mgh:apresidenthandbook

Recent Updates

07/26 This page is currently under construction. Please contact the AP chief resident if you have any suggestions for additions.

Cab Vouchers

• Cab vouchers are accessible at all times and available for use on an as-needed basis for all residents and fellows. Cab vouchers are designed for usage in instances where residents and fellows may find themselves experiencing significant fatigue from long work hours or feeling physically unwell, making it unsafe to travel home using their usual transportation method. Whether it's due to extended shifts, illness, or other factors impacting your ability to drive or navigate public transportation safely, these vouchers are designed to provide a safe alternate way for you to get home. This service is available for both residents and fellows, so please don't hesitate to use it if needed.
• MGH Specific Info:
  • Cab Vouchers are located in the back of the AP chief resident office (WRN245) pinned on the top of the corkboard.
  • If you use the last voucher, please let the AP chief resident know so that the vouchers get replaced.
• Refer to the SharePoint Trainee Hub page (LINK HERE) for BWH specific cab voucher points.

CoPath and CoPath Search Tool

Sunquest’s CoPath is the Anatomic Pathology Laboratory Information System (APLIS) that we use at MGH. This is where we document the workup on our cases, from accessioning to sign-out. After attendings sign cases out in CoPath, the results will automatically cross into Epic and be visible by the clinical team (usually within ~ 1 hour). Once EPIC Beaker is live, all the functionality of CoPath will be replaced by EPIC Beaker.

• For an overall orientation, please review the following recording (LINK HERE) from Dr. Veronica Klepeis (06/26/2023). The final ~10 minutes of this video also has an overview of the CoPath Search Tool. See minutes below.
  • 04:00 How to open CoPath
  • 06:00 Overview of CoPath screens
  • 07:45 Getting started logging in for the first time + Main Menu
  • 10:00 Changing Password + My Favorites
  • 12:00 Worklists
  • 15:20 Looking for a case (“Specimens” Activity)
  • 18:45 Looking for information about a case (“Inquiry” Activity)
  • 24:40 Tracking information (within “Inquiry” Activity)
  • 25:15 Entering a gross description & histology tab (“Gross Description Entry/Edit” Activity)
  • 28:45 Explanation on why we don’t click the “Gross Complete” radio button
  • 30:00 How to order stains (“Stain/Process and Block Edit” Activity)
  • 35:30 How to enter a diagnosis (“Final Diagnosis Entry/Edit” Activity)
  • 41:45 Adding a synoptic report within CoPath
  • 44:30 Synoptic unlock tool
  • 45:00 Retrieval Flags
  • 48:30 Intraop tab within “Final Diagnosis Entry/Edit” Activity
  • 49:30 How to order stains using “Histology” tab
  • 51:30 Internal use only “Note” tab
  • 52:50 How to look up prior CoPath reports on a patient
  • 56:40 CoPath keyboard shortcuts
  • 58:00 End of CoPath portion
  • 1:01:55 Start of CoPath Search Tool Overview
  • 1:12:10 End of CoPath Search Tool Overview

• How to Open CoPath:
  • There are two very similar versions of CoPath
    • CoPath Live: Default to using this app. To find this icon, navigate to pat_pat1% > ~CoPath Desktop Icon~ > Copath Live Application. Using this app allows for Dragon Dictation and printing of cassettes/stickers in the gross lab. If you're having issues with CoPath and are unsure why, make sure you're using the Live version
    • CoPath Plus Citrix: Needed for when you're off-site and accessing CoPath through partners.workspace.org, however, you are unable to use Dragon Dictation or print cassettes/stickers in the gross lab.

