The European Association of Pathology Chairs and Residency Program Directors (EAPCP) and i-Path have just completed their second live online competency test which was made available to over 1000 participants across 23 countries. 221 participants took part in a 2hr30 minute long exam viewing both digital slides and standard macroscopic images over a set of 70 Multiple Choice Questions.

This is the second test i-Path have delivered in a 2 year project aimed at evaluating skill levels and competency for pathologists across the European Union. EAPCP’s mandate is to promote harmonisation of specialist training, certification and practice for pathology across Europe. The test is part of the EU Erasmus LifeLong Learning program: EUROPALS. i-Path’s PathXL software was chosen as the platform for the test with all participants requiring only access to a web browser to take the test. I-Path scanned the slides using Aperio and Hamamatsu scanners, created the annotated test and hosted the software to both run the test and provide the final report from its headquarters in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

The results of the test were presented by the EUROPALS coordinator Professor Jan Van Den Tweel during the European Congress of Pathology meeting in Florence. Speaking of the July test Prof. Van Den Tweel commented:

“We were very pleased with the performance of the test and the virtual slides on PathXL during July test week. Feedback from users was very positive and 80% of the participants felt this is an effective way of testing histological features.”