World of Private Practice

[KeratinPearls]

I was wondering if those in private practice can describe their life (hours, # of cases you sign out a day, practice environment, do you gross your own cases, interaction with clinicians, basically your "typical" day).

Just wanting to know what to expect.

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[2121115]

I don't think that there will be any "typical" answer here. In my experience private practices are generally set up to to run like the people there want it to run. In other words, some work hard, some have many days off, some sign out a great variety, some don't etc. Every practice is different.

 

[pathstudent]

Most people that go into hospital based private practice claim they work balls to the walls for 10-12 hours a day when they are just getting started.

But on the other side is LADoc00 who claims to be done by 830am, hanging out on golf courses by 11 am while one guy covers frozen pager from afar, and goes out for cocktails and cigars at private clubs with other skull and bones pathology groups.

 

[caffeinegirl]

Private practice jobs range both in responsibility, hours, cases, and settings. There is no one answer to this question...if you're interested in private practice, I suggest you start reading the openings on pathologyoutlines.com to get an idea on the different settings...there are positions at large cancer centers to small group settings. Responsibilities range from just sign out to a combo of grossing, sign out, tumor boards, hospital administration, lab directorship, etc. The hours also range from part time to full time with or without call. It's just quite a range out there.
Once you actually start looking for a position, that's when to ask about specimen volume, hours, call, responsibilities, etc. Think about what you like about the academic setting..and what you don't. As for specimen volume, if you're just signing out cases it all depends on proportion of bx to large specimens, your reporting system, etc. For example, if it's just reading dermpath slides, I could totally do 100+ a day...but if I had other responsibilities then the number would be less.
I'm part of a group and we rotate through micro/grossing/tumor board/administrative duties. It's great because there's variety in cases and duties and plus you don't get overwhelmed because we spread the work evenly (have those who are assigned "overflow" cases over a certain # of blocks). I have no typical day because I do different things on different days.

 

[lipomas]

Usually spend half my day on surgicals (including paperwork, etc). The rest is spent variably on cyto, heme stuff including flow and marrows and lab management issues, lab management issues like relating to physicians and clients, quality issues, etc. When I am on call I take more direct phone calls from people who have random questions which can range from "I don't understand this report" to "how do I order this test and what do I need to do it." If I'm lucky I get an hour or two to read through literature and such. Meetings like group meetings, tumor boards, committees can vary. Some days there are none, some days it's several hours of completely uncompensated and unrewarding committee and meeting work.I wish there was a way to bill for that.

 

[yaah]

Usually my morning is spent working on cases unless there are meetings or tumor boards or pressing issues. Afternoons finish up cases, difficult cases or immunos, some administrative stuff also. CP varies every day, some days I cover the heme lab or blood bank or whatever, or take outpatient calls which can be from clinicians with a question about a test or from lab staff with questions that come up. We have schedules for frozen section coverage and onsite FNA coverage so we don't do that every day. Every day can get unexpected interruptions to deal with problematic issues which sometimes can be very problematic (like you just found out about a lost specimen).

 

[Patho2009]

I gross, cover frozen sections, and sign out a large variety of surgicals and cytology. I also do FNA in a clinic.

 

[lipomas]

I don't gross at all. Well, almost never.

 

[Blind Guy]

When I'm just sitting in my office pushing glass (about half my time), I start at 9 am go home at 4:30. I see about 80 slides/equivalents MWThF and 30 to 40 on Tu. On frozen days, I start at 7:40 go home at 5. On travel days, I start at 8:00 go home at 4:30. FS and travel days comprise one to two days a week. I staff one 7 am conf once a month and take the pictures twice a month. I staff two 7:30 am confs twice a month. I take call once every 9 wks and get 10 wks of vacation/cme time a year.