I'm thinking about going into Path but afraid that the usual 4 week rotation is not enough for me to decide on it. I'm just a lowly M1 finishing up my first year in med school. I'm really average when it comes to grades, so I was wondering how competitive are PSFs. Also, how many rotations does it usually take to have a good basis for understanding what pathologists do day in day out?
How competitive are PSFs now that they don't count towards Path residency
- Thread starter jv00927
- Start date
- Joined
- Jun 26, 2004
- Messages
- 397
- Reaction score
- 0
Doing a PSF to see if you like path is probably overkill.
I would bet less than 50% of people that do a PSF go into pathology.
You can get a good taste of what pathology entails after at the most 3 decent elective months.
- Joined
- Dec 17, 2001
- Messages
- 2,151
- Reaction score
- 5
I did a PSF a couple of years ago -- they are not competitive. That being said, they can be useful depending on your personal circumstance and interests. To say that you can get a good understanding of what a Pathologist does on a daily basis after 3 months is probably a bit optimistic, but it will give you an idea of whether or not you like the work (although one could make the argument that AP and CP are diverse enough that you never know what you will and won't like).
PM me with any questions.
PM me with any questions.
- Joined
- Aug 15, 2003
- Messages
- 28,059
- Reaction score
- 441
That's probably true, although if you want to see what it is like and feel like it would help you no matter what you go into it's not a bad reason. Also, if it makes sense financially for you. The reason I did it was that my interest was piqued during 2nd year and I wanted to see what it was like, but I also wanted to experience more of it because I figured I wouldn't end up going into it. Of course, after a month or two I changed my mind on that latter point.
I don't think they are that competitive either. But I agree if you just want to see if you are interested it's a long year when you find out you aren't.
- Joined
- Aug 15, 2003
- Messages
- 3,124
- Reaction score
- 131
USF has one and in the 4 years i was a student i can't recall it being filled any of those years.
- Joined
- Feb 11, 2006
- Messages
- 131
- Reaction score
- 0
The fellowships are generally not competitive but some of them fill earlier in the year than others.
I don't think that doing a four week rotation would give me anywhere near the amount of insight as having completed a fellowship. I have a pretty good idea of what I'm getting myself into... at least concerning residency.
That said, a PSF = 1 Year. Big commitment. Life doesn't stand still. Pay is low. Your non-PSF classmates will still get into excellent programs provided that they are bright and motivated. If you decide to take the leap, please research ahead of time and feel free to PM me. Not all programs provide you with the same opportunities or autonomy. Some are research intensive and others expect you to adopt resident-level responsibilities. Some provide experience exclusively in anatomic pathology whereas others integrate clinical pathology. Depends what you're after.
Good luck!
I don't think that doing a four week rotation would give me anywhere near the amount of insight as having completed a fellowship. I have a pretty good idea of what I'm getting myself into... at least concerning residency.
That said, a PSF = 1 Year. Big commitment. Life doesn't stand still. Pay is low. Your non-PSF classmates will still get into excellent programs provided that they are bright and motivated. If you decide to take the leap, please research ahead of time and feel free to PM me. Not all programs provide you with the same opportunities or autonomy. Some are research intensive and others expect you to adopt resident-level responsibilities. Some provide experience exclusively in anatomic pathology whereas others integrate clinical pathology. Depends what you're after.
Good luck!
