I think I'm in love...

[cytoborg]

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I am starting to think that how much I like a certain program has more to do with what side of the bed I wake up on, than anything else. When I try to put my finger on why I liked or didn't like about a program, it usually comes down to a gut feeling I had about it. But how reliable is this, really? Now, I firmly believe I have found the one and only, the pathology program of my dreams! 😍 The entire interview day, I couldn't stop thinking, "I've finally found it - pathology nirvana!" But when I really stop and think about WHY I liked it, it has more to do with how interested/enthusastic the interviewers seemed. This cannot be a rational way to put together a ROL! Any thoughts? How reliable is gestalt?

 

[yaah]

You may find that your enthusiasm will normalize as you attend more interviews and have time to think about it. One of my interviews, mid way through the cycle, left me thinking that I had found paradise as well. I was rationalizing the program weaknesses in my head. But as time went on I found I liked things about lots of different programs, and started to develop what was most important to me.

Don't completely discount interested and enthusiastic interviewers, because this says at the very least that they take the interview process seriously and are likely committed to resident education.

p.s. if you are questioning why you have enthusiasm for a program and want to see if it is accurate, ask to go for a second look. You need to know whether your impressions are accurate and whether the bloom will come off of the rose soon after starting residency. You don't want that program to be, to use a bizarre analogy, that hot chick (or guy) you meet at a bar who turns out to be as intelligent as dirt.

 

[LADoc00]

I am starting to think that how much I like a certain program has more to do with what side of the bed I wake up on, than anything else. When I try to put my finger on why I liked or didn't like about a program, it usually comes down to a gut feeling I had about it. But how reliable is this, really? Now, I firmly believe I have found the one and only, the pathology program of my dreams! 😍 The entire interview day, I couldn't stop thinking, "I've finally found it - pathology nirvana!" But when I really stop and think about WHY I liked it, it has more to do with how interested/enthusastic the interviewers seemed. This cannot be a rational way to put together a ROL! Any thoughts? How reliable is gestalt?

Are you serious? 😱

 

[deschutes]

cytoborg, I have thought about that too. I think part of it is that it is nice to be the centre of attention 😉

I got a next-day second-look at one of my programs by inviting myself (I do this a lot 😛 ) to a morning conference. While people weren't bending over backward to accomodate me this time, at least it was realistic. And certainly did not diminish the program in my eyes.

 

[Doctor B.]

I went with my gut feeling and it served me well. I think it's a good thing to follow. Make sure you wait until you've interviewed everywhere to really listen to it.

 

[LADoc00]

You may find that your enthusiasm will normalize as you attend more interviews and have time to think about it. One of my interviews, mid way through the cycle, left me thinking that I had found paradise as well. I was rationalizing the program weaknesses in my head. But as time went on I found I liked things about lots of different programs, and started to develop what was most important to me.

Don't completely discount interested and enthusiastic interviewers, because this says at the very least that they take the interview process seriously and are likely committed to resident education.

p.s. if you are questioning why you have enthusiasm for a program and want to see if it is accurate, ask to go for a second look. You need to know whether your impressions are accurate and whether the bloom will come off of the rose soon after starting residency. You don't want that program to be, to use a bizarre analogy, that hot chick (or guy) you meet at a bar who turns out to be as intelligent as dirt.

Youre analogy makes no sense, have you ever picked up on a hot chick at the bar and upon realizing she was an idiot dropped her? umm, sure... yeah lots of people do that....No Jessica Simpson you are just tooo dumb to give me a bj....Im looking for someone who spout out a differential diagnosis for spindle cell lesions of retroperitoneum while they do it!!

 

[jeff2005]

LaDoc, you're in rare form tonight.

 

[LADoc00]

LaDoc, you're in rare form tonight.

Hell ya, Im tired as hell and have like 3 prostates still to sign out... and the asswipe clincians didnt even bother to show up to tumor board where I prepd slides...and I found out our staff radiologists will be able to start signing out their cases from these free super duper nifty laptops the hospital just gave them, they can sit in their jammies at Starbucks and make 2x what I make!!

