Update on California

These past four weeks at PathMD have been flying by and I am not ready to leave this wonderful state in two weeks.  The weather has been warm and sunny and I've had the pleasure of missing out on the east coast snowstorm. My rotation hasn't been that bad either. :)

Over the past couple of weeks, my days have been full of GI biopsies, skin shaves, and prostate biopsies.  However, I have had the opportunity to do a couple of more complex, interesting specimens as well to include a thyroglossal duct cyst, rectal tumor, hydrocele, dermoid cyst (aka teratoma), products of conception (some with fetuses), neuroma, and a toe amputation.  To say the least, I have already learned a lot from working at the bench and I am getting more comfortable every single day when it comes to evaluating the specimen, formulating a dictation, and submitting the proper sections.  I am ready to see what all my other rotations have in store for me to experience.

In addition to the everyday grossing, we (PA Class of 2016) had our first "monthly" test of the year.  It covered a variety of topics and books to include multiple chapters out of Robbins (Pathologic Basis of Disease), Laboratory Safety, Laboratory Management, Handbook of Autopsy Pathology, and Handbook of Forensic Pathology.  In addition to the readings, we also had to know CPT codes, organ weights, grossing techniques, anatomy, microanatomy, and a variety of stains and what they stain for.   To say the least, it was a lot of information and required a lot of reading and preparation for the test.  The test was comprised of 100 multiple choice questions that covered all of the above topics and we had up to two hours to take it. It was a little nerve-wrecking since it was the first test, but I feel like it went much better than I expected and now I have a baseline idea of what to expect for the future tests. 

Now for the fun stuff, because no one just comes to California for six weeks and doesn't do a little bit of exploring.  I have been all over the place the past couple of weekends exploring the state and making new friends.  One weekend, I traveled down to San Diego to explore the city and beaches and let's just say, this beach bum fell in love. :) Last weekend, I went to Las Vegas and celebrated the weekend with some new friends for one of their birthdays.  So as you can tell, I'm taking full advantage of my time here in Los Angeles.  This weekend, I plan on exploring more of the city and it is free museum day tomorrow, so I will be hitting up as many of the museums around here as I can! 

To everyone on the east coast, stay warm and I hope the snow starts melting quickly!