question for residents

[medstudent0258]

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Hi-
I'm a fourth year student who is currently on a path rotation. I was going to do pediatrics but find myself really, really liking pathology. The only issue I have is that there is zero patient contact in pathology. Patient contact is something I definitely enjoy and I wonder if I will regret going into path for this reason. It's frustrating because otherwise it would be a perfect fit. Did any of you face this same problem? Are there any specialty areas of path where you have some patient contact? Also, I haven't had the most positive response from some doctors (non-pathologists) when I tell them I'm considering path. They tell me I will not be happy with the lack of patient contact blah blah blah which is also discouraging. Anyways, any thoughts are appreciated.

 

[KeratinPearls]

Hi-
I'm a fourth year student who is currently on a path rotation. I was going to do pediatrics but find myself really, really liking pathology. The only issue I have is that there is zero patient contact in pathology. Patient contact is something I definitely enjoy and I wonder if I will regret going into path for this reason. It's frustrating because otherwise it would be a perfect fit. Did any of you face this same problem? Are there any specialty areas of path where you have some patient contact? Also, I haven't had the most positive response from some doctors (non-pathologists) when I tell them I'm considering path. They tell me I will not be happy with the lack of patient contact blah blah blah which is also discouraging. Anyways, any thoughts are appreciated.

There is no patient contact in pathology other than a 15 minute contact during FNA procedures. All specialty areas have no patient contact unless you do a cyto fellowship where you will be performing FNAs. Most ppl go into pathology because they didn't have to see patients to be happy. You have to enjoy looking at slides all day and being a consultant to clinicians.

 

[Enkidu]

Why do attendings in other fields always say that? "Oh, you'll be miserable without patient contact". I don't think they actually believe it one bit. I bet most of them don't like patient contact either.

I think that they just want you to validate them by going into their field. Are they actually so concerned about your future that they take the time to warn you away from pathology? No way. They do that for themselves.

 

[Daddydoc]

Hi-
I'm a fourth year student who is currently on a path rotation. I was going to do pediatrics but find myself really, really liking pathology. The only issue I have is that there is zero patient contact in pathology. Patient contact is something I definitely enjoy and I wonder if I will regret going into path for this reason. It's frustrating because otherwise it would be a perfect fit. Did any of you face this same problem? Are there any specialty areas of path where you have some patient contact? Also, I haven't had the most positive response from some doctors (non-pathologists) when I tell them I'm considering path. They tell me I will not be happy with the lack of patient contact blah blah blah which is also discouraging. Anyways, any thoughts are appreciated.

I've actually had more patient contact on my blood bank rotation than I expected. I've gone to the floor to talk to some transfusion reaction patients, and I see patients who come in for apheresis. Don't expect much patient contact from path, though. If no contact is a deal breaker for you then you had better not choose path. Its a decision you have to make for yourself.

 

[gbwillner]

Hi-
I'm a fourth year student who is currently on a path rotation. I was going to do pediatrics but find myself really, really liking pathology. The only issue I have is that there is zero patient contact in pathology. Patient contact is something I definitely enjoy and I wonder if I will regret going into path for this reason. It's frustrating because otherwise it would be a perfect fit. Did any of you face this same problem? Are there any specialty areas of path where you have some patient contact? Also, I haven't had the most positive response from some doctors (non-pathologists) when I tell them I'm considering path. They tell me I will not be happy with the lack of patient contact blah blah blah which is also discouraging. Anyways, any thoughts are appreciated.

There is ample patient contact in clinical pathology at large academic centers. Where I train we treat all pheresis patients- there is both an inpatient and outpatient service. Managing blood bank reactions may mean patient contact. In the private practice setting- probably not so much.

However, most people think of anatomic pathology first, and there is indeed very limited patient contact. You truly work behind the scenes, except while performing FNAs.

I was similar to you when I chose pathology- I always enjoyed patient care and wondered how'd I do without it. I tried to maximize my interactions... but it just doesn't compare to other specialties. I was comforted by the fact that my friends who went into primary care hated their patients after three years of residency and wished they had gone into pathology or rads. But truly the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. To this day, I still miss seeing patients and wish there was a way. But in all reality it's just not in the cards for pathologists and it's something that will have to be forgotten eventually. My advice is that if you feel like you would not be happy without direct patient care- do not go into this field.

 

[djmd]

Why do attendings in other fields always say that? "Oh, you'll be miserable without patient contact". I don't think they actually believe it one bit. I bet most of them don't like patient contact either.

I think that they just want you to validate them by going into their field. Are they actually so concerned about your future that they take the time to warn you away from pathology? No way. They do that for themselves.

A pathologist once told me (back when I was a Med student considering pathology), that pathologist are the least co-dependent physician, because they didn't need people constantly thanking them and saying that they did a good job....

He was joking... partly...

 

[raider]

If you want patient contact aka unnecessary headache, DO NOT CHOOSE PATHOLOGY!!!

 

[Circumflex]

I went through something similar during my 4th year of med school. In residency, I attended several clinical conferences to present the pathology for case presentations. Although this can get cumbersome at times, I actually enjoy hearing the clinicians discuss patients and management issues and seeing the radiology. In some cases, you really feel part of the clinical team. I feel that I've actually contributed to patient care, then I get to go back and look at more cool things under the microscope without having to go make rounds, write orders, etc.

