Getting the Bigger Specimens

It's both a good and sad thing that the end of this rotation here at UPMC Presbyterian is nearing. There are still a lot of specimens left that I would like to see and it's always a pleasure to be under the direction of the PAs here. As time is running short these next two weeks I expect to perform only on larger specimens, which is precisely the practice and experience that I am looking for.

Recently, I had the opportunity to gross my first lung case. As it was my first time, as always, I prepared beforehand by reading up in the texts on how to approach the specimen. It's nice when you are still a student and have the leisure to double check on the different procedures, but in the working world there is no such room for brushing up. It seems that no matter how long one studies the texts at home, without the hands on experience the material doesn't stick. I'm sure that there must be research out there confirming that most people learn better with hands-on work over reading.

In any case, I am still working on my speed as much as possible. I know one thing that is holding me back is that I stumble when trying to say a description. I often try to describe exactly what I see and without a "word bank" of important words that pathologists and PAs like to hear, it can become cumbersome. Also, I find myself backtracking sometimes to insert additional words that make the sentence more descriptive, but it still ends up eating my time. For example, I might say something like, "the external surface is tan-red, roughened and displays numerous adhesions" but I forget to mention that there is soft tissue attached or that there is a focal area of granularity so I have to go back and edit the sentence. Fortunately, I am fairly proficient at moving around using voice commands, but each command takes about 1 second for the computer to register, and even that takes up time when you aggregate all of the commands that you sometimes need to make. The best thing to do is to not omit anything the first time so you make fewer commands and save time.

Studying is continuing as usual. Many of my classmates and I have already applied to take the ASCP PA certification exam as soon as we graduate. The fee this year is $515. I had always thought it to be ironic for someone to pay to take a test. The demand however is such that the organization can charge this much and still attract willing PA students. Supply and demand. I wonder if there are any other certifying organizations besides the ASCP for pathologist assistants. I tend to usually view competition as a good thing. Election time is nearing and it's probably all getting to my head now. Another few more months of focusing on school and then it will be time to worry about other matters. It will be a welcome change.