Aint life grand? Im waiting for someone from the Bush admin to personally come over tonight and kick me in the balls for all around fanastic week in pathology!

 

[deschutes]

No kidding. I spent 15 minutes of the last half hour watching my housemates watch "The OC". Apparently there are them pretty pretty people out there whose life crises involve obsessing over how to win back the girl they didn't ask to the dance.

I definitely picked the wrong field! My sole goal in life should have been to become Jessica Simpson 🙄 😉

It is a long hike though, from the differential diagnosis for retroperitoneal spindle cell lesions to Jessica Simpson.

 

[yaah]

Youre analogy makes no sense, have you ever picked up on a hot chick at the bar and upon realizing she was an idiot dropped her? umm, sure... yeah lots of people do that....No Jessica Simpson you are just tooo dumb to give me a bj....Im looking for someone who spout out a differential diagnosis for spindle cell lesions of retroperitoneum while they do it!!

The so-called vacuous ninny may be nice to look at but a pretty face provides only so much. Sometimes by the time you get to know someone you realize that, as someone once said about Oakland, "There is no 'there' there." It's only a good thing for so long. And some point you are going to have to talk to her.

But I will concede my analogy lacks merit.

 

[tsj]

Hell ya, Im tired as hell and have like 3 prostates still to sign out... and the asswipe clincians didnt even bother to show up to tumor board where I prepd slides...and I found out our staff radiologists will be able to start signing out their cases from these free super duper nifty laptops the hospital just gave them, they can sit in their jammies at Starbucks and make 2x what I make!!

You coulda went into I-banking and made ten times what you make now.

Radiology is boring. You can do so much more with the actual tissue.

 

[cytoborg]

To yaah and Doc B, thank you for the words of wisdom. I do have a couple of interviews left and am trying to keep an open mind.

Nearly all of the programs I have visited seem quite strong, both by reputation and by what I witnessed myself, so I don't think I can go too wrong with any of them. (I did have the sense to recognize a couple of programs that definitely don't suit my needs, so I think I have at least some of my wits intact. 😉 ) This ROL is going to come down to very minor differences between programs. My sig other is completely flexible and willing to go pretty much anywhere, which is lucky, but doesn't narrow down the decision, either.

Hence, the reliance on gestalt, astrology, and cat-like instincts. 😀

 

[yaah]

ROLs for most people often come down to small things. Sometimes it is a small thing to do with the program, othertimes it is an attitude they felt, othertimes it has to do with the city. If you like a certain program, you may find yourself minimizing their weaknesses and accentuating their positives. Likewise, a program that you "don't want to like" may result in you making a bigger deal out of a small issue.

Once you finish all the interviews, you have time to reorganize your thoughts and attempt to evaluate. Sometimes this gets hard - because a lot of things about programs run together, but everyone figures it out!

 

[Mindy]

I love LA's posts. He is the poster child of why people SHOULD NOT go into medicine for superficial reasons.

Buddy face it, you simply got what you deserved.

Mindy

 

[Weil-Felix]

Cytoborg,

How happy you are at your residency program has as much to do with the atmosphere as it does with the academics. For many people, including myself, it is of paramount importance to pick a place where you will fit in with your peers as well as get along with the attendings. If you're going to spend four years of your life working closely with a group of people, they had better be people you can work easily with, right? Getting a feel for these things is difficult to do on a single interview day, and I do believe that sometimes you have to rely on a little intuition. Maybe the reason you got "good vibes" from your interviewers at that particular program was because you connected with them.

I would second the recommendation for a second look at the programs you like. It never hurts to research your options thoroughly.

Good luck with your interviews!

 

[yaah]

Weil-Felix I used the picture that is in your avatar for a micro presentation this year on tick-borne illnesses! That rock-star mouse played the role of the disease reservoir.

 

[Weil-Felix]

Weil-Felix I used the picture that is in your avatar for a micro presentation this year on tick-borne illnesses! That rock-star mouse played the role of the disease reservoir.

