One month to waste... what to do???

[Nilf]

I have 1 month between graduation and the residency start. I was thinking about just hanging out at my school's path department and trying to soak up as much knowledge as possible (how sad...) Anyway, what kind of crash path review would be the most helpful during the first year of surgical path??? I know of one program director who REQUESTS that his incoming residents read entire Rosai before they arrive... 2 volumes. I kid you not.

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[yaah]

I have 1 month between graduation and the residency start. I was thinking about just hanging out at my school's path department and trying to soak up as much knowledge as possible (how sad...) Anyway, what kind of crash path review would be the most helpful during the first year of surgical path??? I know of one program director who REQUESTS that his incoming residents read entire Rosai before they arrive... 2 volumes. I kid you not.

I'll tell you whut, I might consider reading something related to "how to gross in specimens," there is some of this in the back of the Rosai, and there is also a good book by Susan Lester of BWH. It will at least familiarize you with terminology and important things to consider, because in fact grossing, not microscopic diagnosis, will be the thing that you will spend probably more of your time focusing on.

I wouldn't go nuts trying to read the entire Rosai, I might consider the first few chapters which provide a good introduction. Believe it or not, Ackerman first wrote that text book as a medical student textbook, not for residents. Which I guess shows you how far the standards of medical education have slipped if the same book is no longer even considered to be related to medical school education.

Sternberg has a book called Histology for Pathologists which many people find helpful and provides a good review of normal histology, structure, and function on the slide. It's a bit dense and hard to get through but will take you through a topic with very little assumed prior knowledge.

I am not sure what I am going to do. A lot of my month off will be spent either doing moving activities or wedding related activities (alas, not my own). Whether these wedding related activities will 1) inspire me to find a girlfriend, 2) Make me completely jaded on the subject of possible love and affection, 3) Make me decide to take a lifelong vow to remain single, 4) Be overwhelmed by the love and emotion shown, or 5) Be erased from my memory due to drunkenness remains to be seen.

 

[Doctor B.]

I wouldn't worry about reading anything. Just relax and enjoy your month off. You'll have plenty of time to read during residency and it'll be a long time before you get a month of time off all at once again.

 

[yaah]

Hey nilf how is that one month off goin'? Have you done any work related to path on it yet? I must admit that I have been dealing with things other than pathology. Mortgages, moving, sister's wedding, future brother in law's bachelor party, mortgages again. I may need an autopsy myself when all this is done. Are you there, liver? Sorry! There just isn't enough freaking time in the day. At least, there isn't enough freaking time when freaking places of freaking business are actually freaking open so that freaking things can get freaking accomplished (I think that's how Quentin Tarantino might phrase that sentence. Lots of 'freakings').

I have turned into my grandfather, minus the ever present stogie. I am waking up before 7am every day, and if things were open before 9 or 10 I could get things done. Instead, nothing.

I feel like I am going to show up for day 1 of residency feeling like an idiot. Microscope? What's that? I suppose I am not alone in that matter, though, am I?

 

[Brian Pavlovitz]

I feel like I am going to show up for day 1 of residency feeling like an idiot. Microscope? What's that? I suppose I am not alone in that matter, though, am I?

Nonsense! You'll knock 'em dead--fitting for a Pathology Resident, don't you agree??