The Anatomic Pathology Electronic Case Series (APECS) Program is an interactive, online continuing medical education activity which is sponsored by the United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology (USCAP). It is intended for practicing pathologists and pathologists in training.

How it works:
Participants subscribe to a series of cases. You determine how frequently you would like to be sent email notifications of new cases in your subscription. You choose whether or not you want to include each case in your subscription. Each APECS case consists of a single virtual microscope slide. Users are able to "order" ancillary studies from a list of available studies. Results are displayed immediately. Three multiple choice questions introduce the topic to the user and define key discussion points for the case. If a participant is unsure that they wish to accept the case, all of the preliminary information is availabel to view from the link they receive via email. The case will not be counted against their subscription until they submit responses to the questions. After submitting your responses, dynamic statistics showing the distribution of responses from all prior participants are displayed, allowing peer comparison. A detailed discussion with images and references is provided. Cases are designed to be completed in about 1 hour, including reviewing the slide, answering the questions, and reviewing the discussion and associated reference material.

This Program has been planned and implemented in accordance with the Essential Areas and Policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME). The USCAP is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians and takes responsibility for the content, quality, and scientific integrity of this CME activity. The USCAP has also been approved by the American Board of Pathology to provide Self-Assessment Module credits.

The USCAP designates this educational activity for a maximum of 1 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™ per case. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

The American Medical Association has determined that physicians not licensed in the US who participate in this CME activity are eligible for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™.

All content is copyrighted by the authors and the USCAP.

Those interested in submitting a case for consideration in the series should follow the Information for Authors link on the left of the page, and download the APECS Instructions PDF and the Case Proposal Submission form under Author Instructions.

NOTE: Be sure you have turned off any pop-up blocker or you will not be able to see large versions of the images.

For the most comprehensive functionality, you must have Aperio ImageScope installed on your computer. If you do not already have Aperio ImageScope, users with administrator privileges may download and install a free version in order to view USCAP eAcademy Virtual Slides. Click the icon on the right to get your free copy:  

If you cannot or do not wish to install Aperio ImageScope, slides may also be viewed with a web-based viewer. This requires Flash. Click here to install Flash if you do not already have it.