academic path

[retinalball]

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what does it mean when someone says they want to do academic pathology?

thanks

 

[pathstudent]

what does it mean when someone says they want to do academic pathology?

thanks

Well it can mean a lot of things, but I think you can most easily describe it as being a doctor that is employed by a university to do clinical work under the realm of the specialty of pathology.

 

[LADoc00]

what does it mean when someone says they want to do academic pathology?

thanks

Means they want to do as little service work as possible while at the same time claiming to be a world expert in the smallest possible niche they can carve out. Similar benes to military service without thinking about: pension, job security and healthcare often for life if you make it to retirement.

There is absolutely zero doubt in my mind the most cushy jobs in medicine are held by academics...some of the roughest ones are too tho.

🙂

 

[Enkidu]

Means they want to do as little service work as possible while at the same time claiming to be a world expert in the smallest possible niche they can carve out.

What do you mean by service work? Do you mean that academics sign out fewer cases?

 

[KCShaw]

Service work (in pathology) generally includes case sign-out as a major component. Basically, the things that -must- be done for the paid department "services" to the rest of the hospital/contractual obligations.

Academics are generally assumed to split that service time with other responsibilities, from med student/resident/fellow teaching & lectures to research with publications. Different people split those responsibilities up different ways, from 100% in only one area to any other spread. Academics are usually better positioned to garner a big name in their field, due to med school association, publications, lectures, and the assumption that they see more major complex cases and get regular consults. In contrast, private practice pathologists are only required to handle service obligations, to include whatever the boss wants done &/or the market demands for you to stay in business (i.e., lumping in time spent on work related phone calls, in-house working conferences, etc.).

This generally equates to privates signing out more cases than academics but also making more money, at the expense of time spent teaching, researching, or preparing for same (which may include an inordinate amount of time trolling the internet..). For some privates it means signing out so many cases they work 12 hr days in-office (mostly the young, inexperienced, &/or poorly positioned), while for others it means zooming through the work in early/late and golfing/fishing/trolling the internet the rest of the day (mostly the older, more experienced, &/or well positioned).

 

[Enkidu]

Interesting. If academics sign out fewer cases is there a sense that they are weaker diagnostically? I was under the impression that they were stronger. Academic AP doesn't have to spend any time on CP, though. Doesn't this lead to more cases to sign out?

 

[KCShaw]

You've gotta remember that many academics have a subspecialty niche they are particularly experienced at &/or have published in, and may have more diagnostic resources than the average small to mid-sized private pathology practice. Combined with the assumption, at least sometimes if not most times accurate, that academics see the "difficult" cases whether as a matter of being at a tertiary center or as a result of consult filtration, yes...I would generally feel more comfortable with a report from an academic center than an unknown private practice pathologist. This, despite that the average private probably sees more volume than the average academic.

Of course, we also know that exceptions are the rule, and I generally agree with whoever recently said they wouldn't feel comfortable with any report from any pathologist they didn't already know.