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Pathology Residency Program Frequently Asked Questions

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Kansas City is a great place to live! KC boasts big city amenities including: 

Though our city is a growing metropolis, KC is still a place where people smile and say hello to you on the street.

The central location of the University of Kansas Medical Center makes commuting a breeze whether you walk, bike, drive, or take advantage of Kansas City’s free public transportation on the KC Streetcar or RideKC buses. Getting in and out of KC is even easier with the new Kansas City International Airport featuring over 50 direct destinations.

Home to fantastic cuisine, including the nation’s best barbecue, Kansas truly has something for everybody! 

View more information about KC in general and KU Medical Center area resources.

Union Station Skyline, Credit: Jonathan Tasler

Kansas City has a wide variety of affordable and exciting housing options. Kansas City suburbs in Johnson County, Kansas and Jackson County, Missouri have some of the most livable cities in the country and are located within ten minutes of KUMC. Some residents purchase homes or rent in the suburbs, while others choose to live downtown in Country Club PlazaWaldo, or Brookside.

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Virtually all pathology graduates, regardless of training program, pursue fellowship training. Approximately a third of our graduates stay in Kansas City for fellowships in Cytopathology, Hematopathology, Surgical Pathology, or Blood Banking/Transfusion Medicine. Fellowships in Forensic Pathology and Pediatric Pathology are also offered by our affiliates in KC. Following fellowship, approximately 80% enter private practice in community hospitals and reference laboratories, and 20% pursue academic medical careers all over the country. It’s easy to fall in love with Kansas City and many of our graduates stay in the area after they finish their training.

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Yes! We have a >95% pass rate over the past ten years in both anatomic and clinical pathology.

Yes! Residents cover autopsy during surgical pathology rotations throughout their four years, accruing sufficient medical autopsies during those days. During residents' 2nd year, they also rotate at the Jackson County Medical Examiner (JCMEO) where they average 3-4 autopsies per day. Residents have the opportunity to pursue extra autopsy cases during this rotation if they are interested. Additional elective rotations are available at JCMEO for those interested in pursuing a career in forensics.

All new residents participate in "boot camp" training in the month of July, which includes introductory histology slide teaching sessions with faculty, as well as introductory didactic and hands-on training covering multiple rotations and topics. All PGY1 residents are paired with a senior resident during the entire first month of their surgical pathology/autopsy rotation at KU.  In addition, new residents are assigned a faculty mentor who can provide career guidance, opportunities for research, and help them deal with the demands of residency. Many of our faculty mentors trained at KU, and they are intimately familiar with the different hospitals and rotations that comprise the program. Our faculty are all dedicated teachers and personally invested in each resident's training and progress. New residents are also assigned a "big sib" PGY2 resident who can help them with questions on rotations and faculty as well as study and service concerns.

Both our program and the Graduate Medical Education (GME) department prioritize resident wellness. Various resources are freely available to residents including: 

  • educational support services
  • counseling
  • resources for moving to the KC area
  • childcare options
  • navigating resident life

Pathology residents in a boot camp histology slide teaching session

We find that our program's moderate size cultivates close friendships, and many of our residents enjoy spending time together outside of work as well as on campus. We have annual faculty / resident outings  such as a summer picnic and a winter party. We also host multiple program-sponsored activities for residents and their families like movie nights, pumpkin carving contests, volunteer opportunities, escape rooms, and competing in Kansas City's annual Dragon Boat Race.

group photo of family apple orchard outing

group photo of pumpkin carving contest

group photo of the Royal's game outing
group photo of golf outing

dragon boat race on the plaza

All residents are required to complete a scientific project during their training. This can take the form of a poster or platform presentation at a national meeting, or publication in a recognized journal.  A record of scientific achievement is helpful in securing fellowships and lays the foundation for an academic career and a career of life-long learning. Recent projects include case reports, case series, financial analyses, diagnostic concordance studies, tissue microarray, immunohistochemical and FISH studies.

researchers at poster presentation

For those interested in a more intense research experience, KU is affiliated with the Stowers Institute for Medical Research, one of the top independently funded research centers in the country, and we have a flourishing research division on campus with whom we often collaborate.

2 researchers in lab
Pathology researcher in lab

Pathology training at KU is very resident-focused. One benefit of a resident to fellow ratio of 16:4 is a lot of direct interaction with clinical faculty and more direct responsibility for case management. Our faculty are dedicated teachers, personally invested in each resident's training and progress.

At KU, surgical pathology is completely subspecialized. Residents rotate through two-week experiences in each subspecialty, with exposure to most or all subspecialties every year.  Grossing, autopsy, and frozen section service is incorporated into each rotation and we have an excellent team of certified pathology assistants and surgical pathology techs for assisting on grossing and frozen days. Depending on the subspecialty, rotations take place at the main KU hospital, the adjacent Cambridge tower, or a nearby outpatient surgery center. Each site has a fully equipped gross lab with frozen section capabilities and at least one pathology assistant and attending pathologist.

All residents start on the VA Hospital surgical pathology service, which is generalized sign out service on a two-day grossing-sign out schedule. Therefore, residents get exposure to several sign out models during their four years.

Surgical pathology residency

KU School of Medicine

University of Kansas Medical Center
Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine
Mail Stop 3045
3901 Rainbow Boulevard
Kansas City, KS 66160
Phone: 913-588-7070
Fax: 913-588-7073