 CS on the first attempt. Step 3 is not required, but applicants who have already passed may be given preference. Fluent conversational and written English is required. Prior US experience in the form of clinical training or an advanced degree from a US institution is desirable but not required, and is considered in the context of the rest of the application. Observerships and externships are not relevant. UT Southwestern does not sponsor H1 visas for residents. ECFMG certification is not required for application or interviewing but is required for the match.
Salaries and Benefits
Resident salaries for July 2008-2009:
PGY1-$45,075.00
PGY2-$46,564.00
PGY3-$48,460.00
PGY4-$50,395.00
Additional funds are provided to each resident for educational purposes including books and dues, and opportunities are available for participation at national pathology meetings. Benefits include health insurance, institutional malpractice insurance, disability insurance, retirement fund, 10 days sick leave and 15 days of paid vacation per year.
Sample Parkland Contract
Faculty and Educational Opportunities
The full-time Pathology faculty comprises over 90 MD and PhD level individuals who are organized into formal divisions of Anatomic Pathology, Clinical Pathology, Neuropathology, Pediatric Pathology, Hematopathology and Molecular Pathology. Other faculty are members of the Institute of Forensic Sciences and the Animal Resources Center. Residents also benefit from teaching by private groups with a variety of affiliations with the department, including opportunities in dermatopathology, gastrointestinal pathology and blood banking.
To provide increased variety and exposure to national experts in subspecialty areas of anatomic pathology, the department sponsors a series of lectures and unknown case conferences by prominent pathologists selected by the residents themselves. Guest faculty for the most recent academic years include:
MILTON J. FINEGOLD, MD
Professor of Pathology and Pediatrics
Texas Children's Hospital
Houston, TX
Topic: Liver Pathology
Christine Iacobuzio-Donahue, MD, PhD
Associate Professor of Pathology and Oncology
Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD
Topics: Gastrointestinal Pathology
Steven Billings, MD
Co-Section Head, Dermatopathology
Cleveland Clinic
Cleveland, OH
Topic: Dermatopathology/Soft Tissue Pathology
HENRY D. TAZELAAR, MD
Professor of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology
Mayo Clinic
Scottsdale, AZ
Topic: Pulmonary Pathology
Edmund S. Cibas, MD
Associate Professor of Pathology, Director of Cytopathology
Harvard Medical School, Brigham and Women's Hospital
Boston, MA
Topic: Cytopathology
Research
Extremely important changes are occurring in the discipline of pathology as the result of blossoming molecular technology, which has provided exquisitely sensitive tools for the investigation of human disease. Our department has a strong commitment to basic research in molecular and experimental pathology with a major focus on immunopathology and cancer biology. A strong group of investigators, who collectively constitute the Laboratory of Molecular Pathology, provide the milieu for residents who seek a career in academic pathology with a dedicated commitment to laboratory research. For those who choose this path, a program can be designed to meet research goals without compromising basic pathology training. This is usually accomplished through the AP3 or CP3 curriculum which incorporates 1 or 2 years of research training under the direction of a faculty mentor (research track).
Research is not limited to the wet bench laboratory. Most faculty members in the department are engaged in scholarly pursuits within the context of their clinical responsibilities. Although research is not required of the residents, we encourage the residents to become involved in collaborative research projects that arise out of material from their own daily clinical experience. This exercise teaches the application of sound scientific thought and principles to the practice of diagnostic pathology. Many of our residents present their research at regional, national and even international meetings. These presentations are reprised for our department at 2-3 resident and fellow research seminars each year. The Arthur G. Weinberg Resident Research Award is given annually to the resident submitting the most outstanding scholarly manuscript for publication.
Teaching
Regardless of career track, the pathologist will always be a teacher. Our program provides teaching experience through several mechanisms. Residents beyond the first year serve as laboratory instructors in the sophomore pathology course at Southwestern Medical School. The residents lead the students in small group case discussions, functioning as junior faculty. The residents also gain teaching experience through the many departmental and interdepartmental conferences in which they actively participate.
Residents also participate in informal teaching of other residents and medical students on a continuing basis. The core rotations in Autopsy, Surgical Pathology, Transfusion Medicine and Hematopathology mix novice residents with more experienced residents who can provide instruction, back-up and support to their juniors. Medical students on third- and fourth-year electives in pathology are also paired with residents for instruction in daily activities.
On multiple occasions during the academic year, each resident presents a brief case presentation and literature review for the anatomic or clinical case presentation conference series (PAPCARS and CP Rounds, respectively). At least once, each resident makes a major formal presentation of a topic of his/her choice to fellow residents and members of the faculty. This "Update in Pathophysiology" conference provides the opportunity for the resident to learn and share new important information with colleagues, and to gain valuable experience in conference preparation and presentation. The topic is usually based upon a case encountered by the resident during the course of their daily work with emphasis on the underlying pathophysiology/molecular biology of the disease. Some of the topics presented for 2007-2008 were:
Neuroblastoma
Thyroid nodules
Anaplastic large cell lymphoma
Cutaneous menlanoma
Porphyrin treatment for Burkitt lymphoma
Quest for an HIV vaccine
Acquired hemophilia
Huntington disease
Spinal muscular atrophy
Alexander disease
Alopecia areata
Chediak-Higashi syndrome
Leishmaniasis
Conferences
Each clinical service provides a variety of teaching conferences and clinicopathologic correlation conferences as part of the rotation through that particular service. Journal clubs complement the teaching on some services. In addition to these smaller conferences, there are major department-wide conferences that all residents are expected to attend whenever possible.
Evaluations
At the end of every rotation, the rotation director discusses the resident's performance directly with the resident and provides the resident with a written review, indicating areas of strength and weakness. Each resident meets individually with the program director at least twice a year. The program director and the Resident Education Committee monitor progress. Residents have the opportunity to provide an anonymous evaluation of each rotation to the program director. The chair of the department asks each resident to complete a formal evaluation of the entire teaching faculty at the end of each year, which he uses to evaluate faculty performance relating to resident education. The residents meet monthly for a luncheon with the chief residents, who provide feedback to the program director; the faculty and program director attend these meetings when invited. The chairman also meets with the entire house staff several times each year to discuss any and all issues of concern.
