IGNORE TROLLS, PATH IS A GOOD FIELD...CHECK IT OUT FOR YOURSELF

[deleted314957]

I see this a lot. Maybe this doesn't apply to you specifically, but the boomer generation as a whole gave their kids (millenials) participation trophies, helicoptered around everything, and generally treated them as special snowflakes who could do no wrong. Now the boomers complain that their kids are entitled and ruining the economy and everything else while simultaneously being saddled with enormous student debt and poor wage growth.

I like this quote from somewhere else on the Internet: "'That's not how I raised you!' 'Uh yeah, it is.'"

I can’t deny that. Lots of crappy parenting from my generation.

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[Path-Anon]

Not really. When I talk with peeps at conferences and such, almost everyone I talked to who worked in community path were making more than 375k (not including benefits)

It’s those pawns in academic path that were all getting screwed and the academic peeps I talk to at conferences were all less than 225k (avg 3-5 yrs experience) . I have even talked to pathologists with 10+ years experience who work in academics and were still only at about 250k. Don’t be an idiot, stay away from academics

Academic medical centers are the ones snatching up all the community hospitals in a given city. My clinical colleagues can write their own ticket out of there if they feel they got a raw deal, but as a pathologist, you are essentially screwed. If you are fortunate that they keep you and don’t just fire you and replace you with their own specialistpathologists (or advertise your job for some other applicant to fill), you will be forced to take their much lower salary.

 

[SpaghettiMeatballs]

My job search was miserable. It took 8 months to get a single offer, and included applying to literally every PP posting from at least 6 different general and path-specific job boards I could find + talking to every AP attending in the path dept + CAP and USCAP meeting networking + using CMS billing data to accumulate a list of literally 80-100 path practices within a 200 mile radius of every West-coast city, collecting website/phone number info and cold calling groups offering my CV (this is how I began my morning every day for 3 months of my fellowship). The amount of work that went into receiving a single offer was probably on par with an additional full-time job. If that sounds "normal" to you, then I would say you should probably ask your clinical colleagues about their search. My favorite experience was when a recruiter from one of the 5 firms I sent my CV to called me not to talk to me about a job, but just to ask what patholgists do. She'd been working in physician recruiting for 10 years but had never heard of a "pathologist" and wanted to know what we do.

In the same boat here after one long year of exhaustive search ended on the US/Mexico border. Landed 3 interviews and had this single offer. Well, it turns out the practice is being bought and I have to look around again within the next 4 months.

 

[y2k_free_radical]

Academic medical centers are the ones snatching up all the community hospitals in a given city. My clinical colleagues can write their own ticket out of there if they feel they got a raw deal, but as a pathologist, you are essentially screwed. If you are fortunate that they keep you and don’t just fire you and replace you with their own specialistpathologists (or advertise your job for some other applicant to fill), you will be forced to take their much lower salary.

That sucks-so ACADEMIC centers act like QUEST

 

[handel909]

Why do I get a quizzical look whenever I tell classmates that I want to go into pathology, that ends with them asking if I really want to be a doctor? I have an oncologist and an anesthesiologist friend that tell me to do onc or anesth- meanwhile my onc friend is working 12 hrs a day seeing very sick patients in the hospital at all hours (had 3 die two weeks ago) and has been told by his hospital to NOT prescribe immunotherapies and has to fight tooth and nail with administration. My medicine placement was the worst level of human suffering I've ever seen. I was asked to catheterize an elderly delirious man with MRSA who had previously pulled his catheter out and was oozing blood out of his meatus and groaning (pain) all the while. Also chasing bloods all day seemed like monotonous torture. I have a PhD and want to work beside a microscope in an office with light music being gently played in the background... Am I being immature or mature? When I told my dean in a meeting that I wanted to conduct research and be a pathologist he said, "The training is quite long and there are so may tests, are you sure you want to be a doctor?" My onc friend says I need to get the hell out of my school by transferring (to even the Carib if my only option, even though he is from Upenn) as they are not supportive. Doesn't the medical field need or value Pathologists?

