Longitudinal engagement of pathology residents: a proposed approach for informatics training.

OBJECTIVES: The intersecting of pathology training and practice and the utilization of information technology has become an increasingly common occurrence, and the most effective means of teaching residents informatics during these invaluable years has yet to be firmly established. METHODS: In offering the idea of longitudinal engagement that stresses early and extended trainee involvement, we attempt to provide a different manner of helping address some of the leading time-limited issues surrounding education in informatics. RESULTS: The proposed model is intended to allow building off a base of fundamentals reached through introductory didactics, exposure to and active participation in departmental and hospital-wide administrative bodies, refining of initial skills gained through frequent mentoring and coaching, and combining these cumulative knowledge and experiential underpinnings with graduated responsibility in a particular area of expertise. CONCLUSIONS: In transforming the ways in which pathology residencies teach their trainees informatics, the prospects of realizing its potential utility are heightened.