ASCP’s FREE Membership for Residents Underscores its Commitment to Prepare the Next Generation

Hannah Wang, MD, was in medical school at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine when she was inspired to go into pathology by her many mentors in the clinical microbiology laboratory. Soon after, she was nominated for an ASCP Medical Student Award and the organization caught her attention.

“After starting pathology residency, one of the upper year residents who had been mentoring me talked to me about the ASCP Resident Council. She was Chair-Elect that year and encouraged me to get involved.” she recalls.

That was just 18 months ago. Today, Dr. Wang is a fourth-year pathology resident at Stanford and Chair-Elect of the Resident Council.

“I would encourage all pathology residents to become involved in ASCP. For one thing, ASCP membership is free for all residents. It’s one of the few medical organizations that offers this opportunity to trainees. To me, it speaks to ASCP’s commitment to educate and prepare the next generation, and to build a community of medical professionals passionate about diagnostic medicine.”

Among the benefits are the Resident Question Bank, which helps prepare for the board exams, and the RISE exam. The RISE exam is one of the primary ways that residents can benchmark their performance to make sure they are on track and prepared for their boards.

“The RISE exam provides a breakdown of the topics we got wrong so that we can figure out what areas we need to focus on to improve,” she said. “I was really impressed that ASCP was able to reformat the RISE exam on such short notice to help keep residents safe without sacrificing our education during this pandemic.”

Dr. Wang’s advice to other residents:  “There is really no other venue that provides so many opportunities to meet other residents from different programs. In addition to serving on the Resident Council, there is also the Pathology Ambassador program that anyone can get involved in. It’s a great way to meet other residents from around the country and begin to build relationships with others who will be colleagues for years to come.”

Now’s the time to invest in yourself by renewing your ASCP membership today!