Sweet. That makes it even more appropriate with my user name. As you may remember from micro: the Weil-Felix is a test for rickettsial diseases, which are transmitted by ticks and fleas. The only thing that would be better than the rockstar mouse would be a picture of a flying squirrel (another resevoir for rickettsial bugs).

 

[Doctor B.]

 

[Weil-Felix]

Yessss! Thanks DocB!

 

[yaah]

Wow - now my post is obsolete and makes no sense!

 

[Mrbojangles]

I love LA's posts. He is the poster child of why people SHOULD NOT go into medicine for superficial reasons.

Buddy face it, you simply got what you deserved.

Mindy

Now now there's room for all kinds of personalities in medicine. Diversity is the spice of life.

 

[Mindy]

Now now there's room for all kinds of personalities in medicine. Diversity is the spice of life.

Oh, you are right. I would adore working with the likes of LADoc. Can't wait to open the doors of my practice and invite that type of diversity into my environment. Nothing would beat walking into LA's office for a heme curbside and having him go on and on about how I am using up his precious money-making minutes. What a great colleague! And the sexual harrassment suits that would ensue due to his uncensored obnoxious comments toward the female members of the office? Outstanding for business! And the best part? His finely tuned ranting on how much he hates his job and life and how he should have been a radiologist or a pop star or an astronaut. COOL! Yup, just the type of variety I am looking for in a well-organized, well-managed, smooth-running, PATIENT CARE - oriented pathology practice. Did LA ever consider that his personality may be precluding him from obtaining a decent job? Jeez, I mean its time to grow up.

And why, does anyone wonder, have I taken an acute interest in LADoc? 1) I know many hemepath folks in the peri-LA area. 2) I am disgusted and offended by the use of our forum as a means of attacking and degrading women. Please post your lewd fantasies elsewhere. Or PM them to the members of this forum who disagree with me and actually want to read them.

Mindy

 

[jeff2005]

I completely agree with Mindy. Yaah should censor some of his posts, IMHO. Ideally, he would just go away.

 

[yaah]

IMHO he comes very close to crossing a line but doesn't quite get there all the time. Being rude, abrasive and blunt isn't necessarily offensive to everyone. There are sweeping generalizations and statements but not as many personal attacks. Others may see this differently, I can understand that.

Of course, please let me know about any posts anyone sees that are bothersome - clearly I can't read minds and figure out what is offensive to different people. I am not about to start censoring randomly, however, and turn us into a fascist entity.

 

[yaah]

I might also add - there is an option under your "user CP" link at the left edge of the page to "ignore" certain users if you type in their username. A lot of people don't know about this, and truthfully I am not sure how it works because I don't use it, but one can try it if you want to take that step.

The other option is the little icon under the username in each post that looks like a "DANGER" sign - it looks like this:

Again - this doesn't go to me but it does go to other moderators (people who seem to be here all the time - unlike me who you may think is here all the time but in actuality only checks in occasionally).

THe other option is to simply tell me about a post or reply and post "this is offensive" and we'll see what we can do.

 

[Mindy]

Just because I am offended by it, does not mean I think his posts should be reflexively censored. Rather, I would like to have an opportunity to voice my own response to his foolishness. This site is not nearly as unanimous as some of us would like to believe. Heck, anyone who was interested in knowing who I was could easily track me down based on the info I have divulged in the past 4 years on this site. Why would anyone want to look so unprofessional and quite frankly pathetic in front of their peers and potential colleagues?

Worst part about LA is how terribly unhappy he is. He wants us to be completely in sympathy about how crappy life as a pathologist is to him. He puts down (generalizations or not) anyone who dare claim that pathology brings them happiness.

If it were not for his derogatory comments about women, I probably would feel sorry for the guy. But I am tired of the resurrection of anti-female behavior that seems to be surfacing both here and more globally (go ahead, just ask me what I am talking about.)

Most unfortunately for LA, is he actually does not have much company on this forum. Most of us are excited by pathology and like our career choice. Thank goodness.

