Our big monthly test for October has come and gone and it has been a heavy load lifted from our shoulders. This test was the last test on which we had specific reading assignments. The questions for our next test will come from any of the material that we've learned so far throughout this program. I believe that most of us are feeling confident now and we are prepared for most of what will come our way. To cram now for our next test would be an impossible task due to the amount of material that we've covered. Of course, I'll still be studying the material on some of my weaker areas, but rather than focusing on the specifics I'll be focusing on the general. Honestly, if I had the option to take our next monthly test as well as the ASCP certification exam tomorrow, I would go ahead and do it.
This last week at Shadyside I got the opportunity to handle many of the "gross-only" specimens that Shadyside gets. The ones that stick out the most in my mind are the femoral heads and knees, although there are many other smaller specimens as well. When doing many similar specimens over and over, the usefulness of templates cannot be overstated. What would be a 15 minutes job by free dictation is cut down into nearly 5 minutes. Each gross-only case is reviewed by the pathologist before being signed out, but it's up to the PAs to create not just the gross description, but also the final diagnosis and any comments that are needed. So long as my microphone doesn't mess up or my computer doesn't suddenly restart things should be smooth sailing.
Shadyside primarily handles two organ systems; genitourinary and bone/soft tissue. For the next three weeks I will be assigned to one and then the following three weeks I'll be assigned to the other. Shadyside Hospital is well known among the UPMC system for their entire examination of every prostatectomy. One of the special things that they perform is to strip the prostate capsule and examine it entirely for any tumor invasion. It ends up being a lot of blocks that need cutting, however you can't get any more thorough than examining the entire prostate. If ever I develop a malignancy in my prostate (which I hope not) then I might highly consider flying to Pittsburgh to get it taken out.
It's unfortunate that the apartment that I'm currently living in is on the other side of town from Shadyside. The commute to get there is the longest of all of my rotations. It will cut into my studying time but I'm sure I can make it work. A storm is coming in which is going to make traffic horrendous. If all goes well our car won't be blown off the bridge during our commute.
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Monday, October 15, 2012
Book Review: Most Useful Textbook Award
 |
| Well loved and well worn. |
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| A few minor adjustments. |
Time and time again, ever since the beginning of the summer
pathology course to even now, I have found myself coming back to reference and
study from this textbook. It’s the BRS Pathology 4th edition by
Schneider and Szanto. It can be thought of as a condensed version of Robbins
which removes a lot of the side content and tells you the main points behind
each individual pathology. In fact, I find studying from this bullet-point
style book much easier than having to wade through paragraphs and paragraphs to
get to the bottom of my answer in Robbins. The information is presented with as
little flair as possible which leaves just the delicious tenderloin meat of
pathology left over. What would take me a whole day in reviewing an organ
system takes me no more than 2 hours.
This book not only serves for me as a quick reference and
study guide, but also as a practice review. The end of each chapter is filled
with up to several dozen practice questions that hit the main pathologies from
each section. The questions are in multiple-choice, which also helps us to
review for our board exam once we graduate. The questions cover a good variety
of topics, but the difficulty could admittedly be a little tougher. After
having reviewed the entire book over and over and over, one gets to the point
where just by reading the first sentence you already know that the answer is C.
As a book which condenses pathology into understandable
bite-sized portions there are some pathologies which are glossed over or
omitted entirely. It does a fine job at introducing most of the pathologies,
but for the successful pathologists’ assistant, only knowing “most of the
pathologies” is not going to cut it. You can see that I have made some “improvements”
and have written my own notes within the book. Whenever I have come across a
pathology that needed more elaboration or was not included in the book, I write
it in myself in the appropriate chapter. Over this past year and a half it has become
a much more personalized item and if there’s an entry I need to look up I know
from my own memory the approximate page it’s going to be in. It has also been
useful for me to write in non-pathology notes in the pages, for example
explanations of different surgical procedures or surgical hardware/tools.
The last minor irk that I have with this book is that it’s
not made from titanium. I’m afraid one day it’s going to disintegrate into dust
and be blown away by a strong gust of wind. It’s only because I love this book
so much that it is falling into disrepair.
I think that many of my classmates will agree that this book
has helped them immensely throughout both years of this program. As for myself,
it will continue to be of use even after the completion of this program.
Thursday, October 4, 2012
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.
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.
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Accepted!
This weekend has been a pleasant yet busy life changing
experience. Although my interview was to be held on Monday morning I had
Saturday afternoon and all of Sunday to spend some much needed time with my
family in Clovis.
It is interesting to come home after being away for so long
and to see all of the changes that have happened around the house. My mom and
dad are always working on the house despite being retired and I could see the
fruits of their labor. The house was getting new shingles and the kitchen had a
new microwave, refrigerator and toaster oven. Some more striking changes were
outside though. A small twister had come through in the spring and wiped out a
whole bunch of things such as the arch to our driveway, a few old eucalyptus
trees, and a gigantic old tree which fell over and squashed a whole row of
bushes along the side of our house. My father had been busy chopping up all of
the wood and the place just seemed a little empty without all of those trees.
