Failing Step 1 and Path

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CaymanIslander

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Ok, time for the big question.

So, I failed Step one and passed after taking it twice. I've failed many courses in years 1,2 and 3.

Is going into/applying for Path obsurd? I am not the strongest person when it comes down to memorizing/retaining info. Which field of medicine (outside of Psych, bc i hate it) would be a good one for me.

And I know some of you will say quit, but its too late and i'm in debt too far.

Path has a great lifestyle, minimal hrs. I dont want to get rich, just 100k a year. I want to go into a field that I can actually do well in and feel like i'm not an idiot in everyday.
 
so what makes you think pathology is for you? Have you done an elective in pathology where you gross everyday and sit-out at the microscope everyday? You want to go into pathology because it has a decent lifestyle while making at least 100K a year or do you actually like it?
 
KeratinPearls said:
so what makes you think pathology is for you? Have you done an elective in pathology where you gross everyday and sit-out at the microscope everyday? You want to go into pathology because it has a decent lifestyle while making at least 100K a year or do you actually like it?
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no, i want something that doesnt require an average med student mind to be good in.

frankly, i wish i went to business school, but too late now. just looking for a way to cut my losses.

how much reading do you guys have to do to be proficient in path? Is it true that you need to know Robbins Path in and out or is Path mostly Histo. I'm not going to have to have time to do a rotation in all these fields before I apply, so i'm just trying to get a feel for them here. i think a lot of medicine is boring...it is too concrete and doesnt allow for much creativity, but like i said, its too late and i'm too far in debt to quit.

i know a lot of you would love to despise me and probably think i should quit medicine, but i'll probably just ignore those comments and try to go for the ones that give me something of sustenance.
 
CaymanIslander said:
no, i want something that doesnt require an average med student mind to be good in.

frankly, i wish i went to business school, but too late now. just looking for a way to cut my losses.

i think a lot of medicine is boring...it is too concrete and doesnt allow for much creativity, but like i said, its too late and i'm too far in debt to quit.
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CaymanIslander said:
In path you can work a little, make enough, learn to invest really well and quit in 10 yrs.

Working sucks, but you gotta do it.
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Dude,

Just go into family practice. 3 years and you're out. Residency ain't too bad and you're making 150K. Take that 150K and invest it. Better yet, become an entrepreneur and make more than any doc.
 
This thread smells funny...but I will reserve judgment.

Pathology may not be hard to get into but it isn't easy in practice. Pathologists are synthesizers of information which is not a trivial activity.
 
I agree w/ above. This thread smells funny.

Anyhow... I suggest peds. Who cares, right? Minimal reading. Amoxicillin is a great antibiotic. Kids really aren't the future.

Besides, pathology may involve work. It's not worth the risk.:meanie:
 
no specialty is easy. all require memorizing a large amount of information and then using it. although some specialties do require more memorization than others. i do think psych is among the "easiest" specialties - learn the hundred or so commonly used psych drugs and keep the DSM-IV in your pocket at all times. lifestyle ain't too bad, and they can make a very decent living. the actions that get taken by clinicians based on the pathology report are very serious - pathology is not for the timid.
 
CaymanIslander said:
I am not the strongest person when it comes down to memorizing/retaining info.
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Uuuuuuuhhhhhhhh... that's a tough one. One of the most popular surgical pathology textbooks is 2799 pages of tightly packed information.
 
I suggest cutting your losses and leaving medicine if you hate it that much and can't really push yourself to excel in it. The real world of medicine isn't tests. Maybe you will be able to motivate yourself more in residency and practice than you have in med school, maybe you won't.

This comment:
i know a lot of you would love to despise me and probably think i should quit medicine, but i'll probably just ignore those comments and try to go for the ones that give me something of sustenance.
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is pure projection. I don't know what you want people to say. If you simply want people to placate you with comments then just write some stuff out for yourself and read it to yourself - if you already know what you want to hear, what do you need us for? Pathology is not easy. Robbins is very basic. If you pick up a standard surgical pathology textbook (Rosai, Sternberg) you can see more, and a standard CP text like Henry.

