Calling yourself a Pathologist

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megsMS

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Is it absolutely necessary to do a residency in pathology to become board-certified? I can't find this specific info anywhere. What about calling yourself a pathologist if you never completed a pathology residency? For example, if someone had one year of a path residency and then switched to internal medicine, is it appropriate for them to call themself a pathologist? Can they sit for the path boards with just one year of pathology? Any info would help.

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megsMS said:
Is it absolutely necessary to do a residency in pathology to become board-certified? I can't find this specific info anywhere. What about calling yourself a pathologist if you never completed a pathology residency? For example, if someone had one year of a path residency and then switched to internal medicine, is it appropriate for them to call themself a pathologist? Can they sit for the path boards with just one year of pathology? Any info would help.


I regularly call myself a pirate, arrrrrrrrrgggg! But never done a residency in piracy. You can call yourself anything you want, but ALAS, board-certified=successfully (keyword) ACGME-approved residency in the U.S.

Good luck with calling yourself a pathologist.
 
Part of being certified and eligible to take the boards is completing a residency (and having this certified by a program director). So, no.
 
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You can call yourself a pathologist without any training whatsoever. You'd be a complete joke, but you can indeed call yourself a pathologist, or an astronaut, or an Indian Chief, or whatever.
 
I am BC'd in Indian Chiefdom. I resent all those who only claim to be an Indian Chief.
 
UCSFbound said:
I am BC'd in Indian Chiefdom. I resent all those who only claim to be an Indian Chief.

I am BE/BC from Scores for stripper-tipping. And that is a lifetime credential too, no renewing that bad boy.
 
LADoc00 said:
I am BE/BC from Scores for stripper-tipping. And that is a lifetime credential too, no renewing that bad boy.

You sonuvabitch.
 
Thanks for your answers (even the funny ones!). I actually know someone who does this...they are BC'd in another specialty but call themself a pathologist b/c it's what they like. It's pretty sad that no one around here argues with this person about it, and even more sad that they were hired by the path dept. I've also seen this w/other specialties. I hope it's not that common.
 
megsMS said:
Thanks for your answers (even the funny ones!). I actually know someone who does this...they are BC'd in another specialty but call themself a pathologist b/c it's what they like. It's pretty sad that no one around here argues with this person about it, and even more sad that they were hired by the path dept. I've also seen this w/other specialties. I hope it's not that common.

Does this person sign out cases? If so, does he/she practice under his/her clinical malpractice insurance? And where does this happen-small town vs. University?

By the way, I am not a board-certified, registered, tested-and-tried space cowboy, but have been practicing space cowboying for 15 yrs. without an AASC (American Academy of Space Cowboys) license. I have a license to practice rat-wrangling and mutton-busting, but no one has questioned my space cowboy credentials. Cowboy Up! I'm working on my gangster-of-love skilz.
 
I know a GYN guy who did a year of GYN path studying without any sort of credentialing. He refers to himself as a GYN pathologist. Sort of gets the hackles up.
 
The other day I was with a general surgeon (who does a good deal of breast) and went down to mammo to talk with the radiologist about a case, she said that this surgeon could probably sit for the radiology boards and pass, after maybe studying up on nuclear med. Another doc there said that she could do "residency by proxy" or something along those lines, which sounded like being a resident on paper only at an institution. Does anybody know about this situation? I had never heard of it before.
 
They probably weren't talking about actually being able to be board certified, more that they could just pass the boards. Passing the boards in isolation doesn't do you any good in any specialty I know of.
 
Now I'm curious, do Urologists and OB/Gyn's who do surgeries ie vasectomies and C-Sections, call themselves surgeons? :confused:

If not, I wasn't aware that the field of pathology could be pimped like that! :mad:
 
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A urologist is a surgeon. They do two years of general surgery, then another couple of urology which includes lots of surgery. Many OB/Gyns are also surgeons.
 
You cannot call yourself a physician, without being licensed by the state you're in. Other than that, you can call yourself anything you want, from Master of the Universe to Godess of the Seven Seas. In addition, your medical license entitles you to provide any and all medical care, from prescribing painkillers to performing thoracic surgery and liver transplants, regardless of your specialty.

The most often used is "board certified in cosmetic plastic surgery". There's no such thing which is approved by any ABMS member board - but hey, if patients fall for it, it's entirely legal, even if you're really a FP from Podunk. Unfortunate and perhaps unethical, but legal.

