ASCP Resident Membership

The medical residency program is designed to offer you more in-depth training and practicals in your chosen medical specialty.

Whether you choose the clinical pathology path or other medical laboratory pathway, do it right with the ASCP Resident Membership program.

What Is ASCP?

ASCP stands for the American Society for Clinical Pathology. This singular body serves thousands of pathologists and medical laboratory professionals worldwide.

To understand more about this body and how joining the ASCP Resident Membership program could take your career to a greater height, let's take a look at the story behind the ASCP.

History Of ASCP

The ASCP was birthed at Missouri Baptist Hospital.

On May 22, 1992, the two-day meeting of about 40 (later grew to 100) clinical pathologists in the 1922 directory of the American Medical Association gave rise to the formation of ASCP.

The major purpose of the ASCP was to “achieve greater scientific proficiency in clinical pathology and maintain the status of clinical pathology”.

Some of its core objectives include,

• Promote the practice of scientific medicine
• Stimulate original research work across its branches
• Establish updated and uniform standards for laboratory examinations
• Elevate scientific and professional levels of members in the career field
• Encourage across-boarded cooperation.

Mission Of ASCP

About a century later, the ASCP is still standing and remains true to its founding objectives.

With over 100,000 members worldwide, the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) mission remains resolute.

It is to offer the very best education, certification, and advocacy—all for patients, pathologists, and laboratory professionals.

Why Join The ASCP Resident Membership Program

As a pathology resident, joining the ASCP Resident Membership program offers you so much rewards.

Whether you're looking to join a fellowship, get a better job at the end of your residency, or migrate to the US, there is so much to gain from this career-defining program.

Access To Resources

Being an ASCP resident pathologist gives you unlimited access to a wide range of valuable information and materials you need to build your knowledge base and polish your skills.

Staying Updated

Consuming the frequent newsletters, journals, and materials that are continuously offered to you as an ASCP Resident member will always keep you abreast with the latest tools and best practices in the clinical pathology field.

Here are some of the ASCP resources designed to keep you informed while you continue with your Residency program in Pathology or medical laboratory science.

• Laboratory Medicine
• Critical Value
• ePolicy News
• AJCP
• ASCP News
• The Pathologist.

Educational Resources

The ASCP Resident Membership program rewards members with exceptional discounts to annual and weekend meetings, seminars, workshops, and continuing education (CE) programs.

These resources go a long way in contributing to your training and helping you grow in skills and knowledge.

Networking Opportunity

Thanks to the numerous live events and meetings organized by the ASCP, attending and becoming active in these events will bring you before many professionals who have made the journey before you.

Also, you equally get to network with fellow resident members, with whom you can share tips and ideas.

Certification

As a medical laboratory professional or pathologist, becoming ASCP-certified will set you on the road to a fruitful career.

The earliest and easiest approach to obtaining ASCP Certification is by joining the ASCP Resident Membership program.

Your membership in this program will give you early exposure to what it takes and how to pass the ASCP certification exam.

Support Programs

ASCP recognizes the importance of residents.

Besides making ASCP Resident Membership free, ASCP offers so many irresistible support programs to cater to the career and professional development of its resident members.

As an ASCP resident member, you're automatically eligible for different ASCP Resident awards and subspecialty grants.

Residents are also offered special discounts to participate in ASCP important events such as the ASCP annual meeting.

Your active participation in such discounted ASCP events gives you a rare chance to network with other pathologists and laboratory professionals.

You can equally take advantage of these events to get mentors and secure future jobs.

Guide to ASCP Resident Membership

ASCP has over 120,000 strong members, making them by far the biggest and the most unexpendable professional body for pathologists and medical laboratory professionals.

If you're running a medical residency program, either in pathology or medical laboratory science and your ambition is to get to the climax of your career, the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) Resident Membership program is your best bet.

How to Become an ASCP Resident Member

US Membership Option

Resident

You're eligible to be an ASCP Resident Member if you're a resident training to become a pathologist.

Your training must be at a recognized program in the US or Canada.

Cost:

The US Resident Membership is free.

Fellow in Training

Beyond the Residency program, you can only become eligible for the ASCP Fellow-in-Training Member if you've graduated from a residency program.

You must also be currently enrolled in a pathology fellowship program. 

Cost:

The Fellow-in-Training ASCP Membership is free.

International Residency Options

Resident

For non-US or Canada-based applicants, you're eligible to be an International ASCP Resident Member if you are a legally qualified physician.

Also, you must be actively training for a career in pathology and be enrolled in a reputable training program. 

ASCP Vs. Other Pathologist Organizations

Outside the ASCP, there are other professional bodies to champion the cause of pathologists worldwide.

How do these other pathologist organizations stack against the mighty ASCP?

ASCP Vs. CAP

The College of American Pathologists, also known as CAP is one of the renowned professional bodies of certified pathologists.

