October 28, 2026
Ultrasound Guided Fine Needle Aspiration
Transcript
Elizabeth McMahon
Coming up, expanding your cell sampling skills. We get a sneak peek of the 2027 Ultrasound Guided Fine Needle Aspiration course from Dr. Roseann Wu. Plus, new board member Dr. Kisha Mitchell Richards on meeting pathologists where they are in a changing field. Welcome to CAP News for Wednesday, October 28th. I'm Elizabeth McMahon of the College of American Pathologists. Here's what's making news in pathology and laboratory medicine. When a patient has a suspicious lesion or mass, ultrasound guided fine needle aspiration helps pathologists go in depth on a mass's size and scope. If you perform palpation-guided fine-needle aspirations and are ready to expand your skills, a 2027 course will give you the tools you need. Dr. Roseann Wu, professor of clinical pathology and laboratory medicine at the Pearlman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, is one of the course’s instructors. She says the sessions are divided into two parts, and planning and early registration is critical. Dr. Roseann Wu, professor of clinical pathology and laboratory medicine at the Pearlman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, is one of the course’s instructors. She says the sessions are divided into two parts, and planning and early registration is critical. Â
Dr. Roseann Wu
There's a lot of pre-work that needs to be done before you even show up for the in-person workshop. So the online pre-course modules include a number of different topics, including ultrasound physics, criteria for lesion assessment, fine needle aspiration and slide preparation techniques. We talk about medical history and physical exam basics and correlating radiologic, pathologic, and clinical findings. What we want to avoid is basically ticking off all the boxes of all the possible types of lab tests that could present in a patient with slightly abnormal bleeding factors and or a suspected bleeding history. So these are sort of interactive modules that participants can go through at their own pace.
Elizabeth McMahon
The in-person sessions on April 3rd and 4th at CAP headquarters will include hands-on practice using samples that simulate the procedure.
Dr. Roseann Wu
Participants are going to get a lot of practice kind of directing the needle into these specific targets using the phantoms. That kind of helps build that muscle memory and confidence in the technique. We're going to review slide preparation and so making sure that everyone knows how to create a high-quality smear using the aspirated material that they are Abel to obtain, and then getting some understanding of how to just operate ultrasound equipment.
Elizabeth McMahon
Participants who complete the course receive 16 CME credits and a certificate. Since her early years as a George Washington University resident, Dr. Kisha Mitchell Richards has slowly woven her time, talent and passions into the fabric of the C-A-P. She spent years developing content on the curriculum committee and has held leadership roles from the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee to the House of Delegates.
Now, on her silver C-A-P anniversary, Dr. Michell Richards is a new governor on the board, a role she says comes at an interesting time in pathology.
Dr. Kisha Mitchell Richards
We're at the intersection of a transition in medicine where digital pathology and AI are looming, although many practices like mine have no digital pathology and are not currently using AI. But I think we all have to be prepared for it.
Elizabeth McMahon
Dr. Mitchell Richards, who is Director of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at Greenwich Hospital in Connecticut in her day job, has several goals for her board term.
Dr. Kisha Mitchell Richards
One of them will be to try to help our organization meet the needs of pathologists where they are and not where we necessarily think they should be. I think we really have to try to evolve into understanding what the landscape is and what our organization can do to get people there who need to be there, but to support people who are not there and identifying tools that they can probably use in their current frame.
Elizabeth McMahon
Despite the changes and challenges in her field, Dr. Mitchell Richards says she's staying focused on the essential questions that have sustained her CAP service.
Dr. Kisha Mitchell Richards
We are in a space that everything is pretty trying right now. There are many, many things that are very difficult. So as an organization, what are we doing to welcome people, grow them, help them develop and help them be happy in their careers and have some sense of sustainability? What can we do as an organization to support that?
Elizabeth McMahon
And finally, if you run a laboratory and want the inside scoop on what inspectors look for during their lab staff competency assessments, you'll want to attend a CAP webinar at 10 AM Central on November 17th. The session with accreditation and education experts will help you prepare for your next inspection with tips on using the CAP competency assessment hub to manage your team's training and evaluate its skills. Experts will help you decode regulatory requirements and provide pointers on streamlining training and assessment, documentation, and continuing education. That's all for today. Be sure to check the show notes for more information on today's stories. Got a story you'd like to hear on the podcast? Write to us at stories at CAP.org. We're back at 5 AM Eastern for another episode of CAP News. I'm Elizabeth McMahon. Have a great day.