The most striking change for me, however, was to discover that my younger
brother had invaded my room! What was once neat and tidy was now chaos with
posters on the walls, my desk filled with his items and a floor that was in desperate
need of some cleaning.
I was looking forward to the interview on Monday, but I didn’t
know what to really expect so I prepared for any interview question that might
come my way. In the morning I put on my best suit and with my portfolio in hand
headed to the lab. There I met with their COO who was very friendly and
enthusiastic. I learned some of the history behind the lab as well as its
future direction. He drove me to another hospital from which the lab receives
its specimens to meet with some of the other pathologists. I briefly met with
each pathologist and introduced myself to each of them one-by-one. Everyone was
very kind and the process was not nearly as stringent as I had partially
feared. We headed back to the laboratory and met with a few of the other
pathologists where I had the opportunity to talk with them one on one. Lunch
was provided and I then moved on to the gross room.
I was happy that the supervisor of the gross room had
remembered me when I first came to shadow at their lab nearly two years prior.
I was given a tour of the place and introduced to the talented and hardworking
PAs there. It’s quite a busy lab and they receive over 50,000 surgical
specimens every year. The laboratory receives specimens from a number of
hospitals and labs, so the range of specimens that they receive is pretty much
everything from A to Z. For me personally, I couldn’t have asked for a better
place to increase my abilities. I was also impressed in that the lab was
specifically built with grossing in mind during the construction. Specimen processing
is very stream lined and PAs are used efficiently to spend the vast majority of
their time doing what they do best, that is grossing. Specimens are received on
a one at a time basis and cassettes are created on the fly, nearly
instantaneously. They use the Voicebrook speech recognition software that I’m
familiar with, but I will still have to get used to their information system
which is Power Path. It was amazing to see the PAs gross through complex
specimens on the computer just as fast as a person speaking into a dictaphone
could. The benches are high tech to maximizes efficiency and eliminate lost
time.
It’s also fortunate that the supervisor and everyone else at
the lab are very focused on helping its employees achieve their highest
potential and professional growth. I got the feeling that I was very welcome
there and it really made me want to put out my absolute best.
One of the other interesting parts about the interview was a
special test that I was given. It was a test designed to measure my descriptive
abilities as well as how much time it took me. I was given three everyday
objects and asked to describe them on paper. I had heard of a similar test in a
book I read a while ago for prospective surgeons having to carve a bar of soap.
The test was a good mental exercise for me and I found what I had wrote to be
surprisingly detailed, although it did take a little longer to put my thoughts onto paper than I had hoped.
On Tuesday morning I returned to the lab and was elated to
discover that they had offered me a position there. I couldn’t imagine a place
that I’d rather be and so I was eager to accept. I’m still moved at how
understanding everyone was that I wouldn’t be able to start work until
mid-January (visiting Hanako and her family in Japan). Everyone was very
professional and had not just their heart into the business but also their own
workers lives. I still can’t believe how lucky I am. I’ve made it my mission to
become the best PA that I can be and to repay them by adding to their team.
Man, I can’t wait to graduate!
Monday, September 17, 2012
Week Three at UPMC Presbyterian Hospital
Finally, after having labored for three weeks and two weekends, my power point presentation on lung neoplasms is complete. It's quite a task to make a presentation designed to last only 30 minutes when there are so many things to be talked about. The only thing left for this is to remember what to say when the presentation day actually comes.
The biggest thing that I'm looking forward to right now is my interview on Monday. I'm reading up on some of the many questions that they may ask me, but it always seems that no matter how much you prepare there is always one curve ball of a question which comes your way. Even though our monthly test and my presentation is just four days after this interview I can't think about anything else at the moment.
So far being in the gross room at UPMC Presbyterian has been another big learning experience. It seems almost like a polar opposite of grossing at Charleston. Since we are once again using CoPath to make our dictations, the pace of grossing specimens has dramatically decreased. But, that is because of all of the attention to detail and procedures that must be followed. The grossing system at UPMC Presbyterian introduces a whole new set of minute issues to deal with as opposed to just speaking into a microphone. Some of the things which come to my mind are...
- writing our name in the 'grossed by' field
- using dictation templates for a whole variety of specimens
- being super careful to make sure your dictation is absolutely correct
- taking photographs of a wide variety of specimens from small to big (and excellent quality photos at that)
- ordering cassettes and waiting for them to print (at Charleston they are hand-written)
- writing the patient's name on the side of the cassette as well as any special notes for histology (decal, on-edge, etc...)
