Pediatric Pathology
Pediatric Pathology Exam Description
The examination in pediatric pathology is a one-day, computer-based examination consisting of combined Written and Practical sections and Virtual Microscopy (VM) sections. There are no glass slides, only VM. The examination is administered as follows:
| Pediatric Pathology Exam | Total Number of Questions | Total Time |
| Written/Practical Sections | 170 | 3 Hrs. 8 Mins |
| Virtual Microscopy | 65 | 3 Hrs. 15 Mins |
All questions are multiple-choice and in the one-best-answer format. The questions are designed to measure the candidate’s body of knowledge and problem-solving ability. The written examination includes theoretical, practical, and interpretive aspects of pediatric pathology relative to disease processes and patient care. The practical examination includes images of gross and microscopic specimens, cytogenetic preparations, graphs, charts, and special histochemical and molecular techniques. The microscopic examination includes tissue sections and hematologic and cytologic preparations pertaining to diagnosis, implications, and prognosis.
Subject areas covered include, but are not limited to:
- Embryologic, fetal and childhood growth and development
- Maternal-fetal interactions
- Abnormalities of the placenta and amniotic fluid
- Intrauterine demise, perinatal and iatrogenic problems
- Congenital malformations and complexes
- Metabolic, nutitional and immunologic principles and disorders
- Infectious diseases
- Neoplasia
- Handling and processing of specimens, special histochemical procedures, labeling of cells, flow cytometry, DNA hybridization, and other techniques
- Pediatric aspects of other areas of pathology, including neuropathology, hematology, blood banking/transfusion medicine, microbiology, chemical pathology, and forensic pathology
- Laboratory management and quality assurance and their implementation
- Cytogenetic techniques and interpretations