Perhaps you're simply being honest in that you want a field that requires as little work as possible, but you're really not going to find that unless you compromise other things (salary, freedom in practice, etc). You can be as creative as you want in any field of medicine, but creativity often requires MORE work and time, not less. Pathology is no exception. And also to be honest, don't expect people to really open doors for you or do you any favors if you're simply going through the motions.

You say you don't (or at least you imply that you don't) have an "average medical student mind" yet you fail courses and step I. Those statements together may suggest the problem is laziness or lack of motivation, to be honest - it isn't just "retaining facts." If you're more intelligent then what's the problem? A big part of medicine is self motivation and continual improvement. You're also going to have to be able to handle tough questions and criticism - don't run away from them or blame the messenger.

You also say you don't have much time to explore these fields - well, most med schools spend 3rd year on core rotations, then you use early fourth year to do electives in areas you are also interested in. Many people find going through third year gives them a lot more clarity (in one direction or another) than they thought they would get, so don't give up hope yet you won't find something you like. But if you don't get any clarity, then you have to reach a decision somehow. There are also options for people who don't want to do residency and just do research or work in industry or whatever.
 
CaymanIslander said:
Ok, time for the big question.

So, I failed Step one and passed after taking it twice. I've failed many courses in years 1,2 and 3.

Is going into/applying for Path obsurd? I am not the strongest person when it comes down to memorizing/retaining info. Which field of medicine (outside of Psych, bc i hate it) would be a good one for me.

And I know some of you will say quit, but its too late and i'm in debt too far.

Path has a great lifestyle, minimal hrs. I dont want to get rich, just 100k a year. I want to go into a field that I can actually do well in and feel like i'm not an idiot in everyday.
Click to expand...

I am calling BS on this story.

What medical schools lets you "fail many courses in years 1,2 and 3."? 😱

And in case you are serious:
Pathology may not be the hardest field to get into, but we have know the pathology of every other field and be able to diagnosis tissue with usually minimal clinical info and clues.

You need to rethink your plan.
I recommend leaving medical school, or getting a job that does not involve the practice of medicine (consulting for a Biopharm or consulting firm)
 
CaymanIslander said:
Path has a great lifestyle, minimal hrs. I dont want to get rich, just 100k a year. I want to go into a field that I can actually do well in and feel like i'm not an idiot in everyday.
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Apparently, with your astounding work ethic and obvious interest in medicine, you will be made to feel like an idiot everyday of your life that you continue to spend in medicine. People will always know more than you and will continue to learn more than you based on your level of interest.

BTW-- lifestyle isn't always great, esp in residency.
 
djmd said:
I am calling BS on this story.
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No no...let's be welcoming. Despite a sense of sarcasm in his post (and there is no point in breaking down the OP's post since the ludicrousness of the post is SO obvious), I will be serious.

Please enter our field of pathology. We accept stupid, lazy people with open arms since many of us are lazy and stupid and damn proud of it. And you'll make plenty of money so that you can buy a vacation home in the Cayman Islands. Trust me, I know. I have five. 🙄

OK, this thread officially wins SDN Path Forum Award of DEHHHHHHHHH for the week. Please submit entries for next week's award.
 
Bierstiefel said:
No no...let's be welcoming. Despite a sense of sarcasm in his post (and there is no point in breaking down the OP's post since the ludicrousness of the post is SO obvious), I will be serious.

Please enter our field of pathology. We accept stupid, lazy people with open arms since many of us are lazy and stupid and damn proud of it. And you'll make plenty of money so that you can buy a vacation home in the Cayman Islands. Trust me, I know. I have five. 🙄

OK, this thread officially wins SDN Path Forum Award of DEHHHHHHHHH for the week. Please submit entries for next week's award.
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ouch . . . this is where caymanislander particularly appreciates the anonymity of sdn.

it was kind of a ludicrous post indeed, but i do wish you good luck in finding whatever it is you're looking for. i'd start by heeding the words my ol' grad school advisor once said to me. i told him how hard i was working on being passionate about our research . . . he said "if you have to work at being passionate, or are trying hard to be interested, you're in the wrong place. you can't force these things." he was right. and although it took me several years later to finally find something i am deeply excited about (i.e. pathology), its totally worth the agonizing journey when you do find your niche and that something that truly makes you happy. don't settle . . . think of it like you would going into a marriage
 
Use 4th year to start working towards an MBA - it sounds like you'll be much happier.
 
