OVERVIEW:
Pathology is an exciting field of medicine, in part because it offers so many different career opportunities. The Residency in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology at the University at Stony Brook is designed to prepare pathologists-in-training for diverse career goals, by building curricula around their unique backgrounds, interests and needs. The order, duration and content of rotations are based upon the specific plans of each resident, and are revised as those plans are refined. There is no standardized program or preconceived notion of appropriateness. All individual schedules ultimately include the elements required for Board Certification, but they each contain enrichment with additional experiences needed for particular careers, as well as limited exposures to activities which may not be central to future practice.
Time and convenience are important to busy residents. At Stony Brook, no time is wasted in commutation between training sites. Virtually all activities take place in the University Hospital at Stony Brook, the main teaching hospital of the Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University. The Hospital is one of several towers of the Health Sciences Center arising from a common base which houses the libraries, classrooms, lecture halls, food services, bookstore, bank and other amenities. Other towers, reached by elevator from the base or by upper level "sky" bridges, are the sites of departmental and faculty offices and research laboratories. It is not necessary to put on a jacket or even to allow transit time to go to the library, have a slide prepared by media services, attend a lecture, or return to finish an experiment.
The Stony Brook Department of Pathology is relaxed and congenial. The faculty, many of whom have received awards for teaching, enjoys having residents among them and treats them with respect. Teaching and learning are important to everyone. Faculty, senior residents and fellows always make time to discuss a case or an idea with junior housestaff and with each other. Our conferences are opportunities to share knowledge and experience and everyone makes an effort to attend all of them. In addition to informal and formal educational encounters, the department has frequent luncheon get-togethers that are purely social and provide a chance to laugh at each other's jokes. There is always someone there to help when there is a problem, whether professional or personal. For the most part, we like each other and all of us look forward to coming to work in the morning.
Work is only part of one's life. During the day you may wish to go outside to throw a Frisbee on one of the large green fields surrounding the campus buildings or have lunch at a picnic table. The University at Stony Brook presents its staff and students and their families with many opportunities for recreation and entertainment. The five square mile campus boasts extensive well-maintained bicycle trails. It contains an expansive sports complex where faculty and students can use modern facilities and where Division I sports teams can be seen and cheered on. There is a large Fine Arts Center with a rich program of musical, dancing, and theatrical events throughout the year. In addition to the campus resources, there are a vast number of ocean and bay beaches, parks with ball fields, hiking trails and navigable rivers, golf courses, and the great sailing and boating waters of Long Island Sound and the Great South Bay. The safe and lovely exurban neighborhood of the School and Hospital is complemented by nearby New York City with its unrivaled theatre district, museums, restaurants and cultural diversity.
