CP residency vs. combined AP/CP

[vaidyaga]

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hi...

i am a 4th year med. student doing my path. elective now. i think i really enjoy clinical path. but not AP (i.e. autopsies and grossing specimens). i have heard from some ppl. that doing residency in just CP is not a good idea in terms of job opportunities later now. money is not really much of a priority to me. i would be quite happy making 100 K / year. what matters to me is really getting atleast some level of enoyment at work and a good lifestyle that allows me to pursue my other passions/hobbies. so ....having given this much info. about myself...is it a good idea for me to go ahead and do my residency in only CP instead of the combined program. also...what about opportunities to do fellowships with a CP only residency?

thanks for all your input..
sincerely....

 

[yaah]

Talk to your advisor. Your career prospects will be limited - and salary is the least of your concerns at that point. There are opportunities in blood banking or perhaps working for industry, but a lot of CP academic jobs (in micro, chem) are done by PhDs and not MDs. CP only is fine if you are a researcher primarily who will agree to cover certain services at academic centers.

At some point in your career you will probably have to do something that you object to. Autopsies and grossing are fairly minor - once you finish residency these are minimized - there are private practice pathologists who do grossing but it isn't a ton, in general. Wigging out on AP just because you find something icky is probably not the best option, to be frank.