Progress 09/01/16 to 08/31/21
Outputs
Target Audience:
Nothing Reported
Changes/Problems:The project was modified in early 2018 to offer 3 positions instead of 4 due to the lack of applicants for the position in the first year. Even though with the modification applicants were scarce. We were granted a non-cost extension for this project to be able to accomplish our goals and objectives. We had our 3rd and final resident during the project extension from August 20, 2020 to August 31 of 2021. Another significant problem was that the residents did not complete the maximum the program would allowed a student to stay (14 months), mainly because they had job offers and left the program to take a permanent position. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?
Nothing Reported
How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?
Nothing Reported
What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
"The goals of this project are to offer training opportunity for 4 senior residents in veterinary pathology within a diagnostic laboratory setting in a rural area and to increase diagnostic support for critical/high food animal veterinarian shortage areas in South Georgia." The project was modified in early 2018 to offer 3 positions instead of 4 due to the lack of applicants for the position in the first year. Even though with the modification applicants were scarce. We had three residents during the project: 1st resident: July 1, 2018 to January 31, 2019. 2nd resident: February 17, 2020 to July 31, 2020. 3rd resident: August 20, 2020 to August 31, 2020. Objectives: 1. Provide each resident with training in pathology, real experience working as a diagnostician, and opportunity to interact with food animal owners and veterinarians. 3. Increase support for food animal owners and practitioners in areas of food animal veterinarian shortage through the resident's availability to investigate outbreaks, herd health issues, and to visit farms with the laboratory field investigator. Each resident was provided opportunity to participate in diagnostic pathology and other activities in the laboratory during their residency programs. Activities for 1st and 2nd residents were detailed in the annual progresses reports for years 2019 and 2020. Our 3rd resident, participated in the program from August 20, 2020 to August 31, 2021. During this time, the resident was assigned to 133 days of pathology duty. She participated in 778 biopsies and 127 necropsies. Out of these necropsies 44 were bovine, 10 goats and sheep, 7 horses, 5 pigs, 6 chickens, 33 dogs, 11 cats, and 11 exotic/wildlife animals including miscellaneous birds and fish, and 2 rabbits, 1 snake, 1 rat, and 1 hedgehog. She submitted abstracts to 2 scientific meetings, the AAVLD annual meeting and ACVP annual meeting that were accepted for poster and oral presentations in October and November 2021. 2. Provide resident opportunity to become a board certified veterinary pathologist. Our 1st resident, took ACVP board exam in August 2018 and became ACVP board certified. Due to COVID-19 the ACVP phase 2 board exam was cancelled for the year of 2020 and our 2nd resident could not take the exam that year. Both, the 2nd and 3rd residents on our program have taken ACVP board exam in September 2021 and both have passed. All three of our residents are currently board certified veterinary pathologist. 4. Increase the likelihood of trainees to seek employment in veterinary diagnostic laboratories or state/federal agricultural agencies that employ veterinary pathologists/diagnosticians involved directly or indirectly with food animal. Our 1st resident is currently working as an Assistant Research Scientist and Co-Director of Infectious Diseases Laboratory of CVM, University of Georgia. This laboratory provides a number of tests for infectious diseases of animals, including food animal. Our 2nd resident is currently working as a pathologist and faculty member at our laboratory in Tifton, GA. Our laboratory is located on an area of shortage of large animal clinicians and our laboratory provides diagnostic support for large animal clinicians directly through necropsy and ancillary laboratory tests (bacteriology, serology, virology, molecular biology, and clinical pathology). Our 3rd resident is currently looking for a position in a diagnostic laboratory or university setting as a pathologist and will continue working as a diagnostician, probably as a poultry pathologist.
Publications
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Progress 09/01/19 to 08/31/20
Outputs
Target Audience:
Nothing Reported
Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?
Nothing Reported
How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?
Nothing Reported
What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We were granted a non-cost extension for this project to be able to accomplish our goals and objectives. We just had our 3rd and final resident starting her residency on August 20, 2020. We are planning to have her at the lab until the end of the project (August 31 of 2021).
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Our second resident started the program on February 17, 2020 and left the program on July 31st 2020. During this time, the resident participated in the pathology training residency program and was assigned to 75 days on necropsy duty and 2 days on biopsy duty. Initially her assignments were supervised and she was assigned to 31 days on necropsy duty and 2 days on biopsy duty under the supervision of a senior pathologist. For the remaining assignments (44 days on necropsy), the resident assumed the role of case coordinator. During residency, the resident was assigned a total of 95 necropsies and 25 biopsies. As case coordinator the resident completed 53 necropsies as the primary pathologist. Of these 95 total necropsy cases, 48 were cases of farm/large animals and included 30 cows, 7 small ruminants, 6 pigs, and 5 horses. Unfortunately, due to COVID-19 we had to temporarily cancel our in-house JPC pathology seminars and other rounds. These seminars and rounds are usually attended by laboratory residents, faculty and occasionally staff members. The resident did not have the opportunity to present cases at these seminars. Also, our own pathology regional meeting (SEVPAC) was also canceled this year due to COVID-19. The resident was supposed to present a case in this meeting as well. The resident had the opportunity to prepare a case submission to the JPC pathology seminar representing the laboratory. Due to COVID-19 the ACVP phase 2 exam boards was also cancelled for the year of 2020 and our 2nd resident could not take the exam this year. We hope she will take the exam in 2021. She is a brilliant young pathologist and now she is currently working as one of our faculty pathologist at our laboratory (Tifton Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine, UGA, Tifton). We are glad to retain her on our Diagnostic Laboratory team as a faculty and pathologist.