- being super careful to make sure your dictation is absolutely correct
- recording the amount of time that the specimen has spent in formalin
- providing the clinical history of the patient (at other places the transcriptionists may handle this for you)
- correcting spelling and punctuation mistakes made by Voiceover or yourself
- for gross-only specimens, being able to use the correct templates to insert the correct final diagnosis
- being super careful to make sure your dictation is absolutely correct
- for specimens in which frozen section has been performed, to know the right format and structure to report the findings
- for specimens that need to be sent to other labs for further studies, know which special forms to fill out or log book to record it in
- have a PA proofread your dictation to make sure everything is correct
and of course, it's important to not forget...
- being super careful to make sure your dictation is absolutely correct
I'm fairly good at making an easy to read and easy to understand dictation which includes all of the information that you will need to know. But, when all of the above little things are thrown into the mix my pace goes way down again. There are a lot of good things about this system however. It has really given me the time to reflect on how I word my dictations so that I understand the specimen in-depth. At some of the other places, you may be doing specimens so quickly that little thought goes into the disease process or techniques involved in cutting the specimen. Also, because a lot of the specimens involve taking photographs, it has given me an excellent source of example specimen templates and their associated pictures for my own personal use. It's very satisfying to open up a word document of a previous case that you've done and read your dictation and correlate that with the picture. It brings back a kind of nostalgia and you can think to yourself "What a job well done."
There are always going to be a lot of new things to get used to when moving to a new lab. I will worry more about my interview first, then focus on getting into the flow of the lab.
-
The biggest thing that I'm looking forward to right now is my interview on Monday. I'm reading up on some of the many questions that they may ask me, but it always seems that no matter how much you prepare there is always one curve ball of a question which comes your way. Even though our monthly test and my presentation is just four days after this interview I can't think about anything else at the moment.
So far being in the gross room at UPMC Presbyterian has been another big learning experience. It seems almost like a polar opposite of grossing at Charleston. Since we are once again using CoPath to make our dictations, the pace of grossing specimens has dramatically decreased. But, that is because of all of the attention to detail and procedures that must be followed. The grossing system at UPMC Presbyterian introduces a whole new set of minute issues to deal with as opposed to just speaking into a microphone. Some of the things which come to my mind are...
- writing our name in the 'grossed by' field
- using dictation templates for a whole variety of specimens
- being super careful to make sure your dictation is absolutely correct
- taking photographs of a wide variety of specimens from small to big (and excellent quality photos at that)
- ordering cassettes and waiting for them to print (at Charleston they are hand-written)
- writing the patient's name on the side of the cassette as well as any special notes for histology (decal, on-edge, etc...)
- being super careful to make sure your dictation is absolutely correct
- recording the amount of time that the specimen has spent in formalin
- providing the clinical history of the patient (at other places the transcriptionists may handle this for you)
- correcting spelling and punctuation mistakes made by Voiceover or yourself
- for gross-only specimens, being able to use the correct templates to insert the correct final diagnosis
- being super careful to make sure your dictation is absolutely correct
- for specimens in which frozen section has been performed, to know the right format and structure to report the findings
- for specimens that need to be sent to other labs for further studies, know which special forms to fill out or log book to record it in
- have a PA proofread your dictation to make sure everything is correct
and of course, it's important to not forget...
- being super careful to make sure your dictation is absolutely correct
I'm fairly good at making an easy to read and easy to understand dictation which includes all of the information that you will need to know. But, when all of the above little things are thrown into the mix my pace goes way down again. There are a lot of good things about this system however. It has really given me the time to reflect on how I word my dictations so that I understand the specimen in-depth. At some of the other places, you may be doing specimens so quickly that little thought goes into the disease process or techniques involved in cutting the specimen. Also, because a lot of the specimens involve taking photographs, it has given me an excellent source of example specimen templates and their associated pictures for my own personal use. It's very satisfying to open up a word document of a previous case that you've done and read your dictation and correlate that with the picture. It brings back a kind of nostalgia and you can think to yourself "What a job well done."
There are always going to be a lot of new things to get used to when moving to a new lab. I will worry more about my interview first, then focus on getting into the flow of the lab.
-
Monday, September 3, 2012
Moving Back to Pittsburgh and a Pleasant Surprise
Our time at Thomas Memorial Hospital has come to an end and a new chapter will be opening at UPMC Presbyterian in Pittsburgh. Thomas was a really great place, not just because of the wonderful people, but because it's a really great place to improve on one's speed. It was just the rotation that I needed.
At Thomas, us two PA students are in full charge of grossing the specimens. Of course, we always have the pathologists on hand to help us when we have questions, but it is up to us to complete all of the specimens before they have to go on the processor at 3 PM. The pressure is on for us to go as efficiently as possible and we find different ways to maximize our capabilities. The specimens are laid on on a counter for us to choose from and we can do them in any order so long as we finish them. In this way, we'd choose to save our messy specimens (gallbladders, placentas, etc...) for last and do our less messy specimens earlier. If we worked quickly and finished our specimens early then there were times where we could study or relax in the side office until the next batch of specimens came in. It really felt as if we were really working as PAs and not as students. Also, because the grossing stations were left up to us, our responsibilities were greater. No helpful fairy godmother was there to remind us to put a certain specimen in decal or to process a specimen a certain special way. We had to be on top of our game just as any other working PA. If given the opportunity, I would have chosen to work at Thomas until graduating at the end of December.
