my first path elective

[augmel]

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i posted this already in the path mini mafia site but things are quiet there so i copied and pasted again into this forum. ( did get your reply rirriri, so thanks for your thoughts.)

i'm still not set on path but it is at the top
of my list. anyhow, i am a third year who just finished my first
rotation in fam med. i have a 4 wk general path rotation next. i'm
hoping i'll fall in love and that will be that. so does anyone have
any tips on how i can make this a successful and exciting rotation?
i have heard at my school it is pretty unstructured. do an autopsy
if you want, hang around at whatever sign-outs, talk with
researchers, whatever you want. i tend to do better with structure
so i want to go in with some ideas of things i'd like to accomplish
in 4 weeks. minor kinds of goals. soooo, any suggestions would be
appreciated.

augmel

 

[Global Disrobal]

Do you want to potentially stay at the same dept. for residency or are you mostly seeking experience and letters of recommendation?

Don't waste too much time with the autopsy itself. Watch a couple and see the procedures involved (opening, rokitansky, brain removal, cutting the heart, pacreatic-hepatic dissection) but definitely hit it up when there is organ and slide review of the autopsy cases.

For surg path, make sure to make as much of a sign out as you can. Previewing is beneficial but at your level its not exactly ecpected. Just make it to sign out to get the teaching, get to know the attending, and get a feel for the overall atmosphere. Try to get to as many conf. as some good learnign that you'll use on other rotations will come out of it. For instance its cool to be on surg onc rotations and to tell everyone about which cytokeratins you use to distinguish between lung primary and metastatic...

Gross room experience is also excellent. You'll see various cutting methods of organs, some teaching from the residents and it'll give your eyes a break from the scope.

Lastly if you can go by Hemepath and try to sit on sign outs and some diff counts. It'll be worth it, trust me. Hope this helps ya out!

Later

GD

 

[mrpeters714]

Conferences, conferences, conferences. At my program, and probably most others, there are multiple conferences everday where a pathologist will run through interesting cases with the involved clinical services (eg surgery, urology, gi, heme/onc, etc).

as a resident, i can't make it to most of them, but the ones I do go to are usually pretty informative, as they usually only show interesting and informative cases, and the attending will talk at the level of the clinicians (eg "do you see that cell? that's a <blank>"). it's nice because i'm still not a whole lot better than most clinicians at the basics of pathology. alot of programs also have a daily "interesting case" conference which all the pathologists go to and discuss difficult cases, but they usually talk way over the heads of most first years.

you could probably fill up a good chunk of the day trying to hit as many of these as possible.

-mrp

 

[Mindy]

I always wondered if the students ended there rotations thinking "Goodness, I can't believe how boring pathology is." I never thought that students got as much out of a path rotation as there really was. I wish I had advice of how to make it better. I can only declare that it is still the most exciting specialty ever for me. If you can function like a resident, i.e. gross some specimens and then sign them out with an attending, you will get an idea of what the training is like.

The beauty of pathology is to look at a tissue and be able tell the life story of the person who it belonged to. Unfortunately it takes a long time to be even remotely able to do this. I feel like path rotations may detract from the beauty of the specialty by expecting students (or having students expect of themselves) that they may be semi-proficient at this by the end of their rotation. Bottom line is, if you are semi-addicted to looking at slides even if you are not sure why, you don't mind autopsies (or find them wicked cool at extremus), and you think cutting up things (kinda like cooking) is fun, then path may be your ticket. Not to mention the variety of the field, the intellectual satisfaction, and the fact that you can at least sleep in your own bed almost every night!

Willing to answer q's about the field!

Mindy

 

[augmel]

thanks for the responses. my computer has been down so i am just now getting to read them. i think i meet all your criteria Mindy so i'm excited to see if this is the specialty for me. i've looked at the schedule and there are conferences constantly, so that is good, though i am looking forward to learning at the scope.

anyone else have thoughts?

 

[rirriri]

Originally posted by Mindy


The beauty of pathology is to look at a tissue and be able tell the life story of the person who it belonged to. Unfortunately it takes a long time to be even remotely able to do this. I feel like path rotations may detract from the beauty of the specialty by expecting students (or having students expect of themselves) that they may be semi-proficient at this by the end of their rotation. Bottom line is, if you are semi-addicted to looking at slides even if you are not sure why, you don't mind autopsies (or find them wicked cool at extremus), and you think cutting up things (kinda like cooking) is fun, then path may be your ticket. Not to mention the variety of the field, the intellectual satisfaction, and the fact that you can at least sleep in your own bed almost every night!


Mindy

YEY! very well said Mindy

 

[augmel]

Thanks CP,
What you are saying makes a lot of sense. I think the following different level residents around is a great idea. You are right that most of what I want is to find out if path is the career for me, however I also want to make a good impression (since I probably want to stay here for residency) and also learn some stuff that will help me the rest of the year.
I'm curious why you say to spend my time at the autopsies and gross room since most pathologists spend more time at the scope. I like all three aspects, but I am curious why you emphasized those two.
By the way, how is that R1 year going so far? The program what you hoped it would be?

augmel