Publications
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Progress 09/01/18 to 08/31/19
Outputs
Target Audience:
Nothing Reported
Changes/Problems:We'll have to ask for a non-cost extension for the project to be able to accomplish ours goals and objectives for this project. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?
Nothing Reported
How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?
Nothing Reported
What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We still have the position open for the second resident, however it is becoming very difficult to recruit a senior resident for this position. We believe, the reasons are: the location of the laboratory (rural small town) and the national shortage of pathologist (large number of current open positions that are accepting board eligible candidates). We are currently advertising the position again and hope to have a new resident starting soon.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Our first resident started the program on July 1st 2018 and left the program on January 31st 2019. During this time, the resident participated in the pathology training residency program and was assigned to 26 days on necropsy duty and 28 days on biopsy duty. Initially her assignments were supervised and she was assigned to 15 days on necropsy duty and 15 days on biopsy duty under the supervision of a senior pathologist. For the remaining assignments (11 days on necropsy and 13 days on biopsy), the resident assumed the role of case coordinator. As case coordinator the resident completed 22 necropsies (11 farm animal cases) and 255 biopsies (mixed animals, majority small animals). The resident attended the in-house JPC pathology seminars and presented 44 slide cases on these seminars (15 cases farm animals, 14 cases dogs and cats, and 15 other species). Seminars were attended by laboratory faculty and occasionally staff members. The resident participated in a "Tuesday Histo Seminar" at the Department of Pathology UGA in Athens. In this seminar, she prepared 3 mystery slides for the junior residents and graded slide descriptions from the junior residents. She attended the American College of Veterinary Pathologist 2018 annual meeting and presented a poster presentation. The resident took ACVP phase 2 exam boards in August of 2018 and passed the exam, becoming a board certified veterinary pathologist. Unfortunately, she did not complete the full pathology training of 14 months at the Tifton Laboratory as a job opportunity became available. She is currently working as a Co-director of the Infectious Diseases Laboratory at the College of Veterinary Medicine, UGA, Athens.
Publications
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Progress 09/01/17 to 08/31/18
Outputs
Target Audience:
Nothing Reported
Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?
Nothing Reported
How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?
Nothing Reported
What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?During the next reporting period we will train the first resident for the remaining of the residency period. Training will consist of 3-week rotations that will be composed of 2 weeks of pathology service and 1 week for studying time. At any time, the resident will be available to investigate outbreaks and field cases as necessary. Other assignments will include pathology rounds, case reports/research publications, conference presentations. We will recrut the second resident through advertising the position in three websites: the UGA College of Veterinary Medicine - Department of Pathology website, American College of Veterinary Pathologists website, and the American Association of Veterinarian Laboratory Diagnosticians website. Candidate's applications will be reviewed and a candidate selected. The start date for the second resident is expected to be July 1st of 2019.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
We had two applicants for our position for 2018 and one resident was selected. Our first resident under this project started the senior residency program at the Tifton Diagnostic Laboratory on 07/01/18 and has been under training since then. The current resident has three years of pathology residency experience and this 4th year of training will give this student the opportunity to work as a diagnostician in a diagnostic laboratory setting in a small rural community along with experienced pathologists and food animal field investigators. This extra year of training will prepare this resident to become a board certified veterinary pathologist. We current have 3 experienced veterinary pathologists, the addition of a senior resident to our team of pathologists is expected to increase diagnostic support to food/farm owners and practitioners in South Georgia within the reach of the laboratory. The resident has been under training for over a month now and measurable accomplishments are not yet available.
Publications
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Progress 09/01/16 to 08/31/17
Outputs
Target Audience:
Nothing Reported
Changes/Problems:The project was initially to have 4 students in a 4-year period, each student to be at the laboratory for 14-months. Once we received award notice in September 2017, we created an advertisement that was published in two major national websites in which veterinary pathology residencies are advertised. We also advertised the positions in several professional associations listserv; however, we did not receive applications from any eligible candidates. After 6 months of advertising the position, we reviewed our proposal and thought that increasing stipend would attract more applicants for the position. Therefore, in early 2018, we decided to increase stipend and reduce the number of students to 3 instead of 4. Despite the substantial increase in the monthly salary, this change still didn't attract any qualified students to apply for the position up to this date. The short period of time (14-months) of the position now is thought to be a setback to attract students for these positions as we are considering that many students are not willing to move to a small rural area to spend only 14 months. Going forward we are planning to advertise for two positions: the 14-month senior residency program and a 3-year regular residency program. We believe that this way we will be able to fill the vacancies and have the project accomplished having two residents at the same time to compensate for the lack of residents so far. Advertisements for the 3-year position will be soon released. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?
Nothing Reported
How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?
Nothing Reported
What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We are planning to change to two positions, keep a senior 14-month position and create a regular 3-year position and have two residents at the same time to compensate for the lack of residents so far.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Unfortunately, so far we could not accomplish these goals as we are still having problems recruiting trainees for a senior residency position in a small rural area during a short period of time (14 months). Once we received award notice in September 2017, we created an advertisement that was published in two major national websites in which veterinary pathology residencies are advertised. We also advertised the positions in several professional associations listserv; however, we did not receive applications from any eligible candidates, despite the intense advertising and the reduction of the numbers of positions and increase in the salary that took place 6 months after the project was approved.
Publications
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