The amount of knowledge required for diagnostic surgical pathology is vast. More importantly, to be a decent surgical pathologist you really have to love what you do, because you must have in-depth knowledge of every diagnosis you render, because in real life clinicians will call you up asking about your diagnosis, it's prognosis and treatment. Superficial knowledge based on review books etc. can land you in very serious truoble when you sign-out. You mentioned Robbins, let me tell you by the time you enter residency you should know it by heart. By the time you complete your AP residency you should know either "Rosai" or "Sternberg" by heart. When you complete your fellowship, you must know the "standard text " in your fellowship field by heart. When you start practicing then depending upon your practice you must know "several texts" by heart.
Not to discourage you. But I have seen docs entering pathology considering it easy. This fallacy is based on a very limited exposure during med school.
To be a decent pathologist you must be smart and very well read, otherwise you will get into a heap of trouble sooner or latter.
I will give you an example of my sign-out friday: started at 6:30 am finished 6:30 pm (I am in a very busy practice, but thats where the big bucks are)
Biopsies: Six breast biopsies, Seven prostate biopsies, 40 GI biopsies, Two Liver biopsies, Ten skin biopsies, Five endometrial biopsies, Twelve other stuff (vocal cord etc)
Larges: Three melanoma cases, Five breast cases, two prostate cases, one laryngectomy, one cystoprostatectomy, one mandibulectomy, three colon cancers , two lung cancers and a random mix of other stuff.
The diagnosis included amelanotic melanoma, ameloblastoma,micropapillary urothelial carcinoma, large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma of lung, ductal adenocarcinoma of prostate etc.
And this was an easy day because I really had no zebras (like the interdigitating dendritic reticulum cell sarcoma I had in an HIV positive guys cervical nodes the other day).
I hope you get a picture and not jump from the frying pan into the fire.
It is a very cool field, but only for those who like it.

PS. Sorry for the typos, have to get back to sign-out (Yes I sign-out Saturday and Sunday, and it gives me great pleasure to know that I am getting better and better at what I do with each passing day)

Ofcourse, you can be a "weak pathologist" and send every difficult case out for consult, but sooner or latter you will loose respect and be ridiculed. Not entering the field is better than being a "weak pathologist" .
 
raider said:
You mentioned Robbins, let me tell you by the time you enter residency you should know it by heart.
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Not that I'm condoning slackers entering path, but I don't know of any entering resident who knows Robbins by heart before they start. If they do, I'm in a world of trouble.
 
Tiki said:
Not that I'm condoning slackers entering path, but I don't know of any entering resident who knows Robbins by heart before they start. If they do, I'm in a world of trouble.
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I don't either. I thought that was an odd comment. I don't really know Robbins by heart now, although I will go through it in detail before the boards, especially the first half.
 