Mindy

 

[deschutes]

I think part of the initial (and perhaps, continuing) worry about his posts was that of the influence of the negativity on some impressionable minds who were considering path as a career. (There was the argument that those people probably weren't too committed to path anyway... 🙄 )

There was also the concern that his posts were eroding the collegial friendly atmosphere that generally existed on the forum. But I think that is not necessarily true. If anything, it highlighted the collegiality: other posters' responses speak for themselves - they have been quite respectful and only one thread has been closed.

Mindy - dare I ask you what you were talking about in your last post re: global behaviour? 🙂

~
Weil-Felix and Dr. B - that is some crazy star-jumping squirrel!

 

[yaah]

Well, I did figure it out - clicking that little danger icon will send me an email about the post and your comments, so feel free. Abuse it at your own peril, however.

 

[Doctor B.]

Yessss! Thanks DocB!

No problem. Glad I could help 🙂

 

[Mindy]

Mindy - dare I ask you what you were talking about in your last post re: global behaviour? 🙂

~

🙂 Well since you asked. (Please ignore, those who are interested in pathology-only subjects, but I cannot resist.) My current fuming comes from watching Ryan Seacrest hosting American Billboard Awards a week or so ago. Apparently he found a couple of audience members to invite onstage (oh lucky lucky them) to stand around and seemingly do nothing while the show went on. He said as he pretended to look for (?) winners, that he was "looking for a women with extremely large boobs." And then he proceeded to acknowledge his female (?) winner (who looked a little stunned by the comment) and invited her onstage. She of course went, but I wished she slapped him or took that opportunity on live tv to put the wimpy little dude down. Got me thinking about Janet Jackson and how she is still criticized about the star incident, but how few people talked about how creepy it was to pull down someone's shirt (?Maybe she was asking for it? obvious obvious sarcasm I hope.)

Mindy

 

[pathdawg]

🙂 Well since you asked. (Please ignore, those who are interested in pathology-only subjects, but I cannot resist.) My current fuming comes from watching Ryan Seacrest hosting American Billboard Awards a week or so ago. Apparently he found a couple of audience members to invite onstage (oh lucky lucky them) to stand around and seemingly do nothing while the show went on. He said as he pretended to look for (?) winners, that he was "looking for a women with extremely large boobs." And then he proceeded to acknowledge his female (?) winner (who looked a little stunned by the comment) and invited her onstage. She of course went, but I wished she slapped him or took that opportunity on live tv to put the wimpy little dude down. Got me thinking about Janet Jackson and how she is still criticized about the star incident, but how few people talked about how creepy it was to pull down someone's shirt (?Maybe she was asking for it? obvious obvious sarcasm I hope.)

Mindy

Seacrest, out!

 

[deschutes]

he was "looking for a women with extremely large boobs." ... She of course went, but I wished she slapped him...

Yes. Or slapped him with her "extremely large boobs". That would be poetic justice.

 

[yaah]

Well, that is what one gets if one decides to watch music awards shows. I think one would have to Clockwork Orange me to a chair to get me to watch one of them. I agree that it is evidence of the downfall of our society into one that disvalues intellectualism and hard work and glorifies rude language, foul behavior, and complaining until you get what you want.

Speaking of being in love though, I met a nice girl yesterday. I hope I hear from her again soon. 😍

edit: That sounds dirty and unseemly. Nothing like that at all. We just had a nice conversation.

 

[Mindy]

Congrats Yaah!

Normally I would agree with you in regard to awards show. ?Maybe its living in Boston, but I have been in a pop culture mood lately.

Mindy

 

[yaah]

Well, I paid more attention to it when I lived there too, so I guess I can understand that. I actually got sucked into American Idol that year that Ruben and Clay were in it, and I still am kicking myself over that. Perhaps you are on a CP rotation now and have little to do?

 

[deschutes]

I was being a tad inappropriate on purpose. I thought maybe someone else might have read that tabloid-worthy report from years back that a man acquired a black eye from traumatic contact with a female entertainer's chest.

It is rather easy for me to dismiss comments like the one Mindy describes from my mind. I simply think that the individual at "fault" really doesn't know any better.

By extension of that, LADoc00.

Notice how he completely ignores us talking over his head 🙂