Abstract
Introduction: Pathology is fundamental to patient care but is often perceived by medical students as a background, laboratory-based specialty. Limited early exposure may contribute to misconceptions about the role of pathologists and reduced interest in pathology as a career, particularly in Asia-Pacific medical education contexts.
Methods: This paper reports an institutional educational development initiative at Chiang Mai University, Thailand. A voluntary four-day Pathology Open House was offered to first-year medical students, providing early experiential exposure to authentic pathology practice through observation, limited hands-on activities, and informal interaction with faculty, residents, and laboratory staff. A post-program questionnaire incorporating retrospective pre-program ratings was used to assess students’ self-reported perceptions.
Results: Participants reported higher self-assessed scores following the program in their understanding of the professional role of pathologists and awareness of pathology’s contribution to patient care. Patient-facing activities, particularly observation of fine needle aspiration procedures, were perceived as the most impactful. Highly technical laboratory activities were viewed as less engaging unless explicitly linked to clinical outcomes.
Conclusion: An open-house–style program represents a feasible, low-resource approach to addressing professional invisibility and supporting early specialty exploration in pathology. This institutional report may inform similar initiatives in other medical schools across the Asia-Pacific region and beyond.