 

[pathslides]

Why do I get a quizzical look whenever I tell classmates that I want to go into pathology, that ends with them asking if I really want to be a doctor? I have an oncologist and an anesthesiologist friend that tell me to do onc or anesth- meanwhile my onc friend is working 12 hrs a day seeing very sick patients in the hospital at all hours (had 3 die two weeks ago) and has been told by his hospital to NOT prescribe immunotherapies and has to fight tooth and nail with administration. My medicine placement was the worst level of human suffering I've ever seen. I was asked to catheterize an elderly delirious man with MRSA who had previously pulled his catheter out and was oozing blood out of his meatus and groaning (pain) all the while. Also chasing bloods all day seemed like monotonous torture. I have a PhD and want to work beside a microscope in an office with light music being gently played in the background... Am I being immature or mature? When I told my dean in a meeting that I wanted to conduct research and be a pathologist he said, "The training is quite long and there are so may tests, are you sure you want to be a doctor?" My onc friend says I need to get the hell out of my school by transferring (to even the Carib if my only option, even though he is from Upenn) as they are not supportive. Doesn't the medical field need or value Pathologists?

Based on my salary, I’d say I’m quite valued. Based on my constant discussions of actual medicine through phone calls with oncologists/clinicians, again, I’d say I’m quite valued. Pathology is necessary. Pathology is great. The lifestyle of a pathologist is superb.

 

[handel909]

Based on my salary, I’d say I’m quite valued. Based on my constant discussions of actual medicine through phone calls with oncologists/clinicians, again, I’d say I’m quite valued. Pathology is necessary. Pathology is great. The lifestyle of a pathologist is superb.

Sounds good. Do you have any insight as to why people keep trying to dissuade me and my fellow med studs scoff?

My friend has some idea that I’ll start a lab and we’ll work together with myself as an onc rather than path. I said, “pathologists have easy access to labs so it’s more feasible.” He says, “but they can’t run trials, you’ll always have to have someone run it for you.” To that I replied, “The discovery is already over at that point and the rationale already vetted. I want to do the basic science discovery.”

I’m really lost and reading all the forums (I’ve been seeing ladocs lamentations for 6 years now) have been making me vacillate and be demotivated.

 

[deleted314957]

Sounds good. Do you have any insight as to why people keep trying to dissuade me and my fellow med studs scoff?

My friend has some idea that I’ll start a lab and we’ll work together with myself as an onc rather than path. I said, “pathologists have easy access to labs so it’s more feasible.” He says, “but they can’t run trials, you’ll always have to have someone run it for you.” To that I replied, “The discovery is already over at that point and the rationale already vetted. I want to do the basic science discovery.”

I’m really lost and reading all the forums (I’ve been seeing ladocs lamentations for 6 years now) have been making me vacillate and be demotivated.

It really was a great field for me. I was well prepared AND I was lucky.
You will (i assume due to your PhD/research interest) likely go into
academics which is not as geographically restricted as PP jobs
but still no picnic. By all means, go into pathology. Just be aware of the
realities of the specialty in particular and the field of medicine in general.
It ain’t your grandfathers Buick anymore.

 

[handel909]

It really was a great field for me. I was well prepared AND I was lucky.
You will (i assume due to your PhD/research interest) likely go into
academics which is not as geographically restricted as PP jobs
but still no picnic. By all means, go into pathology. Just be aware of the
realities of the specialty in particular and the field of medicine in general.
It ain’t your grandfathers Buick anymore.

Yes I may go into academics and publish during training but I would prefer business after training and the reason is this- academic research (from my 9 year experience) is where innovation stymies unless paired very close with business. I would prefer to take a more hands on and profitable approach to any discoveries made. Long story short I’ve seen academic institutions fumble too often with diamonds in the rough (including my own discoveries).
Edit: wow 9 years of research not 5...

 

[943710]

I was looking up a lot of path programs yesterday and noticed most of them take quite a few FMGs... Why is this? I'm interested in path but this kind of seems like a red flag, especially given that a lot them also seem to be from countries like Nigeria or Pakistan where medical training might not be to the same standard of quality that ours is.

 

[Pathbusiness]

I was looking up a lot of path programs yesterday and noticed most of them take quite a few FMGs... Why is this? I'm interested in path but this kind of seems like a red flag, especially given that a lot them also seem to be from countries like Nigeria or Pakistan where medical training might not be to the same standard of quality that ours is.

Are you looking for a program to get good training or evaluating the diversity?

 

[943710]

Are you looking for a program to get good training or evaluating the diversity?

Good training.

 

[LADoc00]

I'll be honest I wanted to go to residency where I felt I fit in because I wanted friends and colleagues perhaps even more than pathology training, especially at first.

I wouldnt blame someone for saying they dont think they will socially fit in at a training program and therefore perhaps wont get the best experience.

 

[octopusprime]

I chose pathology because i was hoping to eventually be one of those lonely, poor, nameless and not respected military docs that could do alien autopsies at area 51 or something.