Angela J. Wood, MD1 (E-mail: wood.angela@...); Kimberly K. Otte, JD2; Sharon C. Zehe, JD2; Brad S. Karon, MD, PhD1; James S. Hernandez, MD.1
Department of 1Laboratory Medicine and Pathology and 2Mayo Clinic Legal Department, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn.
Context: Preparing residents and fellows to manage laboratories and pathology practices requires an increasing awareness of the law. Trainees in laboratory medicine and pathology need a framework within which to identify and manage legal risks in dealing with compliance, malpractice, and human resources problems. We describe a curriculum for residents and fellows that highlights activities most likely to result in adverse legal outcomes and helps trainees understand when the services of an attorney may be required.
Design: This 2-hour course was part of a comprehensive Leadership and Management Curriculum designed to help meet the system-based practice and professionalism requirements of the American College of Graduate Medical Education. Didactic lectures and interactive case scenarios were presented, and participants evaluated the course content and speakers. Short-term knowledge accumulation was assessed by comparison of performance between junior and senior residents on the laboratory administration section of the residency in-service examination.
Results: The course was evaluated on a 5-point scale by 53 trainees during a 4-year period (2004–2007), with a mean overall rating of 4.4 (range, 3.5–4.7). Senior residents had a mean (±SD) score on the laboratory administration section of the residency in-service examination of 526 ± 37 over the same time period, compared with their junior resident peers, who scored 459 ± 46 (P = .02).
Conclusions: This 2-hour module has improved the skills and knowledge of potential laboratory medical directors to prepare them to lead complex medical laboratories. This course can be modified to meet the local needs of other pathology and laboratory medicine training programs.
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