Education in Autopsy: More Than the Y-Shaped Incision: Entrusting Trainees for the Future

Abstract Training in autopsy encompasses the acquisition of skills and knowledge beyond the Y-shaped incision. In addition to learning basic tissue examination and processing skills, the autopsy service provides education in teamwork, professionalism and leadership, communication, public health, research, and self-reflection. Regardless of future specialization or practice setting, education provided by the autopsy has the potential to influence both the professional and personal lives of the trainees. Despite widespread agreement that autopsy education improves patient care, challenges to building and maintaining a dynamic and educational autopsy service exist and include factors that are both intrinsic and extrinsic to the practice of autopsy itself. Challenges including adequate volume of cases, knowledge of the procedure and skill in obtaining consent for autopsies, inclusion of an autopsy experience in medical school curriculums, competition for resident time, lack of subspecialists such as pediatric/perinatal and cardiac pathologists, and political action to gain support from regulatory bodies are addressed. Finally, we explore the way forward in autopsy education. Solutions such as the standardization of the educational autopsy, valuing the quality of competence over quantity of cases, and benefits of the Office of Decedent Affairs are discussed. By rededicating ourselves to the education of trainees via experiences on the autopsy service, we empower them to harness the many opportunities offered by the postmortem examination and ensure autopsy's seat at the table in 21st-century medicine.