raider said:
The amount of knowledge required for diagnostic surgical pathology is vast. More importantly, to be a decent surgical pathologist you really have to love what you do, because you must have in-depth knowledge of every diagnosis you render, because in real life clinicians will call you up asking about your diagnosis, it's prognosis and treatment. Superficial knowledge based on review books etc. can land you in very serious truoble when you sign-out. You mentioned Robbins, let me tell you by the time you enter residency you should know it by heart. By the time you complete your AP residency you should know either "Rosai" or "Sternberg" by heart. When you complete your fellowship, you must know the "standard text " in your fellowship field by heart. When you start practicing then depending upon your practice you must know "several texts" by heart.
Not to discourage you. But I have seen docs entering pathology considering it easy. This fallacy is based on a very limited exposure during med school.
To be a decent pathologist you must be smart and very well read, otherwise you will get into a heap of trouble sooner or latter.
I will give you an example of my sign-out friday: started at 6:30 am finished 6:30 pm (I am in a very busy practice, but thats where the big bucks are)
Biopsies: Six breast biopsies, Seven prostate biopsies, 40 GI biopsies, Two Liver biopsies, Ten skin biopsies, Five endometrial biopsies, Twelve other stuff (vocal cord etc)
Larges: Three melanoma cases, Five breast cases, two prostate cases, one laryngectomy, one cystoprostatectomy, one mandibulectomy, three colon cancers , two lung cancers and a random mix of other stuff.
The diagnosis included amelanotic melanoma, ameloblastoma,micropapillary urothelial carcinoma, large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma of lung, ductal adenocarcinoma of prostate etc.
And this was an easy day because I really had no zebras (like the interdigitating dendritic reticulum cell sarcoma I had in an HIV positive guys cervical nodes the other day).
I hope you get a picture and not jump from the frying pan into the fire.
It is a very cool field, but only for those who like it.

PS. Sorry for the typos, have to get back to sign-out (Yes I sign-out Saturday and Sunday, and it gives me great pleasure to know that I am getting better and better at what I do with each passing day)

Ofcourse, you can be a "weak pathologist" and send every difficult case out for consult, but sooner or latter you will loose respect and be ridiculed. Not entering the field is better than being a "weak pathologist" .
Click to expand...

😱You have to be kidding about your work schedule.
 
I did not say I worked 12 hours/day. I said I started at 6:30 am and finished at 6:30 pm. I had lunch, spoke with a few clinicians and looked at a couple of outside consults from them.
With practice, one gets pretty fast at handling cases. All it takes is practice, practice and practice.
The more you see and do, the better and faster you get at it.
The money is great, but the reason I like my practice is because I see a lot of surgical pathology and I like the other pathologists I work with.
 
I just wanted to share my honest thoughts.

I have a very dear friend who is in a similar situation. She failed her step 2 (passed step 1) and had to take a year off between year 1 and 2 due to very reasonable private problems. She is a wonderful person and wants to go into pathology. She couldn't dream of doing anything else.

However...

because of the competition this year she only got interviews to 3 schools and she applied to every program. I really hope she matches, because I really do feel that she will make an excellent pathologist.

Basically what I'm saying is, pathology is not a good backup plan if you are only just trying to stay in the field of medicine. You really should have a passion for it if you hope to sell yourself. If not, you should really consider an area where not all the spots fill in the Match.

I wish you the best...
 
yaah said:
I don't either. I thought that was an odd comment. I don't really know Robbins by heart now, although I will go through it in detail before the boards, especially the first half.
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Me neither...I had read all of Robbins when I was a med student but that was the old edition which is 10-11 years old I think. I haven't even bought the new edition yet but I'll be reading the first several chapters of it when it comes time to study for AP boards.

When are you taking boards, yaah?
 
Many academic medical centers have a no failure rule for any of the steps.

Due to increase in applications I have heard of more programs having score cutoffs as well , If you are serious about your questions there may be community type programs that might interview students with USMLE failures.
Pathology is not as easy to get into as you may think. I have seen the quality of applicants (at least on paper) go up incredibly in the past few years. Also a higher percentage of US medical students are interested in pathology .
 
Bierstiefel said:
When are you taking boards, yaah?
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I wish I knew! Sent in the application for the spring exam, haven't heard diddly poo except for getting my credit card bill and the post office confirming it was delivered. It's very disappointing how bad they are at communicating, except for large font statements on the web page DO NOT CONTACT US BLAH BLAH BLAH GO AWAY YOU PEON BLAH BLAH BLAH YOU'RE JUST GOING TO FAIL ANYWAY SO WHY BOTHER.
 
