Preventative Medicine and Path?

[Smitty]

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I know this is random, but I was just wondering if there are any path folks out there who are involved with preventative medicine in any way? I guess this can mean a lot of things, from primary prevention to secondary prevention such as screening tests. It just seems that so much of path involves finding out what the problem is once the problem has surfaced (not an easy or unimportant thing, of course), then turning the problem over to some poor clinician to deal with it. I don't just mean prevention in regards cancer, but anything from genetics to forensics. I welcome all serious and smartass comments, especially from you LADoc, you loveable douchebag.

 

[bananaface]

Speaking of random... the only place one can purchase an actual douchebag in the US is online. One of my classmates tried to get ahold of one for a medical devices presentation and was DENIED. If anyone ever asks, douching is bad m'kay? The only time it has a legit use is in certain surgery preps and in that case it's dispensed as a prescription item.

 

[LADoc00]

I know this is random, but I was just wondering if there are any path folks out there who are involved with preventative medicine in any way? I guess this can mean a lot of things, from primary prevention to secondary prevention such as screening tests. It just seems that so much of path involves finding out what the problem is once the problem has surfaced (not an easy or unimportant thing, of course), then turning the problem over to some poor clinician to deal with it. I don't just mean prevention in regards cancer, but anything from genetics to forensics. I welcome all serious and smartass comments, especially from you LADoc, you loveable douchebag.

Pathologists can be heavily involved in genetic testing including molecular path, biochemical genetics and the like. Often it is a PhD who runs the actual lab, but this changing as lab directors are needing to have more clinical knowledge to understand which tests might be worthwhile to bring on line and which ones are worthless. You can get involved in genetic counseling as a pathologist depending on your training structure in CP. I used to have go sit in on these ******ed 2 hour medical genetics rounds where they talked about couple A's genetic issues etc.

I thought it was all hella lame, but whatever floats your boat dude. I would focus on doing something that makes money bro, not something that sounds cool.

Preventive medicine is a HUGE money loser. Sad but true. When I was resident I did a review of a medicolegal case where a group in charge of some prenatal screening thing f*cked up their PKU run for a day and missed some kid, they lost a record 20 million in the malprac suit. To put it in prospective, that would be their profit from all newborn screening for like 200+ years. Which is why I will nevah touch that shiat.

Screening tests/preventative med is like hanging a sign around your neck that says: "Attention all attorneys! Please rape me. Thanks."

 

[DrBloodmoney]

I seem to read a lot of pap smears... and that's preventive medicine.

 

[LADoc00]

I seem to read a lot of pap smears... and that's preventive medicine.

Some years ago I was considering a cyto fellowship, someone then told me there 2 pathologists in California State Prison, both cytopathologists, both there for alleged pap smear sink testing.

* Needless to say I withdrew my cytopath fellowship app and burned it.

 

[DasN]

Some years ago I was considering a cyto fellowship, someone then told me there 2 pathologists in California State Prison, both cytopathologists, both there for alleged pap smear sink testing.

* Needless to say I withdrew my cytopath fellowship app and burned it.

Sorry havent been keeping up but did you do a fellowship? Just wondering. BTW your info has always been gold! Thanks

 

[yaah]

When organizing labs, sometimes pathogists have to be quite involved in preventative medicine, as said above. Deciding which tests to provide (and how often to provide them) can influence test ordering practices.

Cardiac risk factors, for example - it's not just total cholesterol. There are many other markers out there being looked at - CRP is the most well known, but there is another called Lipoprotein associated phospholipase A2. In some sense, if there is clinical demand for a test, the path lab may provide it because of that. But it's important to know issues related to preventative medicine in evaluating the utility of the test.

 

[LADoc00]

Your message is stamped 6:21am?! On sunday...that is so wrong.

 

[bananaface]

Your message is stamped 6:21am?! On sunday...that is so wrong.

That's 9:21am his time. Yours is at 8:55 your time.

Hmmmm....

 

[beary]

I slept until 11 both days this weekend. 😀

 

[b&ierstiefel]

I slept until 11 both days this weekend. 😀

That's what med school does to people. What a damn shame!

 

[LADoc00]

That's 9:21am his time. Yours is at 8:55 your time.

Hmmmm....

Im working today... I just finished this uber 3 page report pontificating on the differential diagnosis of CASTLE versus NPC, now Im off for a Starbucks to reward myself!!

 

[Smitty]

Speaking of random... the only place one can purchase an actual douchebag in the US is online. One of my classmates tried to get ahold of one for a medical devices presentation and was DENIED. If anyone ever asks, douching is bad m'kay? The only time it has a legit use is in certain surgery preps and in that case it's dispensed as a prescription item.

Hmmm..interesting. Yeah, one of the few things I remember from my OB rotation is "douching BAD"! It's still fun to say though.