Pathology in Medical School

[rollhumps]

Hi all! I'm an MS1 and am interested in pathology. I came into medical school not sure what specialty I wanted to go into, but have really enjoyed the pathology lectures/small groups we've had and want to learn more about the specialty. Anyways, I was just hoping some of you (current medical students, residents, etc.) had some advice on how to seek out pathology experiences in medical school. Although the school I go to is associated with a great hospital and pathology residency, there doesn't seem to be much interest in the specialty. There is no pathology interest group, and there are only a few students who decide to go into pathology each year. I was wondering if this is a common experience for other students interested in pathology?

Also, what are some good extracurriculars you would recommend for students interested in pathology? Shadowing? Research? Reaching out to residents in the pathology residency? I guess I'm just having a difficult time figuring out how to learn more about the speciality since there doesn't seem to be much interest.

Thanks!

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[odyssey2]

I’m no expert in pathology, but the job market for path has been rough for decades now. A lot of doom and gloom in that field. Most of the med students I know who went into pathology were more interested in a basic science research career than a clinical path. If you’re interested in a non-patient facing field similar to path, maybe consider radiology?

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

You could always start a path interest group. But there probably isn’t a ton of interest because the job market for path has been horrendous for years and doesn’t seem to be looking like it’s getting any better any time soon.

 

[lumya]

If your med school's affiliated hospital has a pathology program I'd recommend starting with shadowing, and shadow a variety of different pathologists.

I shadowed a pathologist, and while I was originally interested in the science behind it, I found that the day to day was a little too removed clinically for my interests. But it was definitely a useful things to experience.

 

[Goro]

Hi all! I'm an MS1 and am interested in pathology. I came into medical school not sure what specialty I wanted to go into, but have really enjoyed the pathology lectures/small groups we've had and want to learn more about the specialty. Anyways, I was just hoping some of you (current medical students, residents, etc.) had some advice on how to seek out pathology experiences in medical school. Although the school I go to is associated with a great hospital and pathology residency, there doesn't seem to be much interest in the specialty. There is no pathology interest group, and there are only a few students who decide to go into pathology each year. I was wondering if this is a common experience for other students interested in pathology?

Also, what are some good extracurriculars you would recommend for students interested in pathology? Shadowing? Research? Reaching out to residents in the pathology residency? I guess I'm just having a difficult time figuring out how to learn more about the speciality since there doesn't seem to be much interest.

Thanks!

Talk to your Path faculty

 

[Dave1980]

Hi all! I'm an MS1 and am interested in pathology. I came into medical school not sure what specialty I wanted to go into, but have really enjoyed the pathology lectures/small groups we've had and want to learn more about the specialty. Anyways, I was just hoping some of you (current medical students, residents, etc.) had some advice on how to seek out pathology experiences in medical school. Although the school I go to is associated with a great hospital and pathology residency, there doesn't seem to be much interest in the specialty. There is no pathology interest group, and there are only a few students who decide to go into pathology each year. I was wondering if this is a common experience for other students interested in pathology?

Also, what are some good extracurriculars you would recommend for students interested in pathology? Shadowing? Research? Reaching out to residents in the pathology residency? I guess I'm just having a difficult time figuring out how to learn more about the speciality since there doesn't seem to be much interest.

Thanks!

its a cool field and i considered it.

i dont think you can rely on the med students on this site have an accurate view of the job market so i would talk to some actual pathologists about that.

it seems really chill. minimal to no weekends and nights

 

[Lawpy]

Talk to your Path faculty

its a cool field and i considered it.

i dont think you can rely on the med students on this site have an accurate view of the job market so i would talk to some actual pathologists about that.

it seems really chill. minimal to no weekends and nights

Agreed strongly with both posts. Talking to path faculty is critical

 

[deleted1064759]

Based on my experience conversing with Path residents currently applying for jobs/fellowships, it's not a very competitive field and you don't need to be worried about ECs. I get the strong impression that ECs in med school, in general, don't hold nearly as much weight as AMCAS.

But I digress -- at my school, people interested in path can pretty much just stay for residency if they want to.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

its a cool field and i considered it.

i dont think you can rely on the med students on this site have an accurate view of the job market so i would talk to some actual pathologists about that.

it seems really chill. minimal to no weekends and nights

The folks on the path forum here warning about the job market are actual pathologists.

 

[Chelsea FC]

The folks on the path forum here warning about the job market are actual pathologists.

While I agree that the job market for path is bad. I disagree that using specialty-specific forums is a good indicator of the job market. Legit every specialty-specific forum is filled with people screaming the sky is falling and things are different than it was 50 years ago. Prob will get a more balanced answer from people you know who are active in the market you are thinking about working in.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

While I agree that the job market for path is bad. I disagree that using specialty-specific forums is a good indicator of the job market. Legit every specialty-specific forum is filled with people screaming the sky is falling and things are different than it was 50 years ago. Prob will get a more balanced answer from people you know who are active in the market you are thinking about working in.

