2+2 AP/CP programs

[somber]

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One of the residency programs I am interviewing at does 2 years of AP followed by 2 years of CP, rather than 4 years of integrated AP/CP.

I am concerned that I might forget my AP or fail to keep up with advances if I neglect AP for the final two years of residency. And then a 1-2 year specialized fellowship before returning to general surg path.

Anyone knowledgeable about such programs? Are these schedules problematic or do residents usually learn and retain an equivalent amount?

 

[pathstudent]

One of the residency programs I am interviewing at does 2 years of AP followed by 2 years of CP, rather than 4 years of integrated AP/CP.

I am concerned that I might forget my AP or fail to keep up with advances if I neglect AP for the final two years of residency. And then a 1-2 year specialized fellowship before returning to general surg path.

Anyone knowledgeable about such programs? Are these schedules problematic or do residents usually learn and retain an equivalent amount?

Stanford has the non-integrated 2+2 or at least had it for many years if they recently changed. Trust me Stanford grads have no problem passing boards or going on to be the guiding lights of academic pathology.

 

[Blind Guy]

WU/Barnes/SLCH has a 2+2 program. The best part is that you can't get pulled from CP rotations to go gross or cover posts. It really at 2.5/1.5 because the AP/CP people are expected to do 6 months of AP/SP elective time. I was in under the 5 year program so I did the selective pathology fellowship which helped support my AP/SP training.

 

[Ombret]

Both the 2+2 and the integrated model work, in that you will learn enough to pass boards and practice successfully. In my experience, people usually praise whichever model they experienced. As an AP-only resident, I found that being around residents on CP let me absorb some CP by osmosis, while keeping at bay any desire I might have developed to train in CP myself. My advice would be, don't worry about this issue too much.

 

[somber]

Thanks for the responses.

This is what I was hoping to hear, as the 2+2 program that I am going to be interviewing at is located in the city where I would most like to live, and it appears to be a good fit for me in several other ways.