10. Because one less would benign 😎
Hello All! If you don’t mind, I’ll jump right into some updates…
A couple weeks ago I had my first gross room (surgical pathology lab) mini-rotation. For anyone who doesn’t know what that means, it means that each individual student has the opportunity to spend an hour in the mornings in the surgical pathology lab for four days (Monday-Thursday) in our first semester, as a way to practice applying what we’ve been learning. Since a few of my classmates had already been to the gross room, I was able to ask them about their experience, so I had a better idea of what to expect. My first morning I logged on to a station, got the dictation software calibrated, and I got started. I worked mainly on biopsies, and throughout the week I also worked on gallbladders, tonsils, products of conception, and tissue from a transurethral resection of the prostate (commonly known as prostate chips). I had a chance to start making connections with the material from class, and I can say that I now have a much better idea of how to study for my Anatomical Techniques (AT) class, which was something I had been having trouble figuring out. Getting started in studying how to be a pathologists’ assistant is about as clear as mud before you see what the end goal is. So now when I study, I always have multiple resources on hand. I have the lecture slides, Surgical Pathology Dissection, 2nd edition by Westra, et al., Atlas of Surgical Pathology Grossing by Lemos and Okoye, and pathologyoutlines.com all open at the very least. This way I can have an absolutely complete picture of anything that I’m studying. On the in-depth study days, I don’t move on from a subject until I feel that I understand the reasoning behind why something is processed and submitted the way it is. The big takeaway from this last week: Even if the information being taught doesn’t totally make sense right now, keep coming back and eventually it will.
Other updates from the program.
The second year students have gone above and beyond to pair any interested first-years with a second-year mentor. They had us fill out a survey so they could pair us up with someone who is a good fit. The level of support from the second year students has been OUTSTANDING. We (the first year students) had a group video chat with them last weekend and got a motivational speech I won’t soon forget.
Tests, tests, tests. If you’ve read any other student blogs, you’ve heard it before. We have test(s) almost every week in this program, usually more than one. As much as I want to dislike that, I can’t. Tests truly are the best way to learn new information quickly, when you have a deadline and consequences, you find a way to make the information stick.
Lastly, I wanted to take a second to mention that my cohort is an AMAZING bunch of people. Every single one of them. Seriously. They have probably been my favorite thing about these first weeks of classes. It can be difficult when you’re new in town in the middle of winter, but having a cohort has given me a sense of community that I don’t think I could have done without. There really isn’t any better feeling than being able to work hard alongside good people. But of course, it can’t all be work! Plenty of us have been getting together outside of class to study and to relax. We are all looking forward to the weather getting warmer so we can appreciate the natural beauty of the region… AKA being on a boat on Cheat Lake with margaritas.
Brunch at Morgantown Art Bar with some of my cohort comrades. Proof that we aren't studying every waking moment!