Besides having done relatively well on our monthly test, there has been another thing which has made me extremely happy. I have kept in contact with a laboratory in CA where I am from and I have recently received a call from them to have an interview in the near future. They are the same place where I first shadowed a pathologist's assistant. I was very impressed with their laboratory and if I am accepted for their position it would be like a dream come true. I'll be sure to write more as events develop.
In the meantime, there is a presentation that needs to be made and another not so distant test that needs to be studied for. Have a great week!
At Thomas, us two PA students are in full charge of grossing the specimens. Of course, we always have the pathologists on hand to help us when we have questions, but it is up to us to complete all of the specimens before they have to go on the processor at 3 PM. The pressure is on for us to go as efficiently as possible and we find different ways to maximize our capabilities. The specimens are laid on on a counter for us to choose from and we can do them in any order so long as we finish them. In this way, we'd choose to save our messy specimens (gallbladders, placentas, etc...) for last and do our less messy specimens earlier. If we worked quickly and finished our specimens early then there were times where we could study or relax in the side office until the next batch of specimens came in. It really felt as if we were really working as PAs and not as students. Also, because the grossing stations were left up to us, our responsibilities were greater. No helpful fairy godmother was there to remind us to put a certain specimen in decal or to process a specimen a certain special way. We had to be on top of our game just as any other working PA. If given the opportunity, I would have chosen to work at Thomas until graduating at the end of December.
Besides having done relatively well on our monthly test, there has been another thing which has made me extremely happy. I have kept in contact with a laboratory in CA where I am from and I have recently received a call from them to have an interview in the near future. They are the same place where I first shadowed a pathologist's assistant. I was very impressed with their laboratory and if I am accepted for their position it would be like a dream come true. I'll be sure to write more as events develop.
In the meantime, there is a presentation that needs to be made and another not so distant test that needs to be studied for. Have a great week!
Monday, August 27, 2012
Commonly Asked Questions
I am in the fortunate position to have received many emails, over this past year and a half, with questions regarding the field of pathology and pathologist's assistant schools. It is always my pleasure to be of help to anyone who asks. The following are some of the more common questions that I have received.
I have a background in... what can I do to be competitive in getting into PA school?
I can't speak for each and every PA program, however, I believe that your competitiveness in getting into PA school can basically be broken down into three main categories.
-Your background/experience.
-GPA/GRE score.
-Letters of recommendation/essay score/interview score.
Now, there are always exceptions and it is even quite possible that the exceptions predominate. As far as West Virginia University's PA Program is concerned, of course having a background in the health sciences is going to be to your advantage, but people who have majored with other degrees (for example, art or business) have been accepted into the program and done just fine. As long as you have the prerequisite courses taken (WVU's can be found here: http://medicine.hsc.wvu.edu/pa/Admission-Process) then it should not be a hindrance, though you should still have a good reason why you changed directions in life.
Experience in the pathology laboratory or in any healthcare laboratory will be seen as a plus. But, you shouldn't give up just because you've never worked in a laboratory. You should try your best to get some experience working in a lab or at least shadow someone. I'll talk more about shadowing below.
Your GPA is also a big factor that makes you competitive. If you have a 3.5 GPA from undergrad, then you are competitive enough grade-wise, but WVU and other programs will accept as low as 3.0. However, I must say that people who achieved close to a 3.0 in undergraduate school are going to really have to amp up their studying. The PA program is basically a shortened version (2 years) of medical school and we take courses alongside other medical school and dental school students. Any average GPA of below 3.0 while in the program gets you kicked out. You may be asked during interviews (not just at WVU) how you think that you will be able to handle the academically rigorous schedule with a low GPA from undergrad.
I believe that each PA school places a different emphasis on how much they value letters of recommendation, essay scores and interview scores. Try to get your letters of recommendation from health professionals who have observed your work, preferably a pathologist or pathologist's assistant. Your personal statement may be one of the few things that interviewers will remember you by. During the application process, the interviewers see so many applicants that it becomes difficult to remember who was who. You should spend a lot of time on your personal statement and how you can make yourself stand out from the dozens and dozens of other applicants. As far as the interview is concerned, it feels more like a formal procedure. It is a way for the faculty to know whether you have the right personality and focus for being successful in the program. The usual rules for interviews apply. Before your interview, the interviewers already know your background and may have at least partially decided whether they want to accept you or not. During the interview, don't give them a reason to disqualify you.
Should I take the GRE?
