The Return to Mountaineer Country

Another rotation has ended and I've jumped right into the next. I am a week into my sixth rotation at Ruby Memorial Hospital at WVU and needless to say, it was quite an eventful week.  I've been through autopsy and surgical pathology rotations for six months now and this rotation has by far been the busiest. I expected a higher workload and I've come to like the change of pace because it keeps me on my toes and makes the time go by much faster. For the first week, I was able to gross a few breast specimens that ranged from benign fibroadenomas to invasive ductal carcinomas, thyroids, partial colon resections for tumor, and a lot of skin specimens. This rotation has had a large variety of specimens, which I have welcomed with open arms because I would like to see as much as I can before I dive into the workforce after graduation. Up to this point, I haven't had the opportunity to do a large amount of specimens that originate from the head and neck and thoracic regions, so I'm hopeful that I will get some of that experience while on this rotation.

Aside from grossing, we also had our sixth test of the year this week that covered the urinary system, male genital tract, female genital tract, breast, and endocrine system. It was the same format as all of the other tests, with 100 multiple choice questions. As usual, it required a lot of preparation time and studying, which was difficult with the transition between rotations.  However, I made it happen with early mornings and late nights to get everything accomplished. It will be such a relief once I don't have to worry about studying and tests anymore, but that day will come soon enough.

With the year flying by, I have also started applying to a few PA positions that have caught eye and was honored to have my first phone interview last week (yes, it was quite a busy week all around). It was the first phone interview that I've ever been a part of it and I was quite nervous going in.  I wasn't sure how to prepare so I just made a list of general questions that I felt could possibly be asked during the interview and made notes in response to that. I also made a list of questions that I wanted to ask them about the position and the facilities, so I could learn more about what would be expected of me if I was to get offered the job. Overall, I thought the interview went well and I hope to hear something soon on whether or not I will have the opportunity to go in for an in-person interview.

Round 5: Children's Hospital

My short time in the ME's office came and went and it's hard to believe that I've already completed one week at my new rotation at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC. This is a three week rotation just like my previous one, however, this is in surgical pathology rather than autopsy.  It has been an interesting week so far, but I will note that it is slightly difficult going from an autopsy rotation back to surgical pathology in relation to getting back in the groove of creating dictations. My first day was a little rough and for a split second I was concerned I forgot everything, but after the first couple of cases, I was good to go!

The Children's Hospital has been interesting in that you could have the opportunity to see rare childhood disease cases that you may not be able to see elsewhere. On my first day, I was able to observe one of the PAs do a Wilms' tumor, which is a rare childhood kidney tumor.  I had never seen one before in person and it was interesting to see one and how it was processed at their facility.  As for regular, day-to-day cases, I have been doing a lot of gallbladder, appendices, testicles, and small masses from various parts of the body.  The only complex case I've done is a metastatic cancer case in a 1 year old.  Cancer had spread all over the body and they were sending in all the masses to be grossed, so it ended up being quite a large case.  Other than grossing, I have had the opportunity to attend a lot of conferences that range from pediatric autopsy to pediatric tumors and new cancer screening techniques.  They have all been very informative and I get to experience a how a group of pathologists come together to see histological slides for a case and discuss the potential diagnoses and the reasons why they came to that conclusion.  It has been eye opening and I have really enjoyed getting to be a part of it.

Other than school, I have just been enjoying the nice summer weather that has finally come our way! My only wish is that I lived closer to the ocean so that I could enjoy even more :). Maybe one day soon, I only have 6 more months of this journey before it's time to see what else is in store for me!