Call subject patterns among on-call clinical pathology residents in an academic institution: how can tracking changes in patterns over time benefit resident education?

CONTEXT: On-call responsibility is an important part of residency training in clinical pathology. This task provides important consultative services for the hospital and serves as a valuable learning experience for the resident. OBJECTIVE: To identify the types of calls received by residents at a large teaching hospital, to assess how and why these calls have changed over time, and to determine the educational value in tracking such changes. DESIGN: A retrospective review of resident on-call records from 2 periods (2005-2006 and 1997-1998) was performed. Calls were classified based on the call subject and the caller. RESULTS: Although some general patterns remained similar, several differences were identified between the time periods. Calls regarding mislabeled specimens fell, while calls concerning panic values and the blood bank (specifically therapeutic apheresis) increased. CONCLUSIONS: The different patterns identified in calls between the 2 periods reflect the ever-changing role of the clinical pathologist within the hospital system and provide evidence that monitoring these shifting patterns could be a valuable tool in the education of clinical pathology residents.