As you may already know, many PA programs require applicants to take the GRE. West Virginia University is one of the programs which does not require the GRE. Nonetheless, I would still recommend taking the GRE even if you are applying to WVU. In my opinion, because the competition is so high, even if you are perfectly qualified to enter the program there may not be enough seats open for you. If you really want to get into PA school, be prepared to move. You should apply to PA school as if you were applying to medical school and do a shotgun approach. Apply to as many programs as you can. Before I was accepted into the WVU PA Program, I too was studying for the GRE. There's always a very real chance that you may not be accepted due to space limitations and taking the GRE is like having insurance to apply for other programs.
How can I get shadowing experience?
Depending on where you live, it may be difficult to get access to a laboratory or to see an autopsy. Don't be put off if you are rejected. My best advice is to write a very polite letter to the head of the laboratory or the medical examiner/coroner explaining your situation. State your background and write your request professionally. It may be hospital policy or laboratory policy that non-personnel are prohibited from entering and they have no choice but to turn you down. You may have to broaden your horizons and travel a bit from your hometown to get the shadowing experience.
One of the great parts of WVU (in West Virginia, Morgantown) is that the pathology laboratory is always open to shadowers. Of course, you should contact our program director if you are interested. If you have been unable to get shadowing experience anywhere else then after your interview at WVU you may go see the hospital surgical pathology laboratory. I would highly recommend it even if you already have shadowing experience.
What undergraduate classes should I take?
Once you have met the requirements for the programs that you are applying for, it is up to you what other courses you would like to take. If you have the opportunity to take any of the following classes, I would highly recommend it. The list below is what I think the most useful courses will be for you while an undergrad in descending order.
-Anatomy and Physiology <---- very highly recommended (including any courses on autopsy dissection)
-Pathology (usually offered as a graduate course so may not be applicable to your case)
-Histology
-Clinical laboratory science related courses
-Medical Microbiology
-Immunology
-Cell Biology
-Genetics
As always, keep your grades up and you will be competitive.
What should I write for my personal statement essay?
Some programs give you a specific question that you must answer as your essay to enter the program, but at WVU the essay that you must write is much more broad. This can be a good or a bad thing depending on how well or analytical of a writer that you are. Your personal statement essay should cover basically, "Why should they accept you over all of the other applicants?" You are going to need to make yourself stand out because at the end of the whole process when the interviewers have to go over all of the dozens and dozens of applicants, faces can get blurry, who said what, and which face went with which interview (Which is why you are requested to send your photo in. So they can remember your interview!) can become a real mind-boggling task.
You'll want to emphasize the experience that you have or have had and relate that to how that will make you a successful student and future PA. You can try to give a specific example of something that you did that makes you qualified or gives you an edge over other applicants. You can even use your experience outside the field of pathology. For example you can mention your leadership activities within your church or your mentoring experiences or how people depended on you during your job or how you successfully organized and carried out a project. The possibilities are near limitless. The hardest part is thinking of something to write about in the first place. Once you have an idea, write out your essay and have someone read it over.
One thing that I should mention is that this is a hard-professional program so stick to Times New Roman or Arial and don't put anything that might detract from your essay such as printing on colored paper.
How will having a family affect my school experience?
It is true that the majority of students who are in the program have yet to form their own families, but that doesn't mean that family will prevent you from being successful in the PA program.
As I have yet to form my own family, I am only speaking from conjecture, but if you are accepted into a PA program, then you must be willing to put school as your highest priority for two years. Tests do not wait for children's soccer games, sick family members, cooking for dinner or laundry. It is very highly recommended that you attend every lecture that you have and that may conflict with your other obligations. You may even have to be willing to separate from your family for months or longer at a time. Now that we are in the digital age, living far from home is not so alienating. I have used SKYPE and email to stay in contact with my family members and some of my classmates do the same with their families.
If you are lucky and your spouse can afford to stay at home, then having a family close by could actually be a great boon for you. There have been many times when I have wished for a good home-cooked meal but not had the time to make it day in and out, so I settled for quick microwave items. (Usually this only occurs during heavy test weeks.)
It goes without saying that being responsible for a family will put a considerable amount of financial strain on you. Working is highly discouraged while in the program so you should have enough funds saved up to afford your cost of living for the next two years as much as possible.
How did you get interested in the field of pathology?
I had always been interested in the laboratory sciences ever since elementary school when my mother took me to her workplace during my summer vacations. She worked as a laboratory assistant in a county public health laboratory and I got to see a lot of neat bugs and blood specimens under the microscope. In high school, my favorite class was anatomy and physiology and I knew from then on I wanted to go into a field using that knowledge. I had considered going into medical school to study pathology, but before that I absolutely had to experience life in another country. There's really only one chance that you get, (for me it was after graduation from undergrad but before entering into graduate school) and I couldn't pass it up. Upon returning to the U.S., I couldn't bring myself to study another 10 or so years in medical school, so I decided that the field of pathologist's assistant was my best and most preferred option. I don't regret my decisions at all and I'm quite happy so far with how everything has turned out.