• Logging In:
  • Username: Partners username
  • Password:
    • Your initial password is “password1”
    • After you log-in for the first time, go to “Browse All” on the left side of the screen to find the “Change Password” activity. Click on the “Change Password” activity to select your new password.
    • The password is specific to CoPath and is maintained within the application. EPIC and CoPath will prompt you to update your passwords at different intervals.
  • SPOT:
    • Not applicable if using the “Live” version
• To get started, you can set up the My Favorites tab with activities that you’ll use frequently. Do this by clicking “Browse All” (under the Explore heading), then dragging the desired activities onto the My Favorites tab at the bottom of the page. After they’re on the My Favorites tab, you can click on the tab to drag the activities into the desired order. Frequently used activities to add might include:
  • Specimens
  • Accession Entry/Edit
  • MGH Histology Frozen Section Label (x6)
  • MGH Asset Label
  • Container Label Reprint
  • Gross Description Entry/Edit
  • Final Diagnosis Entry/Edit
  • Group Order Stain/Process
  • Stain/Process and Block Edit
  • Cytopathology Results (Pathologist)
  • Specimen Tracking Update
  • View/Update Specimen Tracking
  • Procedure/Addendum Entry/Edit
  • Patient Report Single Print
  • Synoptic Unlock Tool
  • Change Password

Door Codes

• WRN1 Admin/Faculty: 1-5-2-4-3
• Putschar: 1-3-5-2-4
• Ackerman: 1-3-5-2-4
• Autopsy Office: 1-3-5-2-4
• Fellow’s Nest: 4-5-3-2-1
• Derm Path: 1-2-3

==Educational Resources & Libraries

• ExpertPath (LINK HERE)
  • ExpertPath is a great online histology reference that is provided to us by the pathology department. Some residents use this extensively in their first few years. Note that there is a “Normal Histology” section as well.
• Immunoquery (LINK HERE)
  • Immunoquery is another product from Elsevier that the department funds for us. This is a helpful tool for researching how various immunostains react with different tissues and tumors, and for building panels to help differentiate items on a differential diagnosis.
• PathPrimer (LINK HERE)
  • PathPrimer is a good board preparation resource. For AY '24-'25, all PGY2+s should have access to this resource
• WHO Blue Books (LINK HERE)
  • The WHO Classification of Tumours (“Blue Books”) are available online. This is an international resource that provides concise background information and diagnostic criteria for defined pathologic entities.
• Pathology Outlines (LINK HERE)
  • Pathology Outlines is an open-access website that is most useful when you want to search for information about a particular pathological entity. Each page contains brief clinical, gross, and histological information about the entity, as well as photos and cases that were uploaded by users of the site. It also has information about immunostains.
• Library Resources
  • Hollis Library
  • Treadwell Library

Microscopes

• Every resident/fellow desk should have a microscope at their desk
• Objectives: each scope has 2x, 4x, 10x, 20x, and 40x objectives.
  • 100x objectives are distributed to residents & fellows on hematopathology rotations.
  • If your scope is missing an objective, please do not take one from another microscope. Speak with the AP chief resident, who will help you find a replacement objective.
• Stage Clips: each scope can be equipped with a stage clip secured by two screws.
  • If you would like a stage clip + screws, please speak with the AP chief resident, who will get these to you.
  • If you do not want your stage clip + screws at your scope, please return these to the AP chief resident. The stage clip screws are easy to lose and expensive, so we need to be careful about where we store these.
• Polarizers: each of the sign-out booths in WRN245 has a polarizer set, which consists of a 1) U-POT polarizer (short cylinder that sits at the bottom of the scope) and 2) U-ANT polarizer (small disk that sits in a plate that slides in/out of the scope’s headpiece).
  • Use one of these booths if you need to polarize a slide
  • Please do not remove any polarizer sets from these booths; these sets are very expensive and we need to be careful to keep them well maintained.
• Microscope Maintenance / Repair:
  • If your microscope is not working, please let the AP chief resident know.
  • Our microscopes get maintenance work done every 6 months (~April / October); any non-urgent repair jobs could be scheduled for that time (pending departmental approval).
• Ergonomics / Kohler Illumination:
  • There are many online resources that help with setting up the optics on your microscope and settling in with good ergonomics.
  • Refer to page #2 of the Histocamp v5.0 Workbook (2024) for more information (LINK HERE).

Pager Operation (MGH Anatomic Pathology)

Refer to the AP Call Info page (Link Here) for up-to-date information.

---

Resident Portal