The purpose of this program is to train qualified candidates to be pathologists’ assistants. Upon successful completion of their training, graduates are employed by pathologists in hospital laboratories, clinical laboratories and medical research centers. Currently, there is a nationwide demand for pathologists' assistants. This demand results from the tremendous explosion in medical information and technology, the demand for new and more sophisticated pathological determinations and a national decline in the number of medical residents in pathology. Through their graduate studies, pathologists' assistant students are able to:

1. Develop a comprehensive knowledge of scientific facts, principles and data that contribute to the practice and operation of a pathology laboratory.

2. Understand performance‑based education in order to assist the anatomic pathologist in the hospital or in other medical environments.

3. Compare the structure and physiological functions of normal organs, tissues and cells to those of abnormal ones.

4. Understand the characteristics of stains and the staining properties of normal and abnormal cells and their cellular constituents.

5. Assist the pathologist who is determining the pathogenesis of disease by:

a. Properly collecting and handling specimens and keeping appropriate records using biomedical/photography techniques.

b. Submitting tissues and selecting the necessary and appropriate techniques for processing and proper staining procedures.

c. Reviewing histological slides for technical quality and collecting clinical information and laboratory data for final diagnosis by the pathologist.

6. Perform a postmortem examination and relate the clinical history to the results of the dissection.

7. Recognize and record anatomic and morphologic changes in relation to clinical manifestations and laboratory data for the pathologist's interpretation.

8. Understand the operation and services provided by the anatomic pathology laboratories and develop skills for the operation and management of the autopsy suite and surgical cutting room.

9. Interact with the pathologist by integrating didactic biomedical knowledge with practical hospital based training.

10. Through management training and experience, supervise and coordinate the work of other laboratory professionals.

The program is a cooperative educational endeavor involving Quinnipiac University; the Veterans Administration Medical Center,West Haven, Conn; Hospital of St. Raphael, New Haven, Conn; Norwalk Community Hospital, Norwalk, Conn; St. Vincent’s Medical Center, Bridgeport, Conn; Stamford Hospital, Stamford, Conn; St. Francis Hospital, Hartford, Conn; Connecticut State Medical Examiner Office, Farmington, Conn; UConn Health Center, Farmington, Conn; Hartford Hospital, Hartford, Conn; Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Conn; Baylor University, Houston, TX; Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, New York, NY; Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Mass; and Crouse Hospital, Syracuse, NY.

The program consists of both classroom and clinical training. When not attending formal courses or working with specific tutors, trainees are assigned to the laboratory service of the Veterans Administration Medical Center and/or other hospitals for practical training in anatomic pathology. Quinnipiac University is a charter member of the Association of Pathologists’ Assistant Training Programs, and its program meets criteria established by the American Association of Pathologists’ Assistants. This program is fully accredited by the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS).

Pathologists’ Assistant Program Curriculum

In addition to the college‑based classroom course work taken during the first year, the student is introduced and oriented to the pathologists’ assistant profession by weekly attendance at clinical and gross conferences at the veterans hospital. This facilitates early integration of the classroom course work with intensive clinical training during the second year. The student must have a grade point average of 3.0 before he or she is allowed to enter the clinical year.