How do you feel about Morgantown?
Morgantown is a college town set in a rural area of rolling green hills. There are many conveniences such as fast food, supermarkets, restaurants and large chain stores such as Walmart. I personally prefer the country life to city life and I really enjoyed my time in Morgantown. I purposefully lived close to campus so that I could walk to school and in fact, this entire time I have never owned nor driven a car. (For transportation, I take the bus, taxi or pay gas money to my classmates.) Morgantown has a small town feel to it but can get really lively during football season. I would have stayed in Morgantown longer if given the choice.
How do you feel about your program?
I have never taken any other PA program, so I have no set point to base any of my opinions off of, but I can say that this program will ensure that you enter into the field as a prepared pathologist's assistant. There is a lot of information to absorb throughout all of your courses and at times it can feel overwhelming. Because the grading structure is strict (no less than a 3.0 GPA) it will keep you on your toes studying. The large amount of studying is for your benefit so that you pass the ASCP certification exam (all graduates of WVU's PA Program have passed the ASCP certification exam on the first try.) The range of rotation sites during the second year is fantastic. You will get experience through UPMC's "Centers of Excellence" where each site focuses on something different such as gynecological pathology, GI pathology, genitourinary pathology and pediatric pathology. You will get experience performing autopsies, working at general hospitals and even a tissue bank.
What do you do for housing?
It's best to live as close to campus as possible, as that is where you will be commuting for the majority of your days. If you can get in contact with another student who has been accepted into the program and share rent, that would be even better. Craigslist is hit or miss. You will be moving around quite a bit during the second year, so try to find someone who is flexible with their leases. Don't lock yourself into a 12 month lease if you're only going to be in Morgantown for 3 months.
Housing in Charleston, West Virginia is provided by the kind pathologists who work at Thomas Memorial Hospital.
For Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, you will again need to find your own housing. Try to double up with a fellow classmate to share the cost.
What is the job market like?
There is one disturbing trend in the pathologist's assistant field and that is that the average age is decreasing. (I believe that it is somewhere in the 40's, but please correct me if I'm wrong.) That means that there are a lot of new graduates coming in to fill up job vacancies. There are still a number of job openings available, but the market will get tighter as time goes on and the PA programs graduate more students.
It seems that there are jobs open all across the country, but significantly more so on the West and South West. States like California and Texas are hot spots for PA job opportunities. The reason for this is that all of the PA schools are located on the eastern side of the US and graduates typically stay close to family.
I have written another post regarding factors that affect the future of the PA profession here:
http://pathotoko.blogspot.com/2012/07/how-supreme-courts-ruling-on-individual.html
What books can you recommend to learn more about pathology or start studying from early?
The two most helpful books that you can get, in my opinion, are:
-Robbins & Cotran Pathologic Basis of Disease 8th edition
-BRS Pathology
These two books complement each other and will probably form the meat of your studies.
Besides books, there are some great anatomy websites that you should study from. They can be found either through google or on the right hand side of this page.
Are there any other ways to become a pathologist's assistant?
It used to be that pathologist's assistants were on-the-job trained and many of the older PAs got into the profession through their workplace. Recently, there has been new regulation stating that for high complexity testing, either a certified PA (one who has graduated from an ASCP certified PA program and has passed the PA certification test) has to do it or a pathologist must be on site while the specimen is being processed. I do not know of many laboratories which are training people on-the-job, however. Many laboratories now want a PA who is ready to go from the first day. Your best bet is to still graduate from one of the PA schools.
As time goes on I am sure that there will be other questions that come my way and I will be happy to expand this list as I see them. Feel free to add to this list by sending me an email or asking me in the comments!
I have a background in... what can I do to be competitive in getting into PA school?
I can't speak for each and every PA program, however, I believe that your competitiveness in getting into PA school can basically be broken down into three main categories.
-Your background/experience.
-GPA/GRE score.
-Letters of recommendation/essay score/interview score.
Now, there are always exceptions and it is even quite possible that the exceptions predominate. As far as West Virginia University's PA Program is concerned, of course having a background in the health sciences is going to be to your advantage, but people who have majored with other degrees (for example, art or business) have been accepted into the program and done just fine. As long as you have the prerequisite courses taken (WVU's can be found here: http://medicine.hsc.wvu.edu/pa/Admission-Process) then it should not be a hindrance, though you should still have a good reason why you changed directions in life.
Experience in the pathology laboratory or in any healthcare laboratory will be seen as a plus. But, you shouldn't give up just because you've never worked in a laboratory. You should try your best to get some experience working in a lab or at least shadow someone. I'll talk more about shadowing below.
