My first position in digital pathology sales, was to sell virtual microscopy server software to medical, dental, and veterinary schools as an adjunct to microscopy or for the replacement of microscopes. I loved selling this product and I loved the people I sold it to; this position truly sparked my passion for digital pathology.
With one of my favorite annual educational meetings the International Association of Medical Science Educators (IAMSE) starting this weekend in New Orleans, I thought it was the perfect time to talk about the current state of digital pathology in education and provide some helpful advice to those who use virtual slides or are considering adding virtual slides to their curriculum.
Want to add virtual slides to your curriculum?
- You can start out slow and gradually convert to a virtual slide based curriculum.
- Do not under estimate the importance of your servers and network infrastructure. Without a solid infrastructure, no program will be successful.
- Have more than one champion! You cannot do this alone, nor do you want to. The #1 reason a program fails, or does not last is because the faculty do not want to accept the technology or the champion leaves the program.
- Talk with your colleagues. With approximately 50% of programs using virtual slides you will know someone who can share their experiences, best practices, or that you could collaborate with.
- There is lots of published data. Visit www.thedigitalpathologywiki.com and visit the education section for a list.
A few years ago education was a big area of focus for several manufacturers, but now the focus has shifted to the clinical use of digital pathology for primary diagnosis. Although this shift is not a surprise, we must not forget that without the acceptance of digital pathology in education we would not be where we are today. The foundation that digital pathology in education creates is essential to the growth and acceptance of this technology worldwide, and to the interest of histology and pathology as medical professions.
Need to change or update your virtual slide based curriculum?
- You have options! Most manufacturers now support multiple virtual slide formats so that you do not lose all the virtual slides and content you have created over the years.
- You must budget for and plan to update your servers and evaluate your network infrastructure.
- Worried about support and upgrades from your current provider? No one will pull the plug, but software upgrades may stop. Therefore, you may want to create a migration strategy.
The kindness, generosity, and patience of educators is remarkable. One of my favorite moments was when Dr. Mark Braun of Indiana University in Bloomington gave thanks to me on his poster at an IAMSE meeting, but really it is me who should be giving thanks. Thank you to all the educators who I have worked with over the years- you all contributed to my professional growth and understanding of histology and pathology.
If you are a member of CAP, take the FREE Digital Pathology Interactive Presentation: The Exciting and Expanding Role of Digital Pathology in Pathology Education
Current providers of digital pathology solutions for education:
