A few days to go to join the path program

[leewa]

Hi guys,

I will start the program july 1st..so a few days left....Do you guys have any suggestions about what a new resident should do in term of getting preapred for the training. I don't know what to study for path....so I am studying step3, is it not good????....

my 1st rotaion will be surg path....I am a little worried, if I can catch up ...with just an empty brain...

please advise. Thank you!!

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[Gene_]

There are several threads on this subject, just browse for them, or if you're feeling lucky go for the search function.

 

[leewa]

Hello!!

I could't find the threads

Thank you!

 

[Gene_]

Search "pathology residency prepare"

You will certainly need to brush up on your skills for finding information. A lot of pathology is knowing how to look stuff up when you need to.

 

[ICDEADPPL]

My word....the sarcasm kills me!

I'll try to give you a little advice while others just ridicule. I am sure your search engine skills are just fine!

Surgpath is a hard rotation to start on, and to be honest there is not a ton you can do to prepare. I like this website for just starting out. http://library.med.utah.edu/WebPath/webpath.html
You certainly need to know more than what is on that site, but it should help get your feet wet.

Other things you can do....make sure everything is settled and up to date at home. Pay all your bills and taxes if you happened to buy a house so you don't get a warrant from the tax collector in 4 months (Thank you Waterbury, CT!) take the trash out, go to the grocery store, clean.... cause you probably will not get around to any of that your first month. Then...open a box of wine, sit back and relax until wednesday Good luck!

 

[leewa]

Thank you!!!!

My word....the sarcasm kills me!

I'll try to give you a little advice while others just ridicule. I am sure your search engine skills are just fine!

Surgpath is a hard rotation to start on, and to be honest there is not a ton you can do to prepare. I like this website for just starting out. http://library.med.utah.edu/WebPath/webpath.html
You certainly need to know more than what is on that site, but it should help get your feet wet.

Other things you can do....make sure everything is settled and up to date at home. Pay all your bills and taxes if you happened to buy a house so you don't get a warrant from the tax collector in 4 months (Thank you Waterbury, CT!) take the trash out, go to the grocery store, clean.... cause you probably will not get around to any of that your first month. Then...open a box of wine, sit back and relax until wednesday Good luck!

 

[leewa]

Good, thank you.

Search "pathology residency prepare"

You will certainly need to brush up on your skills for finding information. A lot of pathology is knowing how to look stuff up when you need to.

 

[HbyHA]

Search "pathology residency prepare"

You will certainly need to brush up on your skills for finding information. A lot of pathology is knowing how to look stuff up when you need to.

sarcasm or not, that's still good advice!!!

 

[pathomatic]

brush up on your histology skills (especially GI, GYN and breast which is going to be the bulk of your specimens). Wheater's histology book is a good book to start with (very basic though), if you want something more hardcore try Histology for pathologists by sternberg (very dense reading). Also, Molavi's book is good for the first year especially when it comes to practical approach to your slides. Other than that, you WILL be able to pick up resources for your specific rotations as you progress.

 

[Adrian Cocot]

sarcasm or not, that's still good advice!!!

Yeah, even Fred Silva is coming around to the fact that Google is a better path search engine than PubMed. So brush up on that.

First and foremost, learn how to competently cut and dictate cases. If there is anything one should learn their first year, that's it. You can not know the difference between cancer and normal tissue, and people won't mind as long as they know they can trust your grosses.

Also, learn how not to be annoying in signout (I have seen people fail at this in so many different ways that it's not even funny) and review basic histology. If you have time to read, then Robbins and Lester's manual of surg path are your best friends. Bostwick's Essentials of Pathology is a good reference text. Others have recommended "The Practice of Surgical Pathology: A Beginner's Guide to the Diagnostic Process." (If you practice your google-fu, you can find this entire text in pdf format online)

 

[Gene_]

sarcasm or not, that's still good advice!!!

I don't think my advice was sarcastic at all. Matter-of-fact is a better word. There is a lot of pathology information out that you must learn to access. I think it is better to guide new residents to the information they seek rather than spoon feeding it to them. Some things can't be learned in books, though, and that's when doing some classic teaching is appropriate. This case was the former.

 

[LADoc00]

Hi guys,

I will start the program july 1st..so a few days left....Do you guys have any suggestions about what a new resident should do in term of getting preapred for the training.
please advise. Thank you!!

Scotch. Seriously, single malt Speyside, perferably aged at least 12 years, the more the better.

Then the cigar, we are talking either a Arturo Fuente Opus X robusto OR a Montecristo Especial Habana churchill.

Moving on to a venue, either a nice beach, would probably have to say Maui, north coast area or PacBeach in San Diego (damn you posters who live there full time!!).

Attire: light button down silk shirt, preferably Tommy Bahamas, white linen pants and straw hat. No shoes.



I would enjoy your last taste of freedom, quite literally until retirement.

 

[HbyHA]

I don't think my advice was sarcastic at all. Matter-of-fact is a better word. There is a lot of pathology information out that you must learn to access. I think it is better to guide new residents to the information they seek rather than spoon feeding it to them. Some things can't be learned in books, though, and that's when doing some classic teaching is appropriate. This case was the former.

when i read it, i didn't think it was sarcasm either

 

[leewa]

thank you for all you guys suggestions..

so i don't need to & I am so to join pathology team..

 

[Pathwrath]

I would relax. This is a marathon and not a sprint.

You are going to be clueless for awhile. That is a given. Don't worry about it.

Path attendings are facing some serious challenges--more so in private practive, but even academics are not immune--and it is refreshing for them to see young trainees who still express wonder for the field. Enthusiasm rather than cynicism at your stage is the way to go.

Not that there's anything wrong with cynicism. Survival in pathology demands it. But for now keep it to yourself.

 

[yaah]

Haha, yes cynicism is definitely a good thing to have, as well as skepticism.

But yes, showing enthusiasm and being organized are the best ways to get off on the right foot. No one expects you to really know anything about pathology. They do expect you to not screw things up and to ask for help if you don't know the answer to something. Many residents get into trouble in early training because they don't ask for help or advice.

The only things I would really do would be to look through a grossing manual (if only to familiarize yourself with terminology) and perhaps review normal histology. Learn the basics first.

 

[HbyHA]

Haha, yes cynicism is definitely a good thing to have, as well as skepticism.

But yes, showing enthusiasm and being organized are the best ways to get off on the right foot. No one expects you to really know anything about pathology. They do expect you to not screw things up and to ask for help if you don't know the answer to something. Many residents get into trouble in early training because they don't ask for help or advice.

The only things I would really do would be to look through a grossing manual (if only to familiarize yourself with terminology) and perhaps review normal histology. Learn the basics first.

word for word what i told our newbies