Your GPA is also a big factor that makes you competitive. If you have a 3.5 GPA from undergrad, then you are competitive enough grade-wise, but WVU and other programs will accept as low as 3.0. However, I must say that people who achieved close to a 3.0 in undergraduate school are going to really have to amp up their studying. The PA program is basically a shortened version (2 years) of medical school and we take courses alongside other medical school and dental school students. Any average GPA of below 3.0 while in the program gets you kicked out. You may be asked during interviews (not just at WVU) how you think that you will be able to handle the academically rigorous schedule with a low GPA from undergrad.
I believe that each PA school places a different emphasis on how much they value letters of recommendation, essay scores and interview scores. Try to get your letters of recommendation from health professionals who have observed your work, preferably a pathologist or pathologist's assistant. Your personal statement may be one of the few things that interviewers will remember you by. During the application process, the interviewers see so many applicants that it becomes difficult to remember who was who. You should spend a lot of time on your personal statement and how you can make yourself stand out from the dozens and dozens of other applicants. As far as the interview is concerned, it feels more like a formal procedure. It is a way for the faculty to know whether you have the right personality and focus for being successful in the program. The usual rules for interviews apply. Before your interview, the interviewers already know your background and may have at least partially decided whether they want to accept you or not. During the interview, don't give them a reason to disqualify you.
Should I take the GRE?
As you may already know, many PA programs require applicants to take the GRE. West Virginia University is one of the programs which does not require the GRE. Nonetheless, I would still recommend taking the GRE even if you are applying to WVU. In my opinion, because the competition is so high, even if you are perfectly qualified to enter the program there may not be enough seats open for you. If you really want to get into PA school, be prepared to move. You should apply to PA school as if you were applying to medical school and do a shotgun approach. Apply to as many programs as you can. Before I was accepted into the WVU PA Program, I too was studying for the GRE. There's always a very real chance that you may not be accepted due to space limitations and taking the GRE is like having insurance to apply for other programs.
How can I get shadowing experience?
Depending on where you live, it may be difficult to get access to a laboratory or to see an autopsy. Don't be put off if you are rejected. My best advice is to write a very polite letter to the head of the laboratory or the medical examiner/coroner explaining your situation. State your background and write your request professionally. It may be hospital policy or laboratory policy that non-personnel are prohibited from entering and they have no choice but to turn you down. You may have to broaden your horizons and travel a bit from your hometown to get the shadowing experience.
One of the great parts of WVU (in West Virginia, Morgantown) is that the pathology laboratory is always open to shadowers. Of course, you should contact our program director if you are interested. If you have been unable to get shadowing experience anywhere else then after your interview at WVU you may go see the hospital surgical pathology laboratory. I would highly recommend it even if you already have shadowing experience.
What undergraduate classes should I take?
Once you have met the requirements for the programs that you are applying for, it is up to you what other courses you would like to take. If you have the opportunity to take any of the following classes, I would highly recommend it. The list below is what I think the most useful courses will be for you while an undergrad in descending order.
-Anatomy and Physiology <---- very highly recommended (including any courses on autopsy dissection)
-Pathology (usually offered as a graduate course so may not be applicable to your case)
-Histology
-Clinical laboratory science related courses
-Medical Microbiology
-Immunology
-Cell Biology
-Genetics
As always, keep your grades up and you will be competitive.
What should I write for my personal statement essay?
Some programs give you a specific question that you must answer as your essay to enter the program, but at WVU the essay that you must write is much more broad. This can be a good or a bad thing depending on how well or analytical of a writer that you are. Your personal statement essay should cover basically, "Why should they accept you over all of the other applicants?" You are going to need to make yourself stand out because at the end of the whole process when the interviewers have to go over all of the dozens and dozens of applicants, faces can get blurry, who said what, and which face went with which interview (Which is why you are requested to send your photo in. So they can remember your interview!) can become a real mind-boggling task.
You'll want to emphasize the experience that you have or have had and relate that to how that will make you a successful student and future PA. You can try to give a specific example of something that you did that makes you qualified or gives you an edge over other applicants. You can even use your experience outside the field of pathology. For example you can mention your leadership activities within your church or your mentoring experiences or how people depended on you during your job or how you successfully organized and carried out a project. The possibilities are near limitless. The hardest part is thinking of something to write about in the first place. Once you have an idea, write out your essay and have someone read it over.
One thing that I should mention is that this is a hard-professional program so stick to Times New Roman or Arial and don't put anything that might detract from your essay such as printing on colored paper.
How will having a family affect my school experience?
It is true that the majority of students who are in the program have yet to form their own families, but that doesn't mean that family will prevent you from being successful in the PA program.
As I have yet to form my own family, I am only speaking from conjecture, but if you are accepted into a PA program, then you must be willing to put school as your highest priority for two years. Tests do not wait for children's soccer games, sick family members, cooking for dinner or laundry. It is very highly recommended that you attend every lecture that you have and that may conflict with your other obligations. You may even have to be willing to separate from your family for months or longer at a time. Now that we are in the digital age, living far from home is not so alienating. I have used SKYPE and email to stay in contact with my family members and some of my classmates do the same with their families.
