CAPcasts

Learning how to communicate effectively is a critical skill for pathologists, particularly those who are new in practice. Patients and clinicians rely on the pathologist’s ability to communicate— be it a pathology report, an email, at a tumor conference, a medical staff meeting or through the various types of social media. Indeed, a solid communication strategy will elevate your professional standing and more importantly, lead to better patient care, according to Dr. Eric Glassy, who is leading a CAP18 session on this topic with Dr. Timothy Allen and Dr. Paul Bachner.

In this CAPcast, Dr. Glassy will elaborate on the importance of becoming a good communicator and what CAP18 attendees can expect in this course. For more information on CAP18, which will be held Oct. 20-24 in Chicago, please visit www.capannualmeeting.org.

CAP18, the CAP’s annual meeting, offers a diverse portfolio of programs that are central to daily practice. The meeting, which will be held Oct. 20-24 in Chicago (www.capannualmeeting.org), enables participants to increase their breadth and depth of knowledge on “bread and butter topics” as well as gain insight into advances in pathology. In this interview, Dr. Eli Morey, chair of the CAP’s Residents Forum, discusses how the meeting can benefit residents.

Unprofessional behaviors may occur at any level in any organization and can compromise workplace morale as well as patient care. In fact, unprofessional or unethical behaviors are among the most common reasons for disciplinary action taken by licensing boards and professional organizations.

In this CAPcast interview, Dr. Suzanne Powell discusses some common examples of unprofessional behavior, some approaches to responding to such behavior, and how to navigate sensitive issues of discrimination and privacy. Dr. Powell is Vice Chair of pathology at Houston Methodist, as well as Education Director of the AP/CP Residency Program. Dr. Powell will be joined by Dr. Ronald Domen in teaching a CAP18 course entitled “Vignettes in Ethics and Professionalism: A Case-Based Discussion” on Tuesday, Oct. 23 at from 3:30pm-5:30pm. To register for CAP18, please visit www.capannualmeeting.org.

What does a leading pathologist get out of the CAP annual meeting? In this CAPcast, Dr. Jennifer Hunt, Chair of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, discusses why she is attending CAP18, and what keeps her coming back to this annual meeting year after year. CAP18 will be held Oct. 20-24 in Chicago. To register for CAP18, please visit www.capannualmeeting.org.

Soft tissue pathology is uncommon in most settings. Many benign things look malignant and vice versa, sometimes presenting significant challenges for the general pathologist. But having a basic understanding of soft tissue pathology will aid in proper diagnosis and understanding when a consult is warranted, explains Dr. Nicole Riddle in this CAPcast interview. Dr. Riddle will be teaching a course on this topic at CAP18 held Oct. 20-24 in Chicago; learn more and register at www.capannualmeeting.org.

Twitter use by physicians, especially pathologists, continues to rapidly grow. Twitter provides an easy-to-use communications platform for rapid education, news, and networking that helps busy pathologists stay engaged and informed without taking up much time. Many pathologists see the benefits of joining Twitter but are unsure about how to get started, according to Dr. Jerad Gardner, who is leading a session on this topic at CAP18. In this CAPcast, Dr. Gardner discusses why Twitter is a powerful tool for pathologists, his experience on Twitter helping patients and colleagues, as well as how to confront some common challenges when getting started on this social media platform. For more information and to register for CAP18, please visit http://www.capannualmeeting.org.

Pathologists have not traditionally discussed cases directly with patients, nor have pathologists traditionally sat with patients and examined the patients' cases. But in today’s molecular era there is a growing need for pathologists to directly discuss with patients their diseases.

In this CAPcast, Dr. Timothy Allen will discuss the real-time anatomic pathology diagnostic management team conference, a new concept in which the pathologist joins clinical and radiologic colleagues in real time, using HIPAA-compliant Skype technology, to discuss with a patient (and possibly also the patient's family) the patient's disease process including diagnosis, current treatment, and future management. Dr. Allen will be teaming with Dr. Harpreet Talwar to teach a course on this topic at CAP18, which will be held Oct. 20-24 in Chicago. To register for CAP18, please visit www.capannualmeeting.org.

New laboratory directors are rarely prepared for regulatory and accreditation issues that face them. Even very seasoned pathologists and laboratory directors struggle to keep up with new regulatory requirements that pose high risk. In this CAPcast, Dr. Christina M. Wojewoda, a pathologist at the University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington, discusses these issues and shares her perspective on what new medical directors need to know about regulatory, accreditation, and compliance issues. Dr. Wojewoda is teaching a course on this topic at CAP18, which will be held Oct. 20-24 in Chicago. To register for CAP18, please visit www.capannualmeeting.org.

Social media is an important education tool for pathologists. Communicating through social media channels like Twitter and Facebook can help pathologists educate patients about diagnostic medicine. But pathologists can also learn from each other via social media, according to pathologist Dr. Kamran Mirza. Dr. Mirza is an assistant professor in the departments of pathology & laboratory medicine and medical education and serves as medical director of molecular pathology at Loyola University Health System in Chicago, as well as a graduate of the CAP’s Engaged Leadership Academy (https://capatholo.gy/2N8sTaQ). In this CAPcast, he discusses how pathologists can best leverage social media as an education tool—both to teach others as well as learn from others.

In the laboratory setting, feedback (or the lack thereof) extends beyond self-improvement and ultimately impacts patient care. In this CAPcast, Duke Health pathologist Dr. Sara Jiang discusses how to give and receive feedback effectively. Dr. Jiang and her Duke Pathology colleague Dr. Sarah Bean will once again teach their popular course, “Can You Hear Me Now?: Giving and Receiving Feedback Effectively” at CAP18 in October. More information on CAP18 can we found online at capannualmeeting.org.