Michael L. Weitzeil, MHS, PA(ASCP)CM, Program Director
Samantha Etters, MS, PA(ASCP)CM, Clinical Coordinator
Program Objectives
The Pathologists’ Assistant Program is committed to educate and train individuals to become academically qualified and highly competent Healthcare Professionals as Pathologists’ Assistants that provide surgical, autopsy, and forensic pathology professional services under the guidance of a board- certified pathologist. The program will prepare students to complete the American Society for Clinical Pathology Board of Certification examination for Pathologists’ Assistants. Upon completing this program, students will have acquired the necessary skills and demonstrated the professionalism required to fulfill the responsibilities of a Pathologists’ Assistant and shall be prepared to serve in hospitals, private laboratories, biorepositories, and medical teaching facilities.
The 24-month program leads to a Master of Health Science (MHS) in Pathologists’ Assistant Degree. The first year is focused on didactic coursework which encompass both lecture and laboratory formats. The second year is comprised of clinical rotation clerkships at affiliated local and regional hospitals, private pathology labs, major academic centers, and the Medical Examiner’s Office.
Curriculum Description
The program is a full-time professional degree program that leads to a Master of Health Science (MHS) degree. Students must complete a baccalaureate degree at an accredited college or university that includes specific pre-requisite courses prior to enrolling in the program. Students receive both clinical experience and didactic instruction throughout the program. The curriculum provides students with thorough theoretical and hands-on instruction in anatomy, pathology, microanatomy, disease mechanisms, molecular techniques, autopsy and surgical pathology and laboratory management principles. Required oral presentations by students include surgical and autopsy pathology case studies.
Accreditation
National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS) is the premier accreditation organization for pathologists’ assistant programs. Strict standards required for this accreditation ensure a quality education as well as preparation for the certification examination and competence in the field as a pathologists’ assistant. The UTHSC Pathologists’ Assistant program is seeking NAACLS accreditation and intends to have serious-applicant status by November 2024, which will grant students the opportunity to sit for the American Society of Clinical Pathology Board of Certification Examination for Pathologists’ Assistants.
For more information, please visit the NAACLS website or contact:
National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences
5600 N. River Rd.
Suite 720
Rosemont, IL 60018-5119
Telephone: 847.939.3597 or 773.714.8880
Admissions
The program will accept applications for admission into the Pathologists’ Assistant program from January 1st - May 31st of each year. All completed applications received within the application cycle will be reviewed. Select applicants will be invited for an in-person interview at the UTHSC campus in Memphis, TN. Notifications of acceptance will be made in July of each year and classes will begin the following January. To complete an application, visit the program’s website.
To be eligible for consideration for admission into the Pathologists’ Assistant program, applicants must meet the following requirements:
- A bachelor’s degree (BS or BA) from an accredited U.S. or Canadian undergraduate institution:
- Completion of all required pre-requisite courses must be included on transcripts
- Transcripts from all colleges/universities attended must be submitted
- An applicant may be conditionally accepted to a program without having completed all prerequisite work. However, coursework must be successfully completed prior to final acceptance and thereby starting the program.
- Pre-requisite courses:
- 8 semester hours of Biology with laboratory
- 8 semester hours of General Chemistry with laboratory (or equivalent)
- 4 semester hours of Microbiology with laboratory
- 4 semester hours of Organic Chemistry I with laboratory (or equivalent)
- 3 semester hours of Biochemistry I (or equivalent)
- 3 semester hours of College Algebra or higher
- 3 semester hours of English Composition or comparable
- 3 semester hours of Human Anatomy and/or Human Physiology
- Read through the Technical Standards and attest to the ability to meet them.
-
The following courses are not required for admission; however, these courses will enhance the applicant’s success in the Pathologists’ Assistant program and strengthen the application:
-
- Embryology
- Genetics
- Histology/Microanatomy
- Immunology
-
If an applicant accepts a position in the program:
- A $75 application fee will be applied to student account
- There is a $250 non-refundable holding fee, to guarantee spot in the program. This fee will be credited towards tuition and fees
-
- Recommended cumulative GPA of 3.0 and a recommended cumulative pre-requisite courses GPA of 3.0.
- Shadowing experience: 8 hours of gross room shadowing experience (required); autopsy shadowing experience (preferred). Applicants will be required to complete Shadowing Form(s) to document their surgical and autopsy shadowing experiences and upload them into their application (forms available on program website).
- Two letters of recommendation from individuals who can speak to the applicant’s intellectual ability, work ethic, and professionalism. Applicants will provide the recommender’s contact information.
- Upload a copy of their CV/Resume and a professional photo of themself in a word document
Health Requirements
In addition to general UTHSC requirements, students admitted to the program must submit evidence of good health. The health examination should include a chest x-ray or tuberculin skin test and a comprehensive eye examination which includes a test for color vision. (Imperfect color vision is not a basis for excluding an applicant from the program but instructors should know if this defect exists.) Students are also required to be immunized against Neisseria meningitidis and the Hepatitis B virus.
Technical Standards
For admission to the Pathologists’ Assistant program at UTHSC, students are expected to be able to successfully meet the Technical Standards outlined below. Students are required to sign the Technical Standards Commitment form indicating their understanding and ability to meet these standards either with or without accommodations (for persons with documented disabilities). Any questions about these technical standards should be directed to the program director.