If you are lucky and your spouse can afford to stay at home, then having a family close by could actually be a great boon for you. There have been many times when I have wished for a good home-cooked meal but not had the time to make it day in and out, so I settled for quick microwave items. (Usually this only occurs during heavy test weeks.)
It goes without saying that being responsible for a family will put a considerable amount of financial strain on you. Working is highly discouraged while in the program so you should have enough funds saved up to afford your cost of living for the next two years as much as possible.
How did you get interested in the field of pathology?
I had always been interested in the laboratory sciences ever since elementary school when my mother took me to her workplace during my summer vacations. She worked as a laboratory assistant in a county public health laboratory and I got to see a lot of neat bugs and blood specimens under the microscope. In high school, my favorite class was anatomy and physiology and I knew from then on I wanted to go into a field using that knowledge. I had considered going into medical school to study pathology, but before that I absolutely had to experience life in another country. There's really only one chance that you get, (for me it was after graduation from undergrad but before entering into graduate school) and I couldn't pass it up. Upon returning to the U.S., I couldn't bring myself to study another 10 or so years in medical school, so I decided that the field of pathologist's assistant was my best and most preferred option. I don't regret my decisions at all and I'm quite happy so far with how everything has turned out.
How do you feel about Morgantown?
Morgantown is a college town set in a rural area of rolling green hills. There are many conveniences such as fast food, supermarkets, restaurants and large chain stores such as Walmart. I personally prefer the country life to city life and I really enjoyed my time in Morgantown. I purposefully lived close to campus so that I could walk to school and in fact, this entire time I have never owned nor driven a car. (For transportation, I take the bus, taxi or pay gas money to my classmates.) Morgantown has a small town feel to it but can get really lively during football season. I would have stayed in Morgantown longer if given the choice.
How do you feel about your program?
I have never taken any other PA program, so I have no set point to base any of my opinions off of, but I can say that this program will ensure that you enter into the field as a prepared pathologist's assistant. There is a lot of information to absorb throughout all of your courses and at times it can feel overwhelming. Because the grading structure is strict (no less than a 3.0 GPA) it will keep you on your toes studying. The large amount of studying is for your benefit so that you pass the ASCP certification exam (all graduates of WVU's PA Program have passed the ASCP certification exam on the first try.) The range of rotation sites during the second year is fantastic. You will get experience through UPMC's "Centers of Excellence" where each site focuses on something different such as gynecological pathology, GI pathology, genitourinary pathology and pediatric pathology. You will get experience performing autopsies, working at general hospitals and even a tissue bank.
What do you do for housing?
It's best to live as close to campus as possible, as that is where you will be commuting for the majority of your days. If you can get in contact with another student who has been accepted into the program and share rent, that would be even better. Craigslist is hit or miss. You will be moving around quite a bit during the second year, so try to find someone who is flexible with their leases. Don't lock yourself into a 12 month lease if you're only going to be in Morgantown for 3 months.
Housing in Charleston, West Virginia is provided by the kind pathologists who work at Thomas Memorial Hospital.
For Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, you will again need to find your own housing. Try to double up with a fellow classmate to share the cost.
What is the job market like?
There is one disturbing trend in the pathologist's assistant field and that is that the average age is decreasing. (I believe that it is somewhere in the 40's, but please correct me if I'm wrong.) That means that there are a lot of new graduates coming in to fill up job vacancies. There are still a number of job openings available, but the market will get tighter as time goes on and the PA programs graduate more students.
It seems that there are jobs open all across the country, but significantly more so on the West and South West. States like California and Texas are hot spots for PA job opportunities. The reason for this is that all of the PA schools are located on the eastern side of the US and graduates typically stay close to family.
I have written another post regarding factors that affect the future of the PA profession here:
http://pathotoko.blogspot.com/2012/07/how-supreme-courts-ruling-on-individual.html
What books can you recommend to learn more about pathology or start studying from early?
The two most helpful books that you can get, in my opinion, are:
-Robbins & Cotran Pathologic Basis of Disease 8th edition
-BRS Pathology
These two books complement each other and will probably form the meat of your studies.
Besides books, there are some great anatomy websites that you should study from. They can be found either through google or on the right hand side of this page.
Are there any other ways to become a pathologist's assistant?
It used to be that pathologist's assistants were on-the-job trained and many of the older PAs got into the profession through their workplace. Recently, there has been new regulation stating that for high complexity testing, either a certified PA (one who has graduated from an ASCP certified PA program and has passed the PA certification test) has to do it or a pathologist must be on site while the specimen is being processed. I do not know of many laboratories which are training people on-the-job, however. Many laboratories now want a PA who is ready to go from the first day. Your best bet is to still graduate from one of the PA schools.
As time goes on I am sure that there will be other questions that come my way and I will be happy to expand this list as I see them. Feel free to add to this list by sending me an email or asking me in the comments!
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