What to do before pathology residency?

[Real Name]

I'm a fourth year medical student and have just matched into a pathology residency. I still have rotations until the end of May. I was wondering if there is anything that I should be doing to prepare for residency. This may have been talked about before, if it has been I apologize. Thanks!

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[2121115]

Buy Lester's grossing manual and memorize it before showing up for orientation. Then on day #1, engage some of the other first year residents in a conversation about the 5 margins of a whipple and completely pwn them. Make sure you do this with an attending nearby, so he or she hears you. Then ask that attending for a letter of recommendation for your dermpath fellowship application.

Then move on to day #2...

 

[KluverB]

Don't forget to memorize all of Robbin's and read thorugh at least a good chunk of Rosai. If you're also doing CP, make sure you know all your reference ranges and how to work up all the different anemias and coag disorders.

 

[Napoleon1801]

Get well acquainted with a red solo cup.

 

[mlw03]

I'll throw the OP a bone. Agree that you should be mostly relaxing and enjoying yourself, but if you're compelled to read/prepare, these are two books I highly recommend:

http://www.amazon.com/The-Practice-...4851/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1332501414&sr=8-1

http://www.amazon.com/Surgical-Pathology-Dissection-Illustrated-Guide/dp/0387955593/ref=pd_sim_b_1

 

[Real Name]

Thank you everyone! Your replies have been very helpful.

 

[LaBelleVN]

No one is going to expect to you to start out knowing how to gross and to make stellar diagnoses. What the attendings and PAs (the latter if they are the ones teaching you how to gross; program-dependent) is the basic histology and anatomy. Thus, review these things. Get a grossing manual and a histology atlas. If you can diagnose a hyperplastic polyp and/or tubular adenoma your first few days that'll suffice for now.

 

[KCShaw]

Some programs don't gross by Lester, and it's pretty difficult to adequately learn typical pathologic H&E histology without having some real slides. CP you could study to your heart's content and actually gain something, but CP is generally a fairly small component of an AP/CP residency -- at least it may be more familiar as compared to the new world which is AP. Yeah, you could spend weeks and weeks reading up, and might even learn a few things, to perhaps put you all of a day or two or a week ahead of everyone else. At the end of the first week or so, most likely you'll be back with the pack; if you're ahead, you probably would have been ahead anyway. Maybe.

I'm of a mind that residency will prepare you well enough, so save your efforts for residency. Meanwhile, do whatever rotations you'll get a kick out of and party down (up?) your remaining life as merely a medical student.

 

[hellojed]

I'll throw the OP a bone. Agree that you should be mostly relaxing and enjoying yourself, but if you're compelled to read/prepare, these are two books I highly recommend:

http://www.amazon.com/The-Practice-...4851/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1332501414&sr=8-1

http://www.amazon.com/Surgical-Pathology-Dissection-Illustrated-Guide/dp/0387955593/ref=pd_sim_b_1

I also recommend this book to have handy (don't bother reading it before residency):
http://www.amazon.com/Quick-Reference-Handbook-Surgical-Pathologists/dp/3642200850/ref=pd_sim_b_1

 

[2121115]

Another thing to do before pathology residency is to read all of the job market threads on this site, and then do some rotations in other fields to try to get letters of recommendation for next year's match in a different specialty.

 

[Real Name]

I think that people are missing the point of my post. Nowhere did I say, "Hey, what can I do to get ahead of everyone else in my class?"

I just want to make sure I am not behind.

I was well aware of the job market when I decided to go into pathology 4 years ago. I want to do pathology because it is what I like to do.

I am not going to read grossing manual, who would just sit and read that stuff?

I think reviewing some histology and anatomy will probably be a good idea.

Judging from the replies, I'm not going to worry about it.

 

[thebouque]

Just read a case of need by michael crichton (RIP). You won't regret it.

 

[Tissue issue]

I think that people are missing the point of my post. Nowhere did I say, "Hey, what can I do to get ahead of everyone else in my class?"

I just want to make sure I am not behind.

I was well aware of the job market when I decided to go into pathology 4 years ago. I want to do pathology because it is what I like to do.

I am not going to read grossing manual, who would just sit and read that stuff?

I think reviewing some histology and anatomy will probably be a good idea.

Judging from the replies, I'm not going to worry about it.

Not saying anyone HAS to do this, but it is important. Not so much so you point to the person next to you and say I'm better than you but so you feel more comfortable with what you're doing.

 

[Real Name]

Not saying anyone HAS to do this, but it is important. Not so much so you point to the person next to you and say I'm better than you but so you feel more comfortable with what you're doing.

I can understanding preparing for what you are going to do while you are on surgical pathology, but not just cold reading a grossing manual.

 

[Tissue issue]

I can understanding preparing for what you are going to do while you are on surgical pathology, but not just cold reading a grossing manual.

Okay dude (or dudess)- no worries.

 

[mlw03]

I can understanding preparing for what you are going to do while you are on surgical pathology, but not just cold reading a grossing manual.

Don't get snarky. You asked for suggestions, and a lot of us think it's worth skimming through a grossing manual. If you don't want to, fine, but don't ask for advice and then say it's bad advice. If you do that when you're a resident by the way, prepare to have your a*% handed to you.

 

[KluverB]

Don't get snarky. You asked for suggestions, and a lot of us think it's worth skimming through a grossing manual. If you don't want to, fine, but don't ask for advice and then say it's bad advice. If you do that when you're a resident by the way, prepare to have your a*% handed to you.

^^^^
That. Although, I would have worded it somewhat differently.

 

[Euchromatin]

I'm pretty sure that quite a few people in this thread (especially 2121115) were joking - or if they weren't I personally found the advice to be bad enough that I thought it was hysterical. I know it can be hard to tell if people are being sarcastic or serious online, but I don't think that anyone would genuinely recommend you try and pwn the other first year residents by showing off your knowledge of Whipple margins and ask for dermpath LORs on the first day.

My advice is to not think (or read) about pathology at all and enjoy your last weeks/months of freedom in whatever way seems best to you.

 

[KCShaw]

You could also spend the time crafting a special outfit for the first day, and request they accommodate you better when you have trouble using the scope with your Darth Vader helmet on. When they ask you to just take it off, inform them that if you do, you will die.

(We did happen to have a Darth Vader kicked out of one of our exams in med school. He didn't seem to mind as the proctor was not force choked, but it could have gotten ugly.)

 

[LaBelleVN]

Before I started residency I took a couple of vacations with my family & friends. I, optimistically & foolishly, brought along the Washington Manual for Surgical Pathology since it was a relatively small book. Did I once open it? No. I just felt somewhat less guilty by lugging it with me.

You have about 1.5 months between graduation and residency. Enjoy it. See the world. See loved ones. Once work begins, then bust your butt. You probably won't remember anything you read in the interim anyways.