Legal aspects of laboratory medicine and pathology for residents and fellows: a curriculum for pathology training programs.

Context: Preparing residents and fellows to manage laboratories and pathology practices increasingly requires awareness of the law and a framework within which to manage legal risk in dealing with compliance, malpractice, and human resources issues.

Objectives: To describe a curriculum for pathology and laboratory medicine residents and fellows that highlights activities most likely to result in adverse legal outcomes and to help trainees understand when the services of an attorney may be required.

Design: The 3-hour course evolved as part of a comprehensive leadership and management curriculum designed to help meet systems-based practice and professionalism requirements.