 

[sirenomelia]

I still remember being awaken (before switching to pathology) at 4:15 AM one morning because a 19 year-old stripper we had done a breast augmentation on the day before wanted to know right then if it was OK to go to the tanning bed later that day. Ask me if I miss patient contact...

 

[deleted314957]

A couple years of back-aches, headaches, Dr., i'm always dizzy, Dr., i'm always tired etc, in general practice makes me miss patients not at all.

 

[isaishere]

If you want patient contact aka unnecessary headache, DO NOT CHOOSE PATHOLOGY!!!

lovely!

 

[zao275]

Hi-
I'm a fourth year student who is currently on a path rotation. I was going to do pediatrics but find myself really, really liking pathology. The only issue I have is that there is zero patient contact in pathology. Patient contact is something I definitely enjoy and I wonder if I will regret going into path for this reason. It's frustrating because otherwise it would be a perfect fit. Did any of you face this same problem? Are there any specialty areas of path where you have some patient contact? Also, I haven't had the most positive response from some doctors (non-pathologists) when I tell them I'm considering path. They tell me I will not be happy with the lack of patient contact blah blah blah which is also discouraging. Anyways, any thoughts are appreciated.

I am a very outgoing and extroverted person, and every time in med school that I mentioned that I wanted to do path, I was told "But you are such a people-person! You shouldn't do path!" I have never regretted doing path, and have always had plenty of social interaction, although only brief patient contact. If you really enjoy path, but the only thing that holds you back is the lack of patient contact, I think you should really consider pursuing a career in path. Just my opinion. I have not met many (or maybe not any!) pathologists who feel unsatisfied with their career because of lack of patient interaction, and most pathologists that I know are fairly outgoing, sociable people (as opposed to the stereotypical weird old guy who hangs out in the morgue with dead people...no offense intended, forensics guys!). Hope this helps.

 

[2121115]

Why don't we ever hear "You are such a people person, you shouldn't be an engineer" or "You are such a people person, you shouldn't be a CPA", etc, etc. In terms of people contact, pathology is no different than those fields.

I think people also forget that "people contact" is a lot different than "patient contact". People contact is all well and good. Patient contact? Well, lets just say that I don't miss that one bit and I never have and never will.

 

[yaah]

Some people are so obsessed with "patient contact" as though that is the be all and end all of existence. The above comments are correct - you get plenty of people contact, and it may end up being more fulfilling for you because it is meaningful people contact and not spent trying to cram a patient encounter into a 15 minute window.

Now, there are some people who just make good patient caregivers because of their manner, their attitude, etc. But that is not the same thing as "liking contact with people." And skills that make someone a good patient caregiver can transfer over to pathology as well. Don't worry about "wasting" talent or whatever. That's a BS argument.

When non-pathologists tell you you will not be happy with a career in pathology because they think you like patient contact too much, you shouldn't pay too much attention. Generally you should not pay too much attention to what someone says about a field they do not practice. Just like you should not listen to me tell you what an anesthesiologist does or what their life is like.

 

[KCShaw]

I agree -- don't listen to people who try to tell you what you will or won't feel or like. They have their reasons I'm sure, but it doesn't really do you much good.

If you like pathology, you like pathology. If you prefer something else, you prefer something else. Patient contact, or people contact, may or may not be a major factor in that. Personally, growing up I was not particularly extroverted and considered myself quite horrible at initiating and maintaining conversations with people I didn't already know very very well. Medical school helped with that, and internship helped tremendously, largely because of the need to develop good communication with patients..as well as nurses and other physicians. And I reached a point where, even though I knew I wanted to go into pathology, I knew I would miss some parts of "patient contact" -- though not others. In pathology, there is certainly still a lot of "people contact," as everyone has said.

A friend went to medical school with the express desire to go into forensic pathology, and following some unhappy experiences with "people contact" in that field elected to return to more direct clinical care of the living. They rather enjoyed "patient contact," and were already struggling with giving it up. Fortunately that was in a setting which didn't include having to go through the match, and did include a full clinical internship year; there were enough opportunities to gain extended exposure without burning major bridges with the change of specialty.

It's a personal decision. The best you can do for yourself is get experience and exposure to as many different things as you can, and come to your own conclusions.

 

[medstudent0258]

Thank you to everyone for taking the time to reply. Your posts have all been really helpful. Just to update I have decided to go into path. Although patient contact makes me happy I don't think I need it to be happy. And overall, path is a much better fit. And I agree, people talking lowly of path is really annoying and I don't really get it. I just won't listen. Thanks again! Emily

 

[zao275]

And I agree, people talking lowly of path is really annoying and I don't really get it. I just won't listen. Thanks again! Emily

I admire your stubborn optimism! That is the strategy I have been using throughout most of my medical career, and I feel that it works quite well for me and also serves to make my career much more enjoyable. Maybe I am a blind fool, but I am a happy one. 🙂

 

[oldfatman]

Do surgeons count as patients?

 

[djmd]

Do surgeons count as patients?

There is certainly something wrong with some of them...

 

[raspberry009]

There is no patient contact in pathology other than a 15 minute contact during FNA procedures. All specialty areas have no patient contact unless you do a cyto fellowship where you will be performing FNAs. Most ppl go into pathology because they didn't have to see patients to be happy. You have to enjoy looking at slides all day and being a consultant to clinicians.

Uh, I disagree. In tranfusion medicine I was prescribing medication and writing orders for apheresis proceedures. I actually talked to patients quite frequently. Dermpath also has patient contact built into most fellowships.

Not to mention talking to blood bank donors that had adverse reactions.