Another issue is getting hospital privileges, insurance and getting paid - and avoiding lawsuits.
 
yaah said:
A urologist is a surgeon. They do two years of general surgery, then another couple of urology which includes lots of surgery. Many OB/Gyns are also surgeons.
I guess you learn something new everyday!! So I'd guess a person would say that "I'm a surgeon with a specialty in Urology or OB?? Then who was it I saw about my kidney stones? She said she was a Urologist! :confused: :laugh:

So is any doc who cuts considered a surgeon or does the title depend on the nature of the cut and the type of anesthesia needed to perform the procedure? :confused:
 
1Path said:
So is any doc who cuts considered a surgeon or does the title depend on the nature of the cut and the type of anesthesia needed to perform the procedure? :confused:

Yeah... Pathologists cuts too. That's why they're called "surgical pathologists" :cool:
 
1Path said:
I guess you learn something new everyday!! So I'd guess a person would say that "I'm a surgeon with a specialty in Urology or OB?? Then who was it I saw about my kidney stones? She said she was a Urologist! :confused: :laugh:

So is any doc who cuts considered a surgeon or does the title depend on the nature of the cut and the type of anesthesia needed to perform the procedure? :confused:
Man it is not that hard to figure out.

Venn Diagram: Big circle Surgeons. Small circle in that circle Urologist (there are NO non-surgeon urologist (those are called Nephrologists)).

I would say there is a larger circle that is 'people who can perform surgery' (which hopefully are surgeons are in) which also includes some OB/Gyns.
OB/Gyns do not do training in General surgery, but they do Gyn surgeries and Ob surgeries. I guess you could say that Gyn Onc docs are surgeons (Id say their fellowship is enough, but they still bring in the colorectal docs if then have a bowel problem, which seems to me to say that they are not surgeons...
 
Sean2tall said:
The other day I was with a general surgeon (who does a good deal of breast) and went down to mammo to talk with the radiologist about a case, she said that this surgeon could probably sit for the radiology boards and pass, after maybe studying up on nuclear med. Another doc there said that she could do "residency by proxy" or something along those lines, which sounded like being a resident on paper only at an institution. Does anybody know about this situation? I had never heard of it before.

And to comment on this orginal statement...

PURE UNADULTRATED ass-kissing.
(I orginally said BS, but then realized that it was the radiologists saying it to the surgeon.)

It is like pathologist who say "wow yeah you really spotted that mitotic figure... you could be a pathologist..."

Reminds me of the reverse:
I was at a clinical conferce showing a solitary fiberous tumor of the breast, (in a guy with a Hx of Lung Adeno) and the breast surgeon says "To me those look like they could be a bad adeno"
So I pointed out the features on H&E that made that unlikely.
he says "Well how do you know those aren't Adeno?"
I responded "For the skepetics we did a Cytokeratin, which was negative" and I showed it.

Of course, I was just being jocular.

It helps as a pathologist and radiologist to have a good interaction with your clinical docs. If you want to make jokes, or kiss their ass.. either way it helps.
:smuggrin:
 
Urologists and OB/GYNS handles knifes... I guess that makes them surgeons.
Pathologists and Opthos also handles knifes, but I really wouldn't like to get them to rummage around in my bowels, unless I was on "survivor" or other such nonsensical place.
Of course, in olden days (like a really, really long time ago), surgeons weren't even considered to be physicians. Mostly, they were barbers or the like.
 
Optho= surgeon with good lifestyle
 
Is it absolutely necessary to do a residency in pathology to become board-certified? I can't find this specific info anywhere. What about calling yourself a pathologist if you never completed a pathology residency? For example, if someone had one year of a path residency and then switched to internal medicine, is it appropriate for them to call themself a pathologist? Can they sit for the path boards with just one year of pathology? Any info would help.


Yes, as for most residency programs, if not all, you have to have documentation to that particular board that you have or will finish a residency program before you are qualified to set for the board. So a year of Pathology or Internal Medicine (like myself) will not qualify you to sit for the boards.
 
Urologists and OB/GYNS handles knifes... I guess that makes them surgeons.
Pathologists and Opthos also handles knifes, but I really wouldn't like to get them to rummage around in my bowels, unless I was on "survivor" or other such nonsensical place.
Of course, in olden days (like a really, really long time ago), surgeons weren't even considered to be physicians. Mostly, they were barbers or the like.

I wouldn't want a Gyn or really, even a urologist, to go rummaging around in my bowels either. If there is a problem with my bowel, I hope to god that these people are calling in a general surgeon.
 
I wanna add to this thread. I woke up today and decided I will call myself a ninja. From now own please address me as Ninja Masta LADOC00.
askaninjanetneutrality.jpg
 
I wanna add to this thread. I woke up today and decided I will call myself a ninja. From now own please address me as Ninja Masta LADOC00.
askaninjanetneutrality.jpg

you're the whitest ninja i've ever known then.
 
I guess you could say that Gyn Onc docs are surgeons (Id say their fellowship is enough, but they still bring in the colorectal docs if then have a bowel problem, which seems to me to say that they are not surgeons...

That's called "spreading the liability".:cool:
 
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