ABPath Pediatric Pathology study plan
ABPath Pediatric Pathology · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 6 hours per week
Embryologic, fetal and childhood growth and development & Congenital malformations and complexes
Diagram normal embryologic timing of organogenesis and correlate each window with the malformations it predicts
Classify congenital malformations by pathogenesis (malformation, disruption, deformation, dysplasia) using self-written vignettes
List recognized malformation complexes/associations and state the component anomalies for each
Explain fetal growth restriction patterns (symmetric vs asymmetric) and their developmental correlates
Your checkpoint
One-page timing chart linking embryologic windows to specific malformation categories, plus 25 self-written classification vignettes with answers
Maternal-fetal interactions & Abnormalities of the placenta and amniotic fluid
Describe placental development and maternal-fetal interface physiology relevant to transport and immune tolerance
Compare placental lesions by gross and microscopic pattern and state their clinical significance
Interpret amniotic fluid volume abnormalities in terms of fetal and maternal contributors
Explain maternal disease effects on the fetus (diabetes, hypertension, isoimmunization) mechanistically
Your checkpoint
Annotated table of 20 placental/amniotic fluid findings with mechanism and fetal consequence
Intrauterine demise, perinatal and iatrogenic problems & Autopsy and forensic pathology
Differentiate causes of intrauterine demise by timing and placental/autopsy findings
Outline a systematic fetal and perinatal autopsy approach including radiography, photography, and tissue sampling
Identify iatrogenic and perinatal complications (complications of prematurity, instrumentation, therapy effects)
Describe forensic considerations unique to pediatric deaths, including injury pattern interpretation
Your checkpoint
Written fetal autopsy protocol checklist plus 15 cause-of-death scenarios mapped to expected findings
Metabolic, nutritional and immunologic principles and disorders & Infectious diseases
Contrast inborn errors of metabolism by category with their characteristic neonatal presentations and screening analytes
Explain nutritional deficiency and immune deficiency presentations in children
Build a pathogen-to-lesion map for congenital and perinatal infections (TORCH and beyond)
Distinguish infectious from metabolic mimics in the neonate
Your checkpoint
Two-sided rapid-reference card: metabolic categories and congenital infection patterns, self-quizzed to 90% recall
Neoplasia & Ancillary testing, including immunohistochemical and special histochemical procedures, flow cytometry, DNA hybridization, and cytogenetic and molecular techniques and interpretations
Classify pediatric tumors by age group and site with characteristic translocations and molecular drivers
Select appropriate ancillary studies (IHC panels, flow cytometry, FISH, molecular) for common pediatric diagnostic dilemmas
Interpret cytogenetic and molecular results in the context of pediatric neoplastic and constitutional diagnoses
Explain special histochemical roles and limits in pediatric tissue
Your checkpoint
Pediatric tumor table (entity, age, site, IHC/molecular hallmark) covering at least 20 entities, plus 15 ancillary-testing interpretation questions with rationales
Pediatric aspects of laboratory medicine, including hematology, blood banking/transfusion medicine, microbiology, genomic pathology and chemical pathology
Interpret pediatric hematology parameters including age-specific reference intervals and anemia/coagulation patterns
Apply transfusion medicine principles specific to neonates and children (component selection, irradiation, volume)
Describe pediatric microbiology specimen handling and interpretation pitfalls
Explain genomic and chemical pathology testing relevant to pediatric diagnosis and newborn screening
Your checkpoint
Age-specific reference interval summary sheet plus 20 laboratory medicine case questions with answers
Laboratory management and quality assurance and their implementation & Ancillary testing, including immunohistochemical and special histochemical procedures, flow cytometry, DNA hybridization, and cytogenetic and molecular techniques and interpretations
Design quality assurance and proficiency monitoring steps for a pediatric pathology laboratory
Evaluate validation and regulatory requirements for new ancillary assays
Apply error-reduction and safety practices to specimen handling and reporting
Integrate ancillary testing into quality metrics and turnaround expectations
Your checkpoint
Draft QA plan for one ancillary assay from validation through proficiency monitoring
Embryologic, fetal and childhood growth and development & Congenital malformations and complexes & Neoplasia
Synthesize high-yield content from the heaviest domains into a condensed review
Complete timed mixed-domain practice sets and analyze error patterns by domain
Re-drill previously missed concepts until consistent recall is achieved
Finalize a personal weak-area remediation list for post-plan study
Your checkpoint
Timed 100-question mixed self-assessment with error log and remediation list
Milestones
Week 2: Can explain any placental or amniotic fluid finding's mechanism and fetal consequence without notes
Week 4: Scores at least 80% on a self-written mixed set covering domains 1-7
Week 6: Can state age-specific laboratory interpretation principles and select correct ancillary studies for 15 pediatric scenarios
Week 8: Completes timed mixed set with error log showing improvement from week 4 baseline