Qualifications for Entry

(See general regulations - Doctor of Medicine)

Applicants will be eligible for entry after completing their Internship and Senior House Officer Rotations. Entry is subject to the approval of the Pathology Specialty Board with ratification by the Faculty of Medical Sciences Committee for Graduate Studies.

Aim

Applicants will be eligible for entry after completing their Internship and Senior House Officer Rotations. Entry is subject to the approval of the Pathology Specialty Board with ratification by the Faculty of Medical Sciences Committee for Graduate Studies.

To produce clinicians who are competent to practise at consultant level in the specialty of Chemical Pathology and subspecialties of pathology, able to take personal responsibility for their own activities and to work well as part of a team in the delivery of laboratory medicine component of healthcare services.

Course of Study

This should be read in conjunction with the general regulations - Doctor of Medicine.

The DM Chemical Pathology programme is a four-year graduate course which aims to provide the graduate with the knowledge and skills to function as a Consultant Chemical Pathologist equipped for independent practice in hospital-based and stand-alone clinical laboratories.

On acceptance to the programme there will be a six-month probation period during which the candidate’s performance will be assessed at regular intervals. Any candidate who fails the overall assessment during this period of probation will be required to withdraw from the programme.

The programme is divided into two parts: Part I and Part II

Part I

The first part is of a minimum of ninety-two (92) weeks duration, excluding leave and must include training in:
a) Chemical Pathology - 46 weeks
b) Anatomical Pathology - 23 weeks
c) Haematology/ Oncology - 23 weeks
Provided the in-course assessments are satisfactory, the Part I examination is taken at the end of the 92 weeks. Admission to the second part depends on satisfactory assessments and performance in the Part I Examination.

Part II

The second part is of a minimum of ninety-two (92) weeks duration, excluding leave. In the penultimate year only, it will include a six-month period in Internal Medicine at the University Hospital of the West Indies or at institutions in the contributing territories recognized by the University for this purpose and may include a period not exceeding six (6) months spent as an elective, providing that approval has been obtained from the Faculty Committee for Graduate Studies and the Board for Graduate Studies and Research beforehand. Such approval must be obtained at least six months prior to the commencement of the elective period.

The elective period may be spent in a hospital-based or stand-alone clinical laboratory, which can provide the student with experience not readily available at the hospital at which he/she is employed.

Teaching and training in teaching methods, research methodology and laboratory quality assurance and management are also integral components of the programme. All students should appreciate the need for ongoing research in the field and are encouraged to cooperate with research efforts of department/division members.

During the second part in Chemical Pathology, specialist training in clinical chemistry and laboratory management must be undertaken.