Pathology resident attitudes and opinions about pathologists' assistants.

Context: Changes in health care economics and organization have resulted in increased use of nonphysician providers in most health care settings. Attitudinal acceptance of nonphysician providers is important in the current health care environment.

Objectives: To obtain descriptive information regarding pathology resident attitudes and opinions about pathologists' assistants in anatomic pathology practice and to assess the implications of resident attitudes and opinions for pathology practice and training.

Design: A self-administered, mailed, voluntary, anonymous questionnaire was distributed to a cross-sectional sample of pathology residents in the United States (2531 pathology residents registered as resident members of one of the national pathology professional organizations). The questionnaire contained (1) items relating to resident demographics and program characteristics, (2) Likert-scale response items containing positive and negative statements about pathologists' assistants, (3) a multiple-choice item related to pathologists' assistants scope of practice, and (4) an open-ended item inviting additional comments. Both quantitative and qualitative analysis of responses was performed.

Results: The overall response rate was 19.4% (n = 490); 50% of the respondents were women, and 77% reported use of pathologists' assistants in their program. Most respondents were 25 to 35 years old and in postgraduate years 3 through 5 of their training, and most were located in the Midwestern United States. The majority of residents expressed overall positive attitudes and opinions about pathologists' assistants and felt that pathologists' assistants enhanced resident training by optimizing resident workload. A minority (10%-20%) of residents expressed negative attitudes or opinions about pathologists' assistants. Additionally, some residents reported a lack of knowledge about pathologists' assistants' training or roles.

Conclusions: Increased resident education and open discussion concerning pathologists' assistants may be beneficial for optimizing resident attitudes about and training experiences with pathologists' assistants.