Pathology Residents, Do you guys have ANY patient contact?

[Leukocyte]

Any LIVE patient contact, that is. Is it really true that pathology is devoid of any patient contact? Are there any pathology sub-specialities that involve patient contact? Are there any pathology sub-specialities that involve prescribing drugs?

Thanks.

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[Mrbojangles]

It's pretty nonexistant. If you count interacting with a live patient in doing FNAs or bone marrow biopsies I geuss that's patient contact . Also depending on institutions if the therapeutic apheresis lab is run by pathology, then pathologists are responsible for working up and managing the patient. I don't think you would see any pathologist perscribing any drugs for patients lol.

 

[bananaface]

I guess if a lab test you ordered required the administration of a drug you might occasionally prescribe.

Whether your prescriptive authority is limited by your scope of practice varies by state.

 

[yaah]

I have never heard (or heard intimated) of capability of prescribing drugs as a deciding factor for which field to go into. Either you plan on prescribing things for your family/friends/self or perhaps just really like writing those scripts out.

It depends on the program, but in some residencies the transfusion med/blood banking service involves quite a bit of patient contact including rounding on floors and taking care of pheresis patients (writing the orders, doing H&P, etc). It varies a lot though.

If you need to have a lot of patient contact to make your career worthwhile, pathology may not be for you. But if you're like me, and you liked some patient contact but couldn't give two bits if you don't have to see patients the rest of your career, well then maybe it is. I mean, patient contact isn't that great. You can get most of the benefits of having patient contact from just being a nice person and having some friends. And you probably avoid a lot of the objectionable parts.

 

[deschutes]

Debating between:
1) Neurology
2) OB/GYN
3) Pathology
4) Anesthesiology

Interesting list.

Then there is Anesthesia, where patient contact is minimal anyway...

Patient: "I was sitting up last night worrying about this morning, you know, and whether - "
Anesthesiologist: (interrupting) "Okay Mrs. Smith take some nice deep breaths now."
Patient: (muffled by mask) "gurgle gurgle gurgg............. " *beep beep beep beep*

in some residencies the transfusion med/blood banking service involves quite a bit of patient contact including rounding on floors and taking care of pheresis patients (writing the orders, doing H&P, etc).

UGH you have GOT to be kidding! I should have asked more questions at my interview. Maybe I'll switch to AP only.

You can get most of the benefits of having patient contact from just being a nice person and having some friends. And you probably avoid a lot of the objectionable parts.

Like trying for nearly a week to discharge a Teams patient whose only active issue is gout.

Remember that within pathology there are tons of very lively very intelligent people whom you will get to work with closely. To me this more than made up for the lack of patient contact.

 

[Furious_D]

Remember that within pathology there are tons of very lively very intelligent

Very intelligent? Perhaps. Very lively? Well, to paraphrase a well known quote, an emoticon is worth a thousand words:

 

[Mrbojangles]

Then there is Anesthesia, where patient contact is minimal anyway...

Patient: "I was sitting up last night worrying about this morning, you know, and whether - "
Anesthesiologist: (interrupting) "Okay Mrs. Smith take some nice deep breaths now."
Patient: (muffled by mask) "gurgle gurgle gurgg............. " *beep beep beep beep*

That pretty much sums up anaesthesia .

UGH you have GOT to be kidding! I should have asked more questions at my interview. Maybe I'll switch to AP only.

Calm your horses. I don't think it's gonna be that bad.

 

[deschutes]

Remember that within pathology there are tons of very lively very intelligent

Very intelligent? Perhaps. Very lively? Well, to paraphrase a well known quote, an emoticon is worth a thousand words:

What, you were expecting us to bounce around the hospital in Easter Bunny ears with our entire entourage of fellows, residents and medical students in tow?

I was referring to a liveliness of mind and spirit, not necessarily of action. Pathology is by nature an understated niche - I could see how the work and people might at first appear to be incredibly boring.

Same goes for Anesthesia

That pretty much sums up anaesthesia .

Another convert! Although I tend to lose mine in medical English.

Yeah, I was just being silly about the BB/TM job requirements. It is difficult trying to imagine a 4-page apheresis admission note. We'll see!

 

[Mrbojangles]

It took me a while to get what you were getting at. The added "a" just makes it look more correct. I used to type tumor as tumour. I geuss it was all that time spent reading 19th century English literature with my dad and sister that corrupted my English .

 

[Harbster]

Are there any pathology sub-specialities that involve prescribing drugs?
Thanks.

I knew of a surgical pathologist that had a script pad...so if you have a fetish for writing scripts but also love path, you can satisfy both of your obsessions!

 

[b&ierstiefel]

UGH you have GOT to be kidding! I should have asked more questions at my interview. Maybe I'll switch to AP only.

that would be wise.

 

[deschutes]

I geuss it was all that time spent reading 19th century English literature with my dad and sister that corrupted my English .

...or American!

that would be wise.

See, but that would mean I would have two options only:

(a) to pursue a career in dermpath, or
(b) live in a van down by the river

 

[quant]

It took me a while to get what you were getting at. The added "a" just makes it look more correct. I used to type tumor as tumour. I geuss it was all that time spent reading 19th century English literature with my dad and sister that corrupted my English .

Corrupted?.....I would imagine it is older and correct way....

 

[b&ierstiefel]

See, but that would mean I would have two options only:

(a) to pursue a career in dermpath, or
(b) live in a van down by the river

Those are not bad options.