Pathology Residency Mentorship

Peer and Faculty Mentorship

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Success as a future pathologist involves much more than memorization of pathological entities. Opportunities and career choices are diverse, and not always obvious. We believe that thoughtful mentors help residents navigate challenges, identify areas of potential interest, and create a career development plan.

In the fall of the first year of residency, a peer mentor, drawn from the residency’s second- and third-year residents, is assigned to each first-year resident. For 2023-2024, we plan to further develop this program, beginning with an initial luncheon meeting for all mentor-mentee pairs, followed by several more meetings of mentor-mentee pairs over the remainder of the first year with suggested topics to explore. The goal of this mentorship program is to help new residents take full advantage of everything the residency has to offer professionally while maintaining a healthy approach to work-life balance.

In the middle of the first year residency, a faculty mentor is assigned each first-year resident based on shared interests. This faculty member will remain available to the resident throughout their training, but we encourage trainees to seek mentorship from multiple faculty members.

In addition, the program directors meet individually with each resident twice per year to review the summative evaluation generated by the Clinical Competency Committee and to discuss each resident's professional goals, personal challenges, or any other topic that the resident wishes. The program directors are keenly interested in chatting with residents at any point in their training, whenever a resident runs across a potential sticking point, wants to celebrate a professional or personal win, or has any other need.

In addition to these in-house resources, BIDMC has a broad alumni network that current trainees can connect with depending on their individual interests.