for mindy

[augmel]

hi mindy,
i was just wondering what attracted you to the psf. i know you said you needed some time off, but i'm just curious why a psf if you had never thought of pathology before?
i'm also wondering if that experience prevented you from giving other specialties a chance during year 3?
thanks

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[Mindy]

It wasn't so much that I needed time off, it was more so that I was open for a diversion. I felt that coming out of 2nd year, that I really was not able to apply the information I had learned, that I would be a better clinician if I studied medicine in a hands on way (it never really clicked that 3rd and 4th years were for that!) The PSF provided me with canvas to practice and polish the knowledge I had acquired in the pre-clinical years.

In fact, what I learned is that 3rd and 4th yr certainly teach management, but the understanding of disease processes is tightly linked to the study of pathology. For me, answering the question "why" has been a life long goal. Pathology brings you close to understanding the "why" of the human body. When knowledge of the medical community hits a brick wall, the study of pathology teaches you to ask the questions that will propel you further along the road of understanding disease. Contrasting this to clinical medicine, "why" is often answered with "because" and left at that. I think the endless quest for definitive answers is one of the characteristics that separate pathologists from other specialists.

Finally, my perception of other fields *was* dramatically altered by the PSF. Simply, nothing compared. So here I am...

By the way everyone, wish me and ScopeMonkey luck...our first interview (group!) is on Friday!

Mindy

 

[augmel]

hey, good luck to both of you on friday. gotta be scary, but it sure sounds like both of you are ready and well thought out in your desire to study path.

just out of curiousity, what does a path destined ms-4 do with all that elective time? i can't imagine that you stress out in a sub-i or er. lots of path electives?

 

[Mindy]

1. pediatric er acting internship
2. cardiology
3. pm&r
4. dermatology
5. nuclear medicine
6. informatics independent study
7. nuerology and neurosurgery (required)
8. urology (required)

btw thanks! (i am starting to get excited!)

mindy

 

[blueintheface]

augmel, i also did a psf and it was a career defining experience. i was in a bit of a different situation as i applied during my third year when i was already leaning towards pathology, but much of what mindy said applies to me as well. it allowed me to consolidate the vast amounts information i had memorized, but not necessarily understood. it gave me time to re-evaluate my career options, and it allowed me to undertake a research project. i don't think a psf would prevent you from giving other specialties a chance. quite the contrary, i think it would allow you to take a much deeper look at the different specialties because you will have an advanced understanding of the pathology. third year rotations come and go so fast - there is barely enough time to absorb all the clinical information you need to know, much less make an informed career decision so any extension of medical education is a good thing, in my mind. that said, you should be aware that psfs are no longer counted towards residency requirements in pathology (see previous posts), although that in itself should not dissuade you from considering it. the educational benefits of a psf would extend to any specialty and in fact, might have more relative value for a future surgeon or internist because of its uniqueness.

 

[augmel]

did both of you find that the knowledge you gained in your psf made you a lot sharper during your third year rotations? it seems like you would just have a lot of stuff really down that your classmates were struggling just to remember where they heard about it.

could you tell me where you two did your psfs? since my school doesn't have one, i'd have to go elsewhere. did your schools take students from other schools?

 

[Global Disrobal]

If I may be prudent enough to delve into the topic...

I too did the psf. It definitely was "career defining" as eluded to above. What I especially liked was that everything came together, specifically during my autopsy months.

In terms of other specialties, I know that the fellow psf's used it to see what they liked/disliked. One of them is now considering Surgery while the other like yours truely swears by Path.

Hope this helps you out. As far as electives are concerned, I personally have been struck by senioritis... I'll be doing 5 months of Path at different programs to "audition" myself, and a couple of months in interventional rad and cardiopulmonary.

Best of luck to you!

 

[augmel]

thanks GD,

i'd also like to repeat my plea for information on specific psf programs, including what you did most, how you liked it, and whether they accepted fellows from other schools. i ain't got the option at my own school.

thanks to any willing to give that info.

 

[Global Disrobal]

I did my PSF at UCLA. There were non-UCLA students aswell. In terms of availability, it depend on the program. Some years they take none and other years they take up to 3 or 4. Other programs that have similar PSFs are UC Irvine, U of Arizona, Johns Hopkins to name a few. Your best bet is to pick up the book on Pathology residencies and fellowships and look in the back. It'll have names, contacts, and info on the programs.

As I mentioned before, I loved the fact that I could use my basic science knowledge in a hands on matter. In case you want a taste, this is what my schedule was:

(One month each)
Hemepath (BM)
Hemepath (Lymphoma)
Chemistry
Blood Bank
Microbiology
Soft-Tissue, Skin, and Bone
GU, Renal
Head, Neck, Heart & Lung (2 months)
Autopsy (2 months)
Neuropath

Hope this helps.

 

[augmel]

thanks GD,

some good places to start looking. it looks like you did a lot of clinical path. did you enjoy that or did you really prefer the surgical? i think micro would be fun and maybe the heme path, at least the morphological part, but chemistry and blood banking don't seem that interesting. am i wrong?

 

[Global Disrobal]

Blood bank and Chemistry were certainly the least stressful months especially in comparison to the SurgPath months. However they probably benefited me and the other students by having direct effect on 3rd and 4th year rotations. The material I learned in those months (ie lab value significance, troubleshooting lab results, transfusion reaction types...) have come in handy specially during medicine and OB/GYN. Overall thoughm I agree with you in that it can at times be too slow. I do prefer Surg path overall with Bone, Sof Tissue, and Derm being my favorites.

A Question for the "all mighty" Mindy or Pumpkin:

I have loaded up with 5 months of Path elective for 4th year... Can this backfire? Should I change them for other rotations such as Pulmonary or such?

Thanks gang

Now time to sleep (Post call*** Yawn and Whine)

 

[Mindy]

"almighty"! Ha! You should see the sniffles I got after visiting my nieces and nephew this weekend!

Anyway, who knows about fourth year rotations. I've completed 2 interviews and the topic never came up. I personally am doing no pathology, and quite frankly I miss it.

?You are post-pathology call? I am shocked!

Mindy

 

[Global Disrobal]

Is there such thing as "post-pathology call?" Not even that, but is there post pathology call where the resident hasn't gotten more than 6 hours of sleep???

I'm on Surg Onc right now.

I know what you mean about missing Path, I'm in the same boat. Its hard to get a taste of it during PSF and then have to put up with the surgeons and so forth. Good luck on the remainder of the interviews!

GD