Last Week at Allegheny General Hospital Surgical Pathology Laboratory

Last week I had intended to write another post about something practical, but time caught up with me and before I knew it I was busy just as before.

These rotations are really flying by, but I'm very grateful to the people at Allegheny who helped me while I was there on my rotation. I was introduced to a wide variety of specimens and wish that I had more time to spend there. Everyone was very helpful and I believe that I fit right in.

There were times when I made a few mistakes (and I also caught a few mistakes made by others) but it was a very instructive experience. I'm a very 'by-the-book' type of person and I follow textbook instructions almost religiously. At this rotation I learned that I need to be more accommodating. Each pathologist has their own preference in what they want to see in a specimen. For example, some pathologists just want representative sections from an appendix while others would prefer that you submit the appendix entirely. Some pathologists want you to separate the fat from lymph nodes in a cancer case whereas others want you to submit the lymph nodes and fat all together.

When you're just starting out at a new place, you don't have a good grasp of what the protocols are until you've spent some time there. It's for this reason that 'CYA' or 'cover your arse' is so important. I have been saved numerous times when a pathologist has requested more sections thanks to me saving and stocking every little bit of remaining tissue. Another thing that I have learned to 'CYA' or as it pertains to me 'CMA' is to ink multiple pieces from the same part into multiple colors rather than just use one color. (It ends up being a bit amusing when you're looking into a cassette and you think to yourself, "Why does it look like I'm submitting skittles in my blocks?")