CAP@Your Service – Residents Issue – Winter 2008
Happy New Year to all of you! It is an exciting time to be a pathologist. The College’s new vision approved by the Board of Governors in August 2007, focuses on the CAP as the transformation agent for the specialty of pathology. Four “big things,” or long-term goals, have been identified, which will facilitate this change and ensure pathologists are knowledgeable of and prepared for the new technologies and emerging requirements that the evolving personalized health care environment is dictating. At the Residents Forum (RF) meeting on March 1, 2008, in Denver, CAP President Jared N. Schwartz, MD, PhD, FCAP, and John W. Turner, MD, FCAP, will present the factors driving change in the practice of medicine, implications for pathology, and what we can do to prepare for the future.
The four “big things” are:
- Creating an Institute for the advancement of the specialty of pathology (One of the main focuses of the Institute will be educating pathologists on how to apply new technology, which is constantly being introduced to pathologists, so that we may better serve our patients. As pathologists, we need to emphasize the importance of our role in disease diagnosis while also learning how to steer the therapeutic decisions being made. We should stop considering ourselves the “doctor’s doctor,” but rather the “patient’s doctor”);
- Enhancing patient safety and quality assurance;
- Continuing CAP’s strong advocacy efforts; and
- Maintaining the financial health of the College.
The Residents Forum Executive Committee (RFEC) members are not only supportive of the College’s vision but are eager to participate in it. Please think of ways that you can be part of this plan and contribute to your future. You don’t want to miss this opportunity to hear about the details of this vision first-hand from Drs. Schwartz and Turner. If you have not already registered for the meeting, I encourage you to do so now.
Let us hear from you. The RFEC is elected by you, for you. Please communicate with the RFEC and let us know your ideas on how to better improve our already great field of medicine. Contact us by either e-mailing
me directly or by contacting the other RFEC members, whose contact information is on
the CAP for Residents Web site.
If you are interested in writing a resolution for the upcoming meeting but are not sure how, go to the CAP
for Residents Web site, click on “2008 Spring Residents Forum Meeting” and read the segment on “Call for Resolutions.” This includes complete information how to write a resolution, which also includes an example of a resolution.
While many of you are already utilizing our Residents Online Community, I would like to encourage the rest of you to join. It is very user-friendly. It is an excellent place to discuss ideas, ask questions and get answers. Let us know what you would like to see on the Online Community that would make you eager to check the site routinely.
For all of you applying for fellowships, I would also like to remind you to use the CAP’s Standardized Fellowship Application that is posted online. Ask the programs that you apply to if they accept it and encourage those who have not heard about it to review it to see just how much easier it makes their life and yours. Please drop me a line and let me know which programs are accepting the application.
As always, there are many wonderful ways to become involved in the College. All of these opportunities are listed on CAP
for Residents. If you have any questions, concerns, or ideas, don’t hesitate to contact us. For those of you who are very involved, thank you for all of your hard work. Please let us know what you are doing so we can acknowledge your commitment. I’m looking forward to seeing all of you at the RF meeting in Denver on March 1, 2008.
Jacqueline Granese, MD
Chair of the Residents Forum
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