Mission & Goals

Mission

The mission of the EVMS Pathologists' Assistant program is to educate and train individuals to become academically qualified and highly competent allied health professionals as pathologists' assistants that provide surgical, autopsy and forensic pathology professional services under the guidance of a board certified pathologist. The program will prepare students to successfully complete the national certification exam administered by the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP).

Upon completing this program, students will have acquired the necessary skills and demonstrated the professionalism required to fulfill the responsibilities of a pathologists' assistant and shall be prepared to serve in hospitals, clinical laboratories, biorepositories and medical teaching facilities.

Goals

Our program establishes the following student expectations and learning outcomes upon completion of the program. The program goals are related to the mission of EVMS and the School of Health Professions. Achievement of these goals is evaluated directly or indirectly utilizing tools that measure specific outcomes related to the goals.

The goals for the Pathologists' Assistant program are:

1. Academics: Graduates shall have a solid foundation of knowledge on which to build their careers and shall be capable of self-directed learning to allow for adaptability in clinical practice as well as continued professional development.
2. Professionalism: Graduates shall have an understanding of the importance of professionalism and ethical behavior as it relates to themselves, their employer, their profession, their patients and the greater community. They shall conduct themselves in a manner that is consistent with this understanding.
3. Educational Teaching: Graduates will have an understanding of educational theories and shall be capable to serve as educators, to teach pathology residents, medical students and other students of pathology utilizing various proven methods of instruction.
4. Surgical Pathology: Graduates shall have an understanding of anatomic pathology laboratory techniques and operations and shall execute the duties required of a pathologists' assistant, including pre-analytic, analytic and post-analytic gross room functions.
5. Medical Autopsy Pathology: Graduates shall have an appreciation of the role of the medical autopsy and an understanding of legal, ethical and technical requirements. They shall be able to execute the duties of a pathologists' assistant in the preparation, performance and reporting of an autopsy.
6. Forensic Autopsy Pathology: Graduates shall understand the role of the forensic autopsy in the medico-legal system and the legal, ethical and technical requirements involved. Students shall be proficient in forensic techniques such that they may participate in post-mortem examination and evidence collection in a manner consistent with practice as a pathologists’ assistant.
7. Laboratory Administration & Management: Graduates shall have an understanding of basic theory and regulatory requirements of a medical laboratory and shall have proficiency in basic elements of laboratory administration and management.
8. Biorepository Operations: Graduates shall have an understanding of biorepository operations and regulations and shall have experience working in this environment.