Like histology, what fields besides path?

[gman33]

Much to my surprise, I'm finding myself really enjoying histology. I can't really see myself as a pathologist. What other fields out there would be good for applying this skill set?

I can think of a lot of fields that rely heavily on path, but I'm not sure about how much the docs actually do. Hem/Onc is one that comes to mind, but not sure how much the docs actually look at slides.

Any ideas would be appreciated.
Thanks.

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[Scaredshizzles]

Much to my surprise, I'm finding myself really enjoying histology. I can't really see myself as a pathologist. What other fields out there would be good for applying this skill set?

I can think of a lot of fields that rely heavily on path, but I'm not sure about how much the docs actually do. Hem/Onc is one that comes to mind, but not sure how much the docs actually look at slides.

Any ideas would be appreciated.
Thanks.

Hemeonc you definitely look at a lot of peripheral smears, and if you choose to be involved, usually you look at the tumor resection surgical path slides on your patients. Some surgeons also like to look at the pathology frequently. Dermatologists look at skin biopsies a lot, they might be the primary person in charge of making the diagnosis.

 

[Richspiders07]

Infectious Disease?

 

[stainedglass]

why can't you see yourself being a pathologist? I liked histology and pathology my first two years, but I also couldn't see myself as a pathologist until I did a few rotations in it. I consider pathology a hidden gem in medicine and am glad I gave it a chance! There are many fields in pathology and you are not necessarily spending 100% of your time looking through a microscope all day (see: bloodbanking, forensics, hemepath, etc.)

Other fields which involve histologic diagnosis:

moh's surgery
dermpath

 

[meister]

Yuck I'm glad you guys are out there willing to look at slides.

 

[RySerr21]

i have a similar question but different field/area of interest. I absolutely love musckuloskeletal systems...everything about them. I'm a kines major, i tutor in courses like anatomy, biomechanics, etc and i work as an athletic trainer at my shcool. Because of these interets i have always been excited about orthopedic surgery and then going on to a fellowship in sports medicine. I'm beginning to think that being a surgeon is not a lifestyle that I want. Obviously, ill get a clearer picture once i do rotations and what not, but its not a secret that surgery is long and ardous path and even later down the road as an established phsyician the hours are long and work is hard... so what other fields would be best for someone who is interested in being an "expert" in musculoskeletal anatomy? I realize you can go into sports medicine via other pathways (residency in peds/fam practice/EM/ etc) but those residencies are far from focused on the musculoskeletal system. It won't be til fellowship that i start to get in to the stuff that i really love.

so if musculoskeletal stuff is where my passion lies, is orthopedics really the only option?

 

[VoiceofReason]

It's a bum deal ryserr, i had the same problem you did.

I love orthopedics but I consider the surgical lifestyle lunacy, and just unacceptable. I'm not going to become an exhausted, overworked misanthrope just for the chance to practice orthopaedics. Am I saying all orthopedists are this way? No, but I would be if i went into ortho because I like to feel well rested, healthy, and like to exercise on a regular basis, and i wouldnt be able to do that to my satisfaction in residency andpossibly beyond. I dont want to have my exercise routine and my periods of restfulness interrupted by long periods of work and exhaustion (We are speaking in relative terms here, medicine in general is worse than most other jobs in this area but medicine is still a lot better than surgery).

I'd be happier in a medical subspecialty because i still enjoy the intellectual content but I positively NEED a certain level of sanity in work conditions.

Anyway, physiatry is the closest thing but its just not the same imo.

 

[TMP-SMX]

Derm is certainly a gross visual and histology profession. You do a lot of biopsies so the money is good and also the hours are great. Also, the spots are limited. This is why it is highly competitive.

 

[Droopy Snoopy]

i have a similar question but different field/area of interest. I absolutely love musckuloskeletal systems...everything about them. I'm a kines major, i tutor in courses like anatomy, biomechanics, etc and i work as an athletic trainer at my shcool. Because of these interets i have always been excited about orthopedic surgery and then going on to a fellowship in sports medicine. I'm beginning to think that being a surgeon is not a lifestyle that i want. Obviously, ill get a clearer picture once i do rotations and what not, but its not a secret that surgery is long and ardous path and even later down the road as an established phsyician the hours are long and work is hard... So what other fields would be best for someone who is interested in being an "expert" in musculoskeletal anatomy? I realize you can go into sports medicine via other pathways (residency in peds/fam practice/em/ etc) but those residencies are far from focused on the musculoskeletal system. It won't be til fellowship that i start to get in to the stuff that i really love.

So if musculoskeletal stuff is where my passion lies, is orthopedics really the only option?

pm&r

 

[Droopy Snoopy]

Much to my surprise, I'm finding myself really enjoying histology. I can't really see myself as a pathologist. What other fields out there would be good for applying this skill set?

I can think of a lot of fields that rely heavily on path, but I'm not sure about how much the docs actually do. Hem/Onc is one that comes to mind, but not sure how much the docs actually look at slides.

Any ideas would be appreciated.
Thanks.

Radiologists do basically the same work just in a different format.

 

[Captain Fantastic]

pm&r

+1

 

[gman33]

Radiologists do basically the same work just in a different format.

I've thought that rads might be similar in the overall "thinking" aspects.
The weird thing is that I didn't like Gross at all. Maybe I would once I had the basics down and was actually applying the knowledge as opposed to just trying to remember what the hell things were.

 

[BlueberryMuffin]

Why can't you see yourself as a pathologist? I know someone already asked this, but I'd be interested in hearing what specifically is holding you back. No patient contact? Sitting at a microscope for prolonged periods (can someone say major hemorrhoids)? Not being a "real doctor"? If you like histology, you should understand that histology (and the subsequent changes that occur with disease) is the epitomy of what a surgical pathologist knows and does for a living.

