For example, in a spleen case that appears to be lymphoma, the users might be asked if they want to do myeloid next-generation sequencing and have to respond yes or no. They would be given feedback that explains why that test was not performed. “Because it’s not relevant,” Dr. Bradley says. “Because we have the image that shows what looks like a lymphoid neoplasm, or the flow cytometry indicated a lymphoid population, not myeloid. So in these cases they’re getting feedback about each of the ancillary studies presented and can test their own knowledge.”
“It’s all about sharpening skills,” he says.
For ancillary testing, the approach is not whether an answer is correct or incorrect, “because that can be subjective,” he says, “and some of it depends on your practice and your workflow.” The feedback about each ancillary study provides the pros and cons of the test’s relevance to the case at hand.
The two mailings are in the spring and fall, and pathologists who complete one year in the program are awarded 12.5 category one CME credits.
What sets this program apart from other types of hematopathology education is its interactive nature, Dr. Nakashima says.
“It’s more of an active learning. You don’t just read a PDF and then answer CME questions,” though the cases are provided as PDFs so they can be compiled in a notebook if the user wishes. Then, too, there’s the expert Hematopathology Committee members who select and write the cases. “Experienced pathologists who are great teachers, each of whom is writing one case a year,” she says, each one followed by extensive peer review provided by three to four other hematopathologist committee members.
It’s that rigor that goes into each case that Dr. Bradley is proud of. “The quality of the writing, of the case presentation, and of the questions is unmatched. The best you can find out there for CME,” he says.
And it was a vision achieved collaboratively. In 2014, when Dr. Bradley was a member of the CAP Hematology and Clinical Microscopy Committee, he joined with William Karlon, MD, PhD, of the CAP Diagnostic Immunology and Flow Cytometry Committee, and Rajan Dewar, MBBS, PhD, of the Surgical Pathology Committee. Traditionally, he notes, CME activities consist of listening to lectures and answering multiple-choice questions. “We realized for hematopathology that was insufficient because we use so many different modalities to do the work. We envisioned a new learning activity,” one that would more closely align with what happens in everyday practice. “That was the goal,” he says. And with whole slide imaging, they knew it could be more interactive.
“We’re very visual learners in pathology. I want to see the flow cytometry, the immunohistochemical stains, the whole slide image, and put the information together. That’s how we practice. So it was a kind of meeting of the minds of leaders from each of these committees,” and together they proposed a new program.
Soon they and others were a working group, with the first HPATH program published in 2015. Later, in 2021, they became the Hematopathology Committee, backed by CAP staffer Stephanie Salansky, MS, MT(ASCP) (“an HPATH superstar,” Dr. Bradley says) and instructional designer Jennifer Livengood, PhD (“who makes sure the learning experience goes smoothly”).
Cases run the gamut, from benign to malignant, lymphoid and myeloid, and tissue, bone marrow, and blood, “to cover all of what hematopathology encompasses,” Dr. Nakashima says, including one pediatric hematopathology case each year.
“I learn from this program every time,” Dr. Bradley says. “I love reading the cases. They’re fantastic.”
Valerie Neff Newitt is a writer in Audubon, Pa. The HPATH program can be ordered through the CAP Surveys catalog at https://capatholo.gy/4bTHH8A.