"A Pathologists’ Assistant is a highly trained, certified allied healthcare professional who is qualified by academic and practical training to provide various services in anatomic pathology under the direction and supervision of a licensed, Board Certified or Board Eligible Anatomic Pathologist. Pathologists’ Assistants are academically and practically trained to provide accurate and timely processing of a variety of laboratory specimens, including comprehensive macroscopic examination and evaluation of all surgical pathological specimens. Pathologists’ Assistants also perform postmortem examinations including prosection, assisting the Pathologist with rendering the provisional anatomic diagnosis, composing the clinical history, recording the macroscopic anatomic findings, and submitting tissue sections for microscopic examination. Pathologists’ Assistants play a critical role in the delivery of healthcare services in both surgical pathology and autopsy pathology. They are key partners in assisting the Pathologist to arrive at a pathologic diagnosis, but it is the sole responsibility of the Pathologist to render a diagnosis." - The American Association of Pathologists' Assistants.
Hello all!
Welcome to a new corner of the internet, where I'll be chronicling some of my time as a graduate student in the West Virginia University Pathologists' Assistant Program. My name is Rizzo (think the musical Grease), and I'm coming into the program with a background in Medical Laboratory Science (MLS) and Kinesiology.
As an MLS, I worked in a hospital laboratory mainly in hematology and microbiology (although I was trained as a generalist, meaning I was also trained to work in chemistry and blood bank, as well as the basics of specimen collection and processing). It's important to note that this kind of lab is pretty different from the pathology lab that I'll be learning about in this program; however, the important things remain the same.
#1. It's about the patient. - There's no room for a big ego in the lab. We aren't asking you to find Buddhist Nirvana, but this is a healthcare profession and having the goal be better patient outcomes is critical.
#2. Interpersonal communication is still important. - We may not be the people the patients talk to. But it's precisely because we aren't that the responsibility to good verbal and written communication can sometimes fall to us, the laboratory professionals. We are here to support our teammates who are with the patients, and to know that they are doing their best too.
My last job was in Bellingham, Washington. I already miss Washington and the pacific northwest very much, but I remind myself every day that it's worth it to be able to study a subject that I love and explore a new part of the country in the process. I've always looked up to people who continued their education past undergrad, and I feel extremely lucky to have the opportunity to do it myself.
It goes without saying that I'm very excited to be in this program! I arrived in Morgantown about a week before classes, on New Year's Eve. I moved into a two bedroom at University Park apartments, walking distance from the Health Science Center (HSC). During orientation, the Thursday and Friday before classes began, the cohort and I got acquainted with the program via some presentations from our program director Michelle Costas, IT, Lab safety/Environmental safety and the Carruth Center (the university's resource for mental health and wellness). The program also included a full breakfast and lunch (which I honestly didn't believe when they told me, I figured they meant bagels and cut fruit. I ate breakfast before I got there only to find a full spread complete with eggs and bacon!) The second day of orientation everyone met up at the Erickson Alumni Center for some excellent finger food and had a chance to get to know each other. Two second-year students also came to give us some tips and words of encouragement.
I've been really pleased with how thorough the program has been with orientation and safety training. IT has provided us with external hard drives and some training on using Mac TimeMachine and Google Drive for backing up data, which in my opinion is going above-and-beyond while simultaneously covering something EVERY university should be teaching these days. Additionally, our lab safety and OSHA training has felt more complete than it has been in my past experiences in lab environments. I'm a big proponent of taking lab safety seriously; I will be content in life if I never have a rule in the lab named after me because I did A Bad Thing. So, is it a little time consuming and not necessarily the most exciting? Yep. Is it also absolutely critical to understand proper waste management in the lab. YESYESYES.
Something new to the program is how the anatomy courses are being taught. Previous cohorts had a single semester of anatomy specifically for the program. This year we are combining with the Physician's Assistant students for two semesters of anatomy. I'm glad they've made this change. Sure, we will have plenty of time to learn anatomy over the next two years, but I'd rather take my time over two semesters than try to rush one of the most important topics of the program!
I'm writing to you after my first week of classes. It's been a doozy, folks. But along with that feeling comes a feeling of accomplishment as well. I'm a fan of small victories, so just learning some new software for studying (Anki flashcards), learning the names of all my classmates, and getting through the first couple chapters of Robbins & Contran's Pathologic Basis of Disease feels like a big deal. Not to mention my first ever cadaver lab (it went really well!) I hope that this record of my time can be helpful for anyone considering the profession of the pathologists' assistant, or friends and family of those professionals who are curious about what is the deal with this pathology stuff. Come along for the ride!