Other specialties that look at slides from time to time: derm (you can do a fellowship in dermpath), heme/onc, GI, GU.

I see many people making the comparison between path and rads. I understand the connection - that people that are more "visually oriented" tend to pick one of these specialties. For me, I had absolutely no interest in rads. You have to have an appreciation for spatial relationships. And gross anatomy. And shadows. And black and white. And darkness.

 

[gman33]

Why can't you see yourself as a pathologist? I know someone already asked this, but I'd be interested in hearing what specifically is holding you back. No patient contact? Sitting at a microscope for prolonged periods (can someone say major hemorrhoids)? Not being a "real doctor"? If you like histology, you should understand that histology (and the subsequent changes that occur with disease) is the epitomy of what a surgical pathologist knows and does for a living.

The no patient contact would be a big part of it. I worked as a software engineer for about 10 years before going back to school. The whole sitting at a desk just working through tasks just doesn't fit with my personality.
Another part is that I really didn't like gross anatomy. I know this would be a good part of the training in residency. Those same reasons apply to why I don't think rads would be a good fit either.

That being said, there are aspects that appeal to me. The best idea would probably be to spend some time around pathologists and see what I think about it. More ideally, I could see myself doing something where histo played a part, but was not the bulk of what I did.

 

[BlueberryMuffin]

The no patient contact would be a big part of it. I worked as a software engineer for about 10 years before going back to school. The whole sitting at a desk just working through tasks just doesn't fit with my personality.
Another part is that I really didn't like gross anatomy. I know this would be a good part of the training in residency. Those same reasons apply to why I don't think rads would be a good fit either.

That being said, there are aspects that appeal to me. The best idea would probably be to spend some time around pathologists and see what I think about it. More ideally, I could see myself doing something where histo played a part, but was not the bulk of what I did.

I agree. You will get a pretty good idea whether pathology is right for you after a week of shadowing. In terms of patient contact, I would recommend spending time with a pathologist in transfusion medicine or hematopathology. You are more likely to have some pt interaction in those subspecialties. It won't be the same close contact you get on medicine though. Eventually, you have to figure out if you are the type of person that needs to validated directly by the patient. No pt is ever going to thank the pathologist, but that is ok with me.

I wouldn't worry bout the gross anatomy part of pathology. Many in pathology have great disdain for autopsy. Personally, I don't mind it. You usually do 3-6mo of autopsy rotations in residency and can forget about it when you graduate.

 

[gman33]

Thanks for the ideas.
I'll try to setup some shadowing at some point.

 

[Raygun77]

i think i'm really similar to gman in that I really like histology (at least the study of it...the ergonomics of hunching over a microscope all day may not suit me tho!), but gross anatomy came down to rote learning latin. Histology was a window into a little world of cells going about their day-to-days, and I just found that really cool!

My question is- what about rad oncs? A really interesting field to me, but do they need much histology? I know theirs is an imaging-heavy speciality, so perhaps to heme oncs look under the microscopes while the rad oncs simply look at the pet/cts and what not- but surely rad oncs do need to know the type/severity of the cancer in question to plan their attack?

 

[crimsonkid85]

haha i really found myself liking histology as well!!!

...

except, i suck at it 🙁

 

[smq123]

i have a similar question but different field/area of interest. I absolutely love musckuloskeletal systems...everything about them. I'm a kines major, i tutor in courses like anatomy, biomechanics, etc and i work as an athletic trainer at my shcool. Because of these interets i have always been excited about orthopedic surgery and then going on to a fellowship in sports medicine. I'm beginning to think that being a surgeon is not a lifestyle that I want. Obviously, ill get a clearer picture once i do rotations and what not, but its not a secret that surgery is long and ardous path and even later down the road as an established phsyician the hours are long and work is hard... so what other fields would be best for someone who is interested in being an "expert" in musculoskeletal anatomy? I realize you can go into sports medicine via other pathways (residency in peds/fam practice/EM/ etc) but those residencies are far from focused on the musculoskeletal system. It won't be til fellowship that i start to get in to the stuff that i really love.

so if musculoskeletal stuff is where my passion lies, is orthopedics really the only option?

To be fair, though, ortho doesn't just focus on sports medicine either.

There is a LOT of trauma, spine, and hand involved as well. (Lots of carpal tunnel syndrome.) Yes, these are focused on the MSK system, but not necessarily sports med.

If I wanted to do sports med, without going through an ortho residency, I'd still do family med or Emergency. There is still plenty of focus on outpatient sports med, and you can subspecialize in sports med afterwards.

If your main interest was in MSK, why didn't you apply for PT/OT? I'm not trying to be antagonistic, just curious.

 

[RySerr21]

To be fair, though, ortho doesn't just focus on sports medicine either.

There is a LOT of trauma, spine, and hand involved as well. (Lots of carpal tunnel syndrome.) Yes, these are focused on the MSK system, but not necessarily sports med.

If I wanted to do sports med, without going through an ortho residency, I'd still do family med or Emergency. There is still plenty of focus on outpatient sports med, and you can subspecialize in sports med afterwards.

If your main interest was in MSK, why didn't you apply for PT/OT? I'm not trying to be antagonistic, just curious.

oh i know there is more to ortho than sports medicine, im just saying that for ME i would be interested in going in to sports medicine.

I didnt apply PT/OT b/c im not set on that path. Yes i love MSK stuff, but thats not the only thing that gets me fired up. There are many fields in medicine that interest me, and i know med school will give me the opportunity to explore those fields til i find one that i love. I was just asking in terms of MSK stuff and going through med school, what are the options. Its nt necesarily MSK or die. hope that made sense!