Management training for pathology residents. II. Experience with a focused curriculum.

Data collected from a survey of pathology training programs in the United States indicate that fewer than 50% of the programs provide a formal training experience in management. Pathologists face the challenge of effectively managing increasingly complex laboratory operations in a rapidly changing regulatory and reimbursement environment. The authors describe the outline of a management training program that emphasizes general management theory and practice and focuses strongly on the following: legal and regulatory requirements, fiscal and operational matters, and human resources functions. The curriculum includes lectures and participative experiences that are integrated into the residents' rotations through each section of the clinical laboratories.