yaah said:
I wish I knew! Sent in the application for the spring exam, haven't heard diddly poo except for getting my credit card bill and the post office confirming it was delivered. It's very disappointing how bad they are at communicating, except for large font statements on the web page DO NOT CONTACT US BLAH BLAH BLAH GO AWAY YOU PEON BLAH BLAH BLAH YOU'RE JUST GOING TO FAIL ANYWAY SO WHY BOTHER.
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at the risk of the Board seeing this post and finding out who i am and jerking my application or giving me a "special" exam, i could not agree more. the attitude of and treatment by the Board stinks, to put it mildly. to pay the fees that we do and to be made to feel that we are the most privileged of the unwashed masses to have the Board deign to consider our feeble applications (upon payment of our $2200, of course) is crazy. one of our graduated residents found out her exam date 2 weeks before the date last fall, this after being told she would be given 6 weeks notice. LAdoc00 ought to begin an effort to set up a competing Board. having said that, i did get a notice that they were pleased to announce that i have been found fit to sit for the exam (after careful examination of my application and great deliberation among the committee) and i will be given 6 weeks notice of my exam date (where is that "holding your breath" icon?).
what a racket.
 
djmd said:
You need to rethink your plan.
I recommend leaving medical school, or getting a job that does not involve the practice of medicine (consulting for a Biopharm or consulting firm)
Click to expand...

Seriously.

To the OP: If you hate medicine that much, you should do what you can to finish med school then seek an alternative career path. You could jump straight into an MBA (continue your loan deferments) or look for work first - you might need a break from school and I hear MBAs aren't necessarily "cake"...

I met a "disgruntled former surgeon" in California. Guy got into a terrible residency which has since been shut down. Anyway, he dropped out after a couple of years and went to work consulting for a Pharm company. Guy is making ridiculous bank. Never finished a residency. So you might look for alternative jobs in biz/pharma... you'll be making a lot more money a lot faster, and you won't hate life so much.

BH
 
gungho said:
i did get a notice that they were pleased to announce that i have been found fit to sit for the exam (after careful examination of my application and great deliberation among the committee) and i will be given 6 weeks notice of my exam date (where is that "holding your breath" icon?).
what a racket.
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No one in my program has heard back, not even this little placeholder letter. It irritates me greatly. And according to the website they will not answer emails in regard to application status. It's poor customer service. I understand they get a lot of annoying emails and calls from people who can't read or understand logic, but I can read. The front page says the following

Please do not call the Board office regarding receipt of your application. Applications are processed according to date received in the office. When we begin to process your application, you will be sent a receipt and a letter. If any additional information is needed, it will be requested in the letter. Date assignment letters will be sent out in early March.
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OK, well, I sent my application in in the middle of december. Have you received it? Why haven't I heard anything? You damn sure billed my credit card pretty quickly.

then

We are unable to respond via e-mail to any of the following: examination results, certification status, certificate numbers, receipt of applications, board qualification dates, name changes, address changes.
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So I guess I can't ask. How do I know they even GOT my application?

Another thing that irritates me - they schedule the date of exams by what program you are in. So they already KNOW the dates, or at least approximate dates. Why not publicize this? Am I going to somehow find a way to cheat the exam if I know the date of my exam 12 weeks ahead of time as opposed to 6 weeks ahead of time?

They keep saying READ THE FAQ. OK, I did. It says you will contact me when you start processing my application. What if you don't?
 
raspberry009 said:
I just wanted to share my honest thoughts.

I have a very dear friend who is in a similar situation. She failed her step 2 (passed step 1) and had to take a year off between year 1 and 2 due to very reasonable private problems. She is a wonderful person and wants to go into pathology. She couldn't dream of doing anything else.

However...

because of the competition this year she only got interviews to 3 schools and she applied to every program. I really hope she matches, because I really do feel that she will make an excellent pathologist.

Basically what I'm saying is, pathology is not a good backup plan if you are only just trying to stay in the field of medicine. You really should have a passion for it if you hope to sell yourself. If not, you should really consider an area where not all the spots fill in the Match.

I wish you the best...
Click to expand...

really?! there's 150 or so programs, right? that'd be thousands of dollars in application fees alone. your comments are right on though. every specialty is tough... impossible if you don't enjoy doing it.
 
yaah said:
So I guess I can't ask. How do I know they even GOT my application?

