Who decides if something is a CP or AP rotation?

[duffy A]

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When you sign up for the boards, you need to designate your rotations as AP or CP. I notice that molecular pathology and informatics are listed for both. Does that mean I get to choose which category it fits under (e.g. AP or CP)? Or, do I list my rotation under CP if it was a "CP-predominate" molecular rotation? Perhaps my program director gets to choose ...

The problem I see is the overlap in these rotations between AP and CP. Our rotations involve both microbiologic/genetic testing and cancer genomics. So where does it fit? Maybe they envision that each of those rotations, whether listed under AP or CP for registration purposes, covers the same things.

Thanks.

P.S.: Makes more of a difference to me because I'm going CP only and need to reach my 24 months. Thanks.

 

[pathstudent]

When you sign up for the boards, you need to designate your rotations as AP or CP. I notice that molecular pathology and informatics are listed for both. Does that mean I get to choose which category it fits under (e.g. AP or CP)? Or, do I list my rotation under CP if it was a "CP-predominate" molecular rotation? Perhaps my program director gets to choose ...

The problem I see is the overlap in these rotations between AP and CP. Our rotations involve both microbiologic/genetic testing and cancer genomics. So where does it fit? Maybe they envision that each of those rotations, whether listed under AP or CP for registration purposes, covers the same things.

Thanks.

P.S.: Makes more of a difference to me because I'm going CP only and need to reach my 24 months. Thanks.

Ask your PD.

 

[deleted314957]

Call it whatever makes it fit your 24 months. They won't know or care. They're happy with your check.

 

[lipomas]

If you're doing CP only then shouldn't they all be CP? You have no AP requirement, so call it CP. There is overlap but you shouldn't be doing anything that is AP in a CP only residency.

 

[mlw03]

If you're doing CP only then shouldn't they all be CP? You have no AP requirement, so call it CP. There is overlap but you shouldn't be doing anything that is AP in a CP only residency.

Not sure I agree with that. I was AP only and did 2 months I designated as CP (one blood bank, one community pathology). But agree that for this guy, just call the optional ones CP if that's what you need.

 

[duffy A]

If you're doing CP only then shouldn't they all be CP? You have no AP requirement, so call it CP. There is overlap but you shouldn't be doing anything that is AP in a CP only residency.

I started AP/CP but am now doing a CP-only track in my 4th year to only take the CP boards (need 24 months of CP with 12 months of either AP or CP to qualify). On my registration, I'll be listing AP rotations in addition to CP ones to fill up to the required 36 months. Like most programs, mine is AP-heavy, so trying to squeeze in the necessary CP ones gets a little tight.

I guess it's sort of a philosophical question as it doesn't make sense to me for different residents in different programs to be listing the same rotations under different categories. Seems like there is little consistency. Some places put lymph node biopsies into surgical pathology; my program included those under hematology/clinical pathology. Rather then splitting the crossover rotations up into AP or CP, they should probably just say, "you need a, b, and c to be AP/CP, a and b to be CP only, and b and c to be AP only".

 

[KCShaw]

So you would rather be micromanaged?

I don't see where the problem is, really. Yeah, there's some occasional tittering over what to call a couple of rotations in 3 years. Big woop. I'll take that ounce of freedom and flexibility to take some things that might interest me over a very rigid dictate that I take things that I know don't interest me or just make me one more cookie cutter product. There may always be a few things one will "have" to take, but I would need a much better reason before eliminating flexibility just so labeling can be easier.