The crisis in the pathology subspecialty fellowship application process: Historical background and setting the stage

The process whereby pathology residents apply for fellowships for subspecialty training after residency has long been fraught with multiple problems. This paper reviews the history of the creation of such fellowships, as tied to requirements for eligibility for certification by the American Board of Pathology, going back to the inception of the Board in 1948. The problems with fellowship applications began to appear in conjunction with changes in Board requirements for basic certification, revolving around the “fifth year” or “credentialing year” requirements, and have created a situation where now residents mostly apply for fellowships while still in the second of their 4-year AP/CP residency. The pressures to apply ever-earlier, to accept offers with short intervals between offer and expiration, and how this damages programs, as well as residents, are reviewed. This paper is a companion to a larger examination of the current status of this problem, which also explores some means to ameliorate or eliminate those problems.