Another thing that irritates me - they schedule the date of exams by what program you are in. So they already KNOW the dates, or at least approximate dates. Why not publicize this? Am I going to somehow find a way to cheat the exam if I know the date of my exam 12 weeks ahead of time as opposed to 6 weeks ahead of time?
QUOTE]
Somehow I found out they had at least received my application (besides the check clearing)-I think it may have been when my PD said she got something from the Board to fill out.
How do you know about the scheduling of the exam depending on what program one is in? If it's in the FAQ, I plead guilty-didn't read 'em.
Sorry about the format-I haven't taken the time to figure out how to do replies with partial and interrupted quotes.
Click to expand...
 
CaymanIslander said:
Ok, time for the big question.

So, I failed Step one and passed after taking it twice. I've failed many courses in years 1,2 and 3.

Is going into/applying for Path obsurd? I am not the strongest person when it comes down to memorizing/retaining info. Which field of medicine (outside of Psych, bc i hate it) would be a good one for me.

And I know some of you will say quit, but its too late and i'm in debt too far.

Path has a great lifestyle, minimal hrs. I dont want to get rich, just 100k a year. I want to go into a field that I can actually do well in and feel like i'm not an idiot in everyday.
Click to expand...

I think OP is FOS
 
CaymanIslander said:
no, i want something that doesnt require an average med student mind to be good in.

frankly, i wish i went to business school, but too late now. just looking for a way to cut my losses.

i know a lot of you would love to despise me and probably think i should quit medicine, but i'll probably just ignore those comments and try to go for the ones that give me something of sustenance.
Click to expand...

It's too late now?? Are you 87 years old now or what??
So because of 4 years in medical school you will sacrifice the rest of your life insisting on a career that won't make you happy...

People that are not passionate with what they do will always be mediocre in their fields... and frustrated... Are you sure you want to keep on this? 🙁
Maybe this is the time for one right decision in your career.. think about it :idea:
 
docbiohazard said:
Seriously.

To the OP: If you hate medicine that much, you should do what you can to finish med school then seek an alternative career path. You could jump straight into an MBA (continue your loan deferments) or look for work first - you might need a break from school and I hear MBAs aren't necessarily "cake"...

I met a "disgruntled former surgeon" in California. Guy got into a terrible residency which has since been shut down. Anyway, he dropped out after a couple of years and went to work consulting for a Pharm company. Guy is making ridiculous bank. Never finished a residency. So you might look for alternative jobs in biz/pharma... you'll be making a lot more money a lot faster, and you won't hate life so much.

BH
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Consulting for a Pharm company with no postgraduate training, no board certification and making "ridiculous bank?" I'll call shenanigans on that.
 
Minna said:
It's too late now?? Are you 87 years old now or what??
So because of 4 years in medical school you will sacrifice the rest of your life insisting on a career that won't make you happy...

People that are not passionate with what they do will always be mediocre in their fields... and frustrated... Are you sure you want to keep on this? 🙁
Maybe this is the time for one right decision in your career.. think about it :idea:
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I agree with you, but remember the guy said that his debt was REALLY big, so I guess he doesn't have a choice right now, working for a pharm seems pretty much like the most attractive option for him, probably his only option, since there aren't "easy" residencies in medicine and all require a certain amount of passion.
By the way Minna, which country are you from? Im costarrican.

Saludos y un abrazo!!
 
How do you know about the scheduling of the exam depending on what program one is in? If it's in the FAQ, I plead guilty-didn't read 'em.
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Just experience - everybody who has taken the boards from here in the past years have taken it the same date that year. And that seems to be true for other programs too. Perhaps they do that so that it decreases the chance of you talking to other people in your program about specific questions, etc. It also gives you a chance to share travel expenses I suppose, but I highly doubt I will be sharing a hotel room with anyone at that point.
 