This reputable organization is dedicated to advancing and encouraging excellence in the field of medical laboratory science as well as pathology.

To achieve this goal, CAP works together with many professionals and employers to create a conducive work environment that revolves around excellence, partnership, respect, and accountability.

Over the years, CAP has collaborated with many American leading pathologists and other medical science and pathology professional bodies including ASCP.

The goal remains to advance medical science and pathology.

However, compared to the ASCP, CAP has fewer members (18,000) and as such, can never offer you the wide networking opportunity and exposure that comes from being an ASCP Resident Member.

Furthermore, ASCP caters even to pathologists and medical laboratory professionals working and living outside the US and Canada.

ASCP VS. NAACLS

Although both ASCP and NAACLS share the same goal, which is to encourage the advancement of medical laboratory science and pathology by setting standards–all for the benefit of patients and pathologists, the methods vary.

The National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences, also known as NAACLS is a reputable body, committed to being the number one accreditation organization for all clinical laboratory sciences and related healthcare disciplines.

In a more simple term, the NAACLS saddles itself with the responsibility of accreditation of medical laboratory science and pathology programs, both in the US and outside the US.

They target to filter the fluff from value-based programs that encourage professional advancement. 

Therefore, while the NAACLS works to verify programs, the ASCP awards certification to medical laboratory professionals and pathologists who have excelled in NAACLS-accredited programs and equally ace the ASCP certificate exam.

ASCP VS. USCAP

Just like the ASCP and CAP, the USCAP, otherwise known as the United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology (USCAP) is dedicated to advancing the field of pathology.

USCAP believes it can create better pathologists by offering various professional advancement materials.

These include providing sound continuing medical education resources as well as translational research–all to improve the pathology practice and patient health worldwide.

And just like the ASCP, USCAP offers a series of live courses. Its live courses feature Interactive Microscopy as well as an eLearning library of pathology education videos.

Furthermore, it hosts Annual Meeting, that boasts of one of the largest gatherings of pathologists in the US and Canada.

However, compared to ASCP, it has fewer reach. Besides having fewer reach despite being founded about a decade earlier than the ASCP, the USCAP has limited programs. 

ASCP Resident Membership: Success Stories

Still thinking about joining the ASCP Resident? Here are some success stories from past resident members.

Jessica A, Kogel, MD

“During my second year of pathology residency, I applied for the subspecialty grant program and I got to travel to the University of Pittsburgh and study with Leon Barnes and head and neck pathology. I learned pathology in a different setting than my home institution, a place where there were over 30 Pathology residents versus the 11 at my program.”

Robin Wirth, MD

” Well, it means quite a lot. It shows that what I did in my residency program is very important. It also helps me when I want to apply for fellowships and for jobs. It can be part of my CV.”

George Sneed, DO

“It's a proposal of processing these specimens differently. It is a standardization of processing… it's a bold move to process these specimens differently.”

ASCP Resident Membership Tools For Success

The ASCP understands your needs as a pathology resident.

Whether you're studying for boards want to apply for fellowships, or searching for your dream job, ASCP has all the right arsenal to make it happen.

Your ASCP Resident Membership gives you access to educational tools to help you build your pathology and laboratory medicine knowledge and skills.

Also, the networking opportunity that ASCP resident membership offers is unbeatable.

As a resident ASCP member, here are ASCP tools designed to give you an unsurmountable career success.

Pass My Boards

To help you pass your boards, take advantage of,

• Residency Program Education Resources
• Resident Online Education
• ASCP live events and Educational Meetings
• Journals & Books

Applying for Fellowship

To help you apply for a fellowship, ASCP resident membership tools goes you,

• Fellowship preparation instructions
• Proven tips for applying for a fellowship
• Preparatory materials for the interview
• Guideline for managing offers and contracts.

Applying For Jobs

To help you and your dream jobs, ASCP Resident membership gives you,

• CV samples to help you craft yours
• Strong references and recommendations
• Tips on writing strong cover letters
• Tips and strategies for organizing personal statement
• Network opportunity to acquire the best information.

Craft Your Career

To help you establish your career as a pathologist or medical laboratory professional, ASCP offers,

• Volunteer programs and communities to help you showcase your unique skills
• Recognition programs.

Bottom Line

Residency offers you an opportunity to work more toward your professional development.

Although as a resident with a focus on pathology or any other medical laboratory profession, you’re entirely free to do your residency program without joining the ASCP Resident Membership program or any other professional residency program.

But imagine all that you could be missing out on by not joining the world's best residency program—the ASCP Resident Membership.

You don’t have to limit yourself or your career.

Join the world’s largest pathology and medical laboratory residency membership.

Join the ASCP Resident Membership program today.

It is totally free!

For more information on how to join the ASCP membership or become ASCP Certified, feel free to contact MLSI Academy.

MLSIA has the most extensive information and resources you need to either pass the ASCP exam certification or become an Ascp member.

ASCP Resident Membership FAQs