Medical students' perceptions of pathology and the effect of the second-year pathology course

To explore the perceptions of medical students regarding pathology and the effect of the sophomore pathology course, a questionnaire was given to second-year students from 5 different medical schools at the beginning and again at the completion of their pathology course. The questionnaire was given to students in the class of 1995 and then again for those in the class of 2002, with nearly 1500 surveys collected over the study period. The survey included questions that sought to determine students' affinity for pathology, their understanding of the typical duties of a pathologist, and how they viewed pathology relative to other specialties and perceived positives and negatives of being a pathologist. Overall, the second-year pathology course had little effect on medical students' perceptions of pathology but did provide some increase in their understanding of pathology as a profession. Responses were in general stable when comparing the different classes. Those students interested in pathology emphasized the intellectual aspects of pathology although being less deterred by negative factors such as limited patient contact. In our sample of medical schools, the sophomore pathology course was ineffective at influencing students' perceptions of pathology. Furthermore, those students who are interested in pathology are drawn because of a perceived fit between their personalities and the perception of pathology as a solely scholarly and isolated specialty. Better education about the practice of pathology in the second year, and more importantly, continuing into the clinical years, is necessary to combat these misconceptions about pathology.