KeratinPearls said:
Consulting for a Pharm company with no postgraduate training, no board certification and making "ridiculous bank?" I'll call shenanigans on that.
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Well, he had a couple of years of postgrad training... so I suppose its possible that he was licensed as a physician, if that helps, but no way he was board certified. Ridiculous bank might admittedly be hyperbole on my part - its not like I saw his financials for 2007 or anything, and certainly he probably could've made more money as a private practice surgeon if he'd wanted to... but he was living comfortably in northern california, with the trophy wife, nice car, and taking nice vacations - he wasn't suffering.

Besides, the OP (if not FOS) needs to realize he can do something else besides endanger patient safety until his license is yanked.

BH
 
yaah said:
So I guess I can't ask. How do I know they even GOT my application?
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I need to work on multiquoting... anyway, given that list of specific things they refuse to answer, it had me thinking of all manner of creative and obtuse ways you could ask them questions... like "I think I may have misplaced one of my favorite gold coins in my application packet - by any chance have you seen it? could you double check?" or maybe you could draw some ornate artwork on your envelope and ask them "Did you like the portrait of van Leeuwenhoek I drew on the back of my application envelope?" The possibilities are endless.

One my interviewers was telling me about the old days, when you took your own microscope with you to view slides for surg path, and then binoculars because the cytopath slides were projected on a screen using kodachromes, and if you got stuck in the back you might want binoculars to examine the fine detail... crazy...

BH
 
You'd think for the sheer cost of the test alone, which is up to what 2k+ now?, that they could pay some IT guy to design an automated status program LIKE EVERY OTHER TESTING BOARD ON THE FACE OF THE EARTH!!!!

You'd think after their snafu with testing last spring that they'd want to be the kinder gentler ABP.🙄
 
raider said:
I did not say I worked 12 hours/day. I said I started at 6:30 am and finished at 6:30 pm. I had lunch, spoke with a few clinicians and looked at a couple of outside consults from them.
With practice, one gets pretty fast at handling cases. All it takes is practice, practice and practice.
The more you see and do, the better and faster you get at it.
The money is great, but the reason I like my practice is because I see a lot of surgical pathology and I like the other pathologists I work with.
Click to expand...

with that kind of schedule/hours, I think we'd ALL like to know what you consider "great" money....
 
Around a mill is what you will be making after working this much ( and then only if you are an equal partner in a small group with large volume). Some guys I know make double that but they have been in practice longer.

Anyway, while we are at it, my advice to fellow pathologists looking for a high earning pathology job (and I donot consider a mill/year a high earning job, com'on ******ed players and dumb actors/actresses make way more. We in pathology deserve way more than someone throwing around a ball or playing somone on screen).

1. Go to an institution (residency, fellowship) that has a vast network of graduates in well established private practices who are in contact with and respect the "bigwigs" in the institution. That is the only way to find a decent job. The good job will,rarely if ever be advertised. What characteristically happens, is the lead guy in the private practice group will call up the bigwig and ask for the best candidate available. Then the private practice group will interview the candidate and assess suitability.

2. Shine in the residency/fellowship. Let the bigwig realize what a star you are. Good work ethic and an excellent knowledge base are the keys.

3. If you have time do a surgical pathology fellowship (preferably oncologic pathology because that is the area where the lawsuits in private practice come from). An additional fellowship in the high demand areas (derm,GI, GU, Breast, Hem or Gyn) is icing on the cake.

4. Only go for partnership track positions with a trial period of less than 3 years. Make sure you are an equal partner after the trial period (everything is equally divided).

5.Do not ever take up a salaried job with offer of bonus (Ameripath, CBLpath or the dermpath only jobs). That is pure exploitation of your skills to make some a--hole rich.

I will keep on adding stuff . Hope this is helpful. Do not get me wrong, it is not all about money, you have to really like what you are doing otherwise you will fail because unless you are really dedicated to excellence in pathology,you will never be exceptional and sooner or later you will be discovered.

Remember the best part of the money is you earned it while perfecting your beloved science/art viz. diagnostic histopathology.

PS. Sorry for the typos, am signing out , big gyn onc and breast day.
 
