Pathology shadowing spot

[britesky89]

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Hi guys,

I am interested in applying for a pathology residency. I am currently looking for a shadowing position with a pathology MD to get a better idea of what the field is like and hopefully also to get an LOR. What is the best way to find such a position? I was thinking of calling local labs and asking to speak to the pathology department, but not sure what to say? Any ideas? Would appreciate any help!

 

[MSTP18]

Just contact people from the path department at your own school. They’ll be more than happy to have you sit at the scope with them or talk to you about the clinical lab they manage.

 

[britesky89]

Unfortunately, I am a US IMG. Although, I live here in the US, I didn't go to med school here, so it would be difficult for me to contact the path department of any hospital here with a reference from my med school. I have to find a pathologist to follow on my own. Any ideas/tips?

 

[kraskadva]

Unfortunately, I am a US IMG. Although, I live here in the US, I didn't go to med school here, so it would be difficult for me to contact the path department of any hospital here with a reference from my med school. I have to find a pathologist to follow on my own. Any ideas/tips?

Find their business email or office mailing address and send them polite 2-3 paragraph email/letter that states your interest in path, your current education status, and desire to shadow them. Attach your cv. At least 9 put of 10 will call you back.

I'm a M2, but also intersted in path and have had zero issues getting in to shadow one pre-med school or during. It's rare that someone actually asks to shadow path, so it kinda sticks out for them and they're usually pretty happy to meet somebody who's interested. So don't be afraid to contact them without an introduction.

 

[britesky89]

Find their business email or office mailing address and send them polite 2-3 paragraph email/letter that states your interest in path, your current education status, and desire to shadow them. Attach your cv. At least 9 put of 10 will call you back.

I'm a M2, but also intersted in path and have had zero issues getting in to shadow one pre-med school or during. It's rare that someone actually asks to shadow path, so it kinda sticks out for them and they're usually pretty happy to meet somebody who's interested. So don't be afraid to contact them without an introduction.

Thank you! I appreciate your reply! I will do that.

 

[britesky89]

What is the best way to find business email addresses of faculty? From what I've noticed many websites do not disclose the email addresses of their faculty.

 

[kraskadva]

You can call the office and ask for it. They'll tell you if it's given out or not.

Personally I'm a big fan of snail mail for this though. How many actual letters do people get any more? Makes it more memorable.

 

[medicalschool*]

I would also recommend reaching out to your local medical examiners office and asking to shadow. I was actually able to do this as a pre-med and they were very willing to have a student come in. It’s a good way to meet a forensic pathologist for a LOR and also brush up on anatomy.

 

[wholeheartedly]

Yeah, all the pathologists I know seem very eager to teach and let people shadow because not many people know much about the field or show an interest.

As a premed, I did a shadowing thing where I shadowed a bunch of healthcare fields, including a histotech. She introduced me to a pathologist (who wasn't part of the shadowing program I was in) and he sat me down at the two-headed scope with him for quite awhile and when he was done he handed me over to one of the other pathologists who also sat me down at the scope and went over cases with me. They were thrilled I had an interest and I had a great time.

I became a clinical lab scientist after that and had similar experiences with other pathologists I've encountered.