UTHSC receives applications from a diverse body of potential students including those with disabilities. Reasonable accommodations will be provided to help students meet these technical standards when appropriate, in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Any student wishing accommodations should contact the Student Academic Support Services and Inclusion (SASSI) for further information. Information regarding accommodations can be found on the SASSI website page or by calling 901-448-5056.
In the event a student cannot fulfill these Technical Standards with or without reasonable accommodations at any time in the program, the student will be ineligible for admission or continued enrollment in the program. In addition to ensuring that students can meet the intellectual, emotion and physical criteria for cytotechnology and/or histotechnology, it should also be noted that of utmost importance is the student’s ability to provide for the welfare and safety of their patients and others. This is the foundation of all Technical Standards and if this cannot be done, the student is unable to meet the criteria outlined by the Technical Standards.
Once enrolled in the Pathologists’ Assistant Program, students must meet the requirements of the curriculum, including the demonstration of the skills described herein for the Program in order to progress through the curriculum and to graduate. The Pathologists’ Assistant Program’s Technical Standards are:
General Abilities:
- Ability to acquire information developed through didactic instruction, independent learning, clinical experience, and consultation
- Ability to complete written assignments and maintain written records
- Ability to perform duties and assignments in a timely fashion while under stress and in a variety of settings
- Ability to remain alert and concentrate for extended periods of time
- Ability to sit or stand for long periods of time while working at a gross bench
- Ability to understand reading assignments and to search and evaluate the literature
- Ability to use a computer for instructional assignments and patient care activities
- Possess organizational skills and be able to solve one or more problems within specific time frames which are often short
- Possess sufficient stamina to tolerate physically taxing workloads
- Visual acuity (corrected to 20/40); visual perception with respect to depth and the ability to differentiate between all colors
Observational/Sensory Skills:
- Ability to discriminate fine details and structures in objects
- Ability to observe demonstrations and participate in laboratory experiments
- Visual acuity (corrected to 20/40); visual perception with respect to depth and color
Physical and Motor Skills:
- Ability to grasp, pinch, push, pull, hold, extend, rotate, and cut
- Ability to manipulate, cut or control small objects such as tissues with forceps, scissors, and scalpels
- Dexterity with both wrists, hands and arms, and dexterity will all fingers
- Possess eye-hand coordination and ability to accurately judge distance and depth
- Possess sufficient motor function to operate/manipulate and maintain a microscope, and other laboratory instruments or equipment including computers
- Possess the ability dissect surgical specimens and prepare tissues for the microscopic examination to include the preparation of frozen and permanent sections for light, electron and immunofluorescent microscopy.
- Possess the motor skills necessary to perform the postmortem examinations to include the prosection, selection and preparation of tissues for examination
Communication:
- Ability to communicate in English in oral and written form
- Ability to participate in discussion in the classroom, the clinical arena and with colleagues and patients
Professional Conduct, Behavioral & Social Skills:
- Ability to adhere to safety guidelines for self and others
- Ability to comply with standards and regulations required by external agencies
- Ability to delegate responsibilities appropriately and supervise others
- Ability to follow instructions/procedures with accuracy and precision
- Ability to function as part of a team through communication, consultation, negotiation, and sharing
- Ability to learn and exhibit professional attributes
- Ability to maintain intellectual and emotional stability and maturity under stress, while also maintaining appropriate performance standards
- Ability to manage time, organize workload, and meet deadlines
Clinical Judgement:
- Ability to adapt to a variety of patient care situations, including crises
- Ability to make sound judgments and formulate diagnoses after correlating clinical data with laboratory findings
- Ability to obtain and/or verify patient samples
- Ability to prioritize and perform laboratory testing
- Ability to troubleshoot instrumentation problems and resolve staining inconsistencies
Clinical Experience
Clinical affiliation sites are located in Memphis, throughout Tennessee, and in other states. Due to the limited number of clinical sites in Memphis, it is necessary for students to accept the financial impact of traveling and living out of town for a portion of their clinical assignments. The Pathologists’ Assistant program will make every effort to place all students on clinical rotation. Occasionally, a scheduled clinical experience at an affiliation site is unavailable due to circumstances beyond the control of the University. However, because the experience is required for graduation, the program may arrange for other options that include placement at a more distant clinical site. A student’s graduation due to lack of clinical placement may be delayed if a clinical rotation cannot be secured and the student is not able to take advantage of the other options provided.
Program Specific Policies
Grading Policy
Written and practical examinations and performance evaluations are a part of the educational program. All courses in each term must be passed before the student is allowed to progress to the next term. No credit for any course is awarded until the end of the term. The point-grade conversion scale used by the Pathologists’ Assistant program for all courses is as follows:
- A = 100-94
- A- = 93-90
- B+ = 89-87
- B = 86-84
- B- = 83-80
- C+ = 79-77
- C = 76-74
- C- = 73-70
- F = <69
All final grades are rounded to the nearest whole number and assigned according to the grade-point conversion scale. Information about grading for incompletes and withdrawals is covered in the general college section of the bulletin. Students should reference this information about grade assignments in these situations.
Attendance Requirement
Pathologists’ Assistant students are expected to attend all scheduled classes, student labs, and clinical lab assignments. In the case of absence due to illness or emergency, the student should notify the appropriate faculty member and clinical site as soon as possible, but no later than 8:00AM of the day missed. For any other absences, prior arrangements must be made with the specific instructor(s) involved. Appointments for health services should not be made during scheduled class time.