Pingu said:
You'd think for the sheer cost of the test alone, which is up to what 2k+ now?, that they could pay some IT guy to design an automated status program LIKE EVERY OTHER TESTING BOARD ON THE FACE OF THE EARTH!!!!

You'd think after their snafu with testing last spring that they'd want to be the kinder gentler ABP.🙄
Click to expand...

Interestingly, I asked them about this. They have it in process, but it isn't ready yet. Maybe next year or the year after. Should have online tracking, I believe. I guess for now it just takes time to process these applications. Maybe they shouldn't make the application so long 😉
 
drivesmecraazee said:
I agree with you, but remember the guy said that his debt was REALLY big, so I guess he doesn't have a choice right now, working for a pharm seems pretty much like the most attractive option for him, probably his only option, since there aren't "easy" residencies in medicine and all require a certain amount of passion.
By the way Minna, which country are you from? Im costarrican.

Saludos y un abrazo!!
Click to expand...


Yes, I agree with you about the large amount of $$$$ involved...

My idea was to give him a good advice, although I knew no one would take it (probably not even me if I were in the same situation 🙁)


Hum.. which country I am from... I'm not gonna tell you, I'll just say that I don't speak Spanish at all! :laugh:

I can guess Spanish, so I guess "Saludos y un abrazo" means... "welcome and take care"??
 
"Saludos y un abrazo" means "greetings and a hug for you"...sorry...I tought you spoke spanish, nevermind. Now that you tell me you don't speak spanish at all I can only think of two posibilities:
1-Your from a South American country that doesn't speak spanish.
Or... (this one sounds more acurate to me)
2-You actually are from a spanish speaking country but you've never learned it or forgot it cuz you've been living in the US for such a long time, and now you feel a little bit embarrased about it...:laugh:...if that's so, you shouldn't feel like that.

If I had to guess I would say you're peruvian...don't ask me why, that's what my instinct tells me right now.
 
drivesmecraazee said:
"Saludos y un abrazo" means "greetings and a hug for you"...sorry...I tought you spoke spanish, nevermind. Now that you tell me you don't speak spanish at all I can only think of two posibilities:
1-Your from a South American country that doesn't speak spanish.
Or... (this one sounds more acurate to me)
2-You actually are from a spanish speaking country but you've never learned it or forgot it cuz you've been living in the US for such a long time, and now you feel a little bit embarrased about it...:laugh:...if that's so, you shouldn't feel like that.

If I had to guess I would say you're peruvian...don't ask me why, that's what my instinct tells me right now.
Click to expand...

My guess is Brazil.
 
I just wanted to post in this thread before it gets locked.

Carry on!
 
Arctic Char said:
why would it get locked?
Click to expand...

Perhaps due to fears of an impending escalation of overly amorous posting? 😉 This is SDN, after all, not eHarmony...

And the answer is Brazil, per our earlier discussion about the food pictured in the random thread...

BH
 
Arctic Char said:
why would it get locked?
Click to expand...

Hah. Yeah, there were two dueling conversations there for a bit, neither of which was really related at all to the thread purpose. Now I don't know, only one? Anyway, I'm sure the thread will peter out soon anyway and disappear.
 
drivesmecraazee said:
"Saludos y un abrazo" means "greetings and a hug for you"...sorry...I tought you spoke spanish, nevermind. Now that you tell me you don't speak spanish at all I can only think of two posibilities:
1-Your from a South American country that doesn't speak spanish.
Or... (this one sounds more acurate to me)
2-You actually are from a spanish speaking country but you've never learned it or forgot it cuz you've been living in the US for such a long time, and now you feel a little bit embarrased about it...:laugh:...if that's so, you shouldn't feel like that.

If I had to guess I would say you're peruvian...don't ask me why, that's what my instinct tells me right now.
Click to expand...

:wow:You must be kidding... Peruvians speak Spanish, and I doubt one would ever forget the native language. :laugh:
Thanks for the costarrican greetings :hello:

And before the thread disappears, I should say _ Cameron and BH got the right answer :bow:

(I might be overusing the smilies, but they are so cute, aren't they? I couldn't resist...)
 
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