serious question

[neurotrancer]

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Hi,

Well, I love pathology. I've currently finished my Internal and psych clerkships so far. I realized that I often love the disease entity more than its treatment. I was thinking seriously about path when I was taking it during M2. But I have a serious predicament...I feel like I'm obligated to go into a field where there is patient contact, because I have been told by so many people (attendings and patients alike) that I have a very good bedside manner. I don't say this to be boastful. I kind of wish it wasn't like this really. Is pathology really a field where I won't have any opportunity for the heart to heart patient doctor relationship? If not path, I'd think about Heme/Onc or Neuro. I feel like if not patient contact, maybe I'd like to be a clinical pathologist and part time teach at a medical school where I can have student contact. Any advice would be much appreciated.

Peace!

 

[Gene_]

If you took a poll, lots of pathologists would say they were told by someone that their excellent patient skills would be wasted by going into pathology. Do what you like. Your current attendings and patients don't have to live with your decision.

 

[neurotrancer]

That is good advice. Someone else had told me that no matter what proffession you go into, you will be able to inject your altruism into your interactions with people. With path, I could see that the patients are depending on me heavily to be correct in diagnosis. The MD/patient relationship is not bidirectional, it is unidirectional in which I receive no feedback from the patient directly, but the patient is relying on the pathologist heavily to be correct in their assessment. My girlfriend is going to be a veterinarian...for her, the best that she hopes for is not to get anything back from the patients directly, but just to see that they are well after her interventions.

 

[mlw03]

Hi,

Well, I love pathology. I've currently finished my Internal and psych clerkships so far. I realized that I often love the disease entity more than its treatment. I was thinking seriously about path when I was taking it during M2. But I have a serious predicament...I feel like I'm obligated to go into a field where there is patient contact, because I have been told by so many people (attendings and patients alike) that I have a very good bedside manner. I don't say this to be boastful. I kind of wish it wasn't like this really. Is pathology really a field where I won't have any opportunity for the heart to heart patient doctor relationship? If not path, I'd think about Heme/Onc or Neuro. I feel like if not patient contact, maybe I'd like to be a clinical pathologist and part time teach at a medical school. Any advice would be much appreciated.

Peace!

i'm an ms3 too and i've been told i have a good patient manner. but that's called professionalism, and doesn't mean i shouldn't do path. every clinician likes to see good students want to go into their field, but if you enjoy path and can live with the fact that you will have little direct patient contact, consider it. if you can't live without that aspect of medicine path (and diagnostic radiology too) probably aren't for you. bedside manner reflects your comfort and personality, and in my opinion it can't be taught. either you're a nice person who knows how to treat people with respect and compassion, or you're an ass who treats all people including patients like crap. that person will be an inferior doctor, including pathology. pathologists interact with other people plenty, and if you're an ass that'll make it difficult to get along with those other people, same as it'd be difficult to get along with patients if you're an ass.

so i guess my point is that, in my opinion, having good bedside manner will help make you a better pathologist since it indicates that you can be professional in your interactions.

 

[djmd]

Numerous pathologists were told that they had "excellent bedside manner."
Personally, it came from an ability and desire to explain the disease until the patient understood it.
So I don't think of it as wasted. And caring about doing what is right for the patient is not wasted on a pathologist. Gives you a better reason than CYA for doing a good job on cases.

BUT, if you aren't just good at bedside manner, but desire it. Pathology is a difficult field to get your fix. Most pathologist aren't particularly interested in patient contact. Not that you can't have some, but if it something you desire it is a rarity in pathology.

 

[PathOne]

Patient contact is rare in Pathology, except in certain special situations like FNA's, and, occationally, Dermpath. That Pathologists have no bedside manners is a myth, although it's true that some (many?) pathologists don't particularily care for patient contacts... Sort of a "chicken and the egg" discussion.
However, pathologists don't live a life with their 'scope and nothing else in a darkened room without windows. There's plenty of interactions with other pathologists, and clinicians.
Yes, some people, including family and friends, will only recognize a "real doctor" as someone who has a knife in his/her hand, or is otherwise directly in contact with patients. If you feel the same way, don't choose diagnostic fields. But frankly, it's your career and your life. So try to get some more exposure, and make your own determination as to what would suit you best.