Senioritis anyone?

[deleted113029]

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It is official. I am completely worthless to my attendings for the last 6 weeks or so. My plans include hanging out with my school pathologists EVERY chance I get. 🙂

 

[DarksideAllstar]

My last two weeks are being spent on Rad Onc, so all I do all day is look at path reports and imaging, which, to me, is about as good as it gets without actually being on a path rotation at this point. Then I've got ~7 weeks off before graduation. 😀

 

[mlw03]

i'm already there, and i'm an MS3. over the past 3 weeks on general surgery i've probably averaged at least 1 hour per day either in the frozen section room, learning a little about grossing from a very friendly PA, or looking at sign out cases with one of the attending pathologists.

i hope i can do the same on internal medicine, but i'm guessing not. i hear it's round, talk about rounds, eat, round some more, maybe do an admission, and then... round some more. 13 more months till i get to join ya'll in the happy place that is pathology... sigh.

 

[sapience8x]

i am on general surgery. but i get to hang out in pathology alot!😀

 

[yaah]

You shouldn't have senioritis. This is the point when you should be hunkering down and getting your publications increased, so you can land dermpath.

😉

 

[deleted113029]

You shouldn't have senioritis. This is the point when you should be hunkering down and getting your publications increased, so you can land dermpath.

😉

exactly 42 days until i am done with med school. man, what a bird cage my school is...i'm ready to fly the friendly skies of pathology! woo hoo! 😀

 

[DarksideAllstar]

You shouldn't have senioritis. This is the point when you should be hunkering down and getting your publications increased, so you can land dermpath.

😉

Dude, I've had those publications ready since I started med school. I've already set up an away d-path elective for the fall.

 

[mlw03]

i can't tell if you guys are serious or kidding when it comes to all this dermpath. i actually don't particularly enjoy skin pathology. i'll learn what's necessary for general path, but to spend all day every day looking at skin... not for mlw.

 

[deleted113029]

i can't tell if you guys are serious or kidding when it comes to all this dermpath. i actually don't particularly enjoy skin pathology. i'll learn what's necessary for general path, but to spend all day every day looking at skin... not for mlw.

we're making fun of dermpathlover. according to him, apparently one should die if they don't land a dermpath spot...cuz only then can you call yourself successful. 🙄

 

[triguy]

While I think pathology is the best specialty around, I have to say that after a couple of years I feel a little jaded. I don't want to burst anyone's bubble, but pathology isn't Xanadu. Or at least practicing pathology isn't. That is the more important distinction to make. I feel like half the time I am learning not what something is, but how to word it to avoid a lawsuit in the future. Just a little downer for all the young energetic newbies. Does anybody else feel like defensive pathology is taking over?

 

[mlw03]

we're making fun of dermpathlover. according to him, apparently one should die if they don't land a dermpath spot...cuz only then can you call yourself successful. 🙄

ah, i see. mi malo. i'm all for making fun of people like that whether they're pathologists, surgeon, or whatever else. please, continue on with the ribbing.

 

[106174]

While I think pathology is the best specialty around, I have to say that after a couple of years I feel a little jaded. I don't want to burst anyone's bubble, but pathology isn't Xanadu. Or at least practicing pathology isn't. That is the more important distinction to make. I feel like half the time I am learning not what something is, but how to word it to avoid a lawsuit in the future. Just a little downer for all the young energetic newbies. Does anybody else feel like defensive pathology is taking over?

I think everybody will end up feeling this way at some point in their career - even dermatologists, radiologists, and plastic surgeons. I've heard dermatologists complain about having to freeze SKs and warts all day. Same is true for radiologists who have to read a ton of CXRs everyday. In my opinion, there is no such specialty where you can achieve nirvana, and there never will be.

 

[yaah]

While I think pathology is the best specialty around, I have to say that after a couple of years I feel a little jaded. I don't want to burst anyone's bubble, but pathology isn't Xanadu. Or at least practicing pathology isn't. That is the more important distinction to make. I feel like half the time I am learning not what something is, but how to word it to avoid a lawsuit in the future. Just a little downer for all the young energetic newbies. Does anybody else feel like defensive pathology is taking over?

There really is no career that you can avoid unpleasantness. Even movie actors who get paid $20 million for a few months of work complain about getting up early, working long days, spending hours in makeup.

Medicine is similar, my Dad for example loves what he does (he is a physician but not a pathologist) but spends hours upon hours per week in meetings and in administrative issues. Pathology is probably the same, a lot of the staff here spends too much time (according to them) in meetings related to quality assurance, standard of practice, etc.

And yes, a lot of what we do is avoiding lawsuits or patient harm. If you have a ticky tack biopsy with a few atypical cells, you can't call it cancer because it might not be cancer, but yet it might be so you have to say that. So when you waffle it sucks for everyone involved because the clinician and patient don't have a definitive answer, and probably have to have the biopsy again, and you look less definitive. But it's part of the job. I feel like a lot of the unpleasant parts of medicine are minimized in path, which is why I'm happy I picked it, although to be sure there are objectionable parts to it.

 

[yaah]

i can't tell if you guys are serious or kidding when it comes to all this dermpath. i actually don't particularly enjoy skin pathology. i'll learn what's necessary for general path, but to spend all day every day looking at skin... not for mlw.

I take it from what your implying that you already know you won't be competitive enough for dermpath, so you're going to tell yourself you don't like it so that you won't be disappointed, even though you'll probably apply anyway. 😉

What you're getting at is part of the problem with fellowships - having to decide too early, before you know you are ready or know if you like something enough to specialize in it.

 

[mlw03]

I take it from what your implying that you already know you won't be competitive enough for dermpath, so you're going to tell yourself you don't like it so that you won't be disappointed, even though you'll probably apply anyway. 😉

yep - you figured me out. i live daily with the sadness and shame of knowing that i won't be a dermatopathologist like DPL.

 

[b&ierstiefel]

You shouldn't have senioritis. This is the point when you should be hunkering down and getting your publications increased, so you can land dermpath.

😉

yaah, don't be a douche.