Tbf the people I’ve talked to in real life also say the job market sucks.

 

[Lawpy]

Tbf the people I’ve talked to in real life also say the job market sucks.

Hence why OP should primarily consult the path attendings in his school for advice.

 

[LunaOri]

Here is a piece of advice: There’s always room at the top! If you are a US MD student, you have a head start. If you have good stats and LOR, you should have your choice of programs. If you want to go to a top tier academic program, do a little research of some sort, and do a rotation there if you can.
The job market in pathology has been bad for a number of years (because of hospital mergers, decreasing reimbursement, and other economic factors) which has resulted in US MD students avoiding path. The job market is improving now for two reasons: MANY pathologists are nearing retirement age, and with all the new molecular techniques, genomic medicine, and IA, there is a demand for younger docs who are comfortable with these modalities. If you are good, you will find a job.
A lot of the moaning and whining is from pathologists who remember the “good old days” when the pathologist got a percentage of every payment for every test done in the lab, which was an enormous amount of money. Salaries are still good, but no longer comparable to the surgical subspecialties.
What I hear from my pathology colleagues is that they like the lifestyle and the income (which is good relative to the hours worked), they really enjoy the work itself. Downside is that pathologists—despite being the “ultimate authority” for diagnosis—are the least respected specialists in the hospital, because they do not have direct patient contact.

 

[wholeheartedly]

Talk to the pathologists at your school but also talk to non academic pathologists as well. The academic world tends to be very different than the rest of the world. See if the pathologists at your school can put you in touch with some recent grads working in a more community type setting also.

 

[Spikebd]

Many people in pathology are getting nice jobs working for molecular diagnostics companies. Cutting edge medicine with lots and lots of VC funding. Plus you can break free from the hospital grind.

That said, I’m sure there are negatives and downsides to working for those types of companies. It’s all work at the end of the day.

Pathology is still better than most fields in medicine solely due to essentially no evenings and nights.

 

[Lucca]

The path job market is both very bad and very good. It’s very good for people with extensive research experience primarily interested in research careers (top MD/PhD programs still match many yo path, still among the most popular choices for specialties; here, every path match every single year for like 5 years has been an MSTP). It’s very bad for people looking to go into private practice full time. For that reason likely no dedicated interest groups.

So I agree talk to residents about what it’s like. Molecular diagnostics is a big and growing field, and lots of biotech companies hire pathologists as well. Some of the big bosses at Genentech are trained pathologists likely making 4-5X now what clinical sub specialists do on average. So if that’s your interest you can have great opportunities, if not, I would agree to consider rads or even derm / heme tbh where path and understanding your own path is still part of the practice.

 

[Dral]

Many schools offer student fellowships. It may be a bit overboard if you are sure on pathology, but something to look into. they usually offer a small stipend for the year (20 to 30k range).

Student Fellowship | University of Pennsylvania | Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Application information for student fellowship in pathology at Penn

pathology.med.upenn.edu

Michael J. Gaffey Post-Sophomore Fellowship - Department of Pathology

The Michael J. Gaffey Medical Student Fellowship in Pathology Description: This special, one-year-long fellowship offered by the Department of Pathology provides medical students the opportunity to increase their knowledge of Pathology and to understand the role of diagnostic Pathology in...

med.virginia.edu

Pathology Post-Sophomore Fellowship | Duke Department of Pathology

pathology.duke.edu

 

[deleted1081396]

As others have said, Path is one of the few specialties where pedigree actually matters when it comes to getting a good job. If you're really interested in it and have considered the job market outlook, then you need aim as high as possible for residency and start networking now. It also would help you a lot to get some research in if you haven't already. The pathology sub-forum has a lot of good info as far as the job outlook, which programs to consider, etc.

 

[wholeheartedly]

@gbwillner you have anything to add here?

 

[gbwillner]

@gbwillner you have anything to add here?

Who awakens me from my slumber?

Not sure what I can contribute except agree with a lot of what is posted here. There are lots of great opportunities in path, but also a lot of folks in private practice are unhappy, especially those that frequently come to the path forum to claim as much (nonstop, all the time- you may want to avoid the path forum for your own sanity).

Path is very different than most other clinical specialties in that you are rarely going to encounter a patient (there are exceptions like Rads entirely based on some subspecialties). This will either kill your interest or make it more your bag, depending on how you feel about patient contact.

The pro for path is that you will see (and really only see) the most interesting cases at the hospital. You are the doctor's doctor, and make the definitive diagnosis for the patient.

the con is that you are removed from direct patient engagement, and as such also rely heavily on your clinical colleagues for your revenue (which can subsequently be exploited).

Since the OP is an MS1, they still have a long way to go before having to make a decision.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

Who awakens me from my slumber?