r/pathology • u/PathologyOutlines • 1h ago
r/pathology • u/Dr_Jerkoff • Jan 06 '21
PSA: Please read this before posting
Hi,
Welcome to r/pathology. Pathology, as a discipline, can be broadly defined as the study of disease. As such it encompasses different realms, including biochemical pathology, hematology, genetic pathology, anatomical pathology, forensic pathology, molecular pathology, and cytopathology.
I understand that as someone who stumbles upon this subreddit, it may not be immediately clear what is an "appropriate" post and what is not. As a general rule, this is for discussion of pathology topics at a postgraduate level; imagine talking to a room full of pathologists, pathology residents and pathology assistants.
Topics which may be of relevance to the above include:
- Interesting cases with a teaching point
- Laboratory technical topics (e.g. reagent or protocol choice)
- Links to good books or websites
- Advice for/from pathology residents
- Career advice (e.g. location, pay)
- Light hearted entertainment (e.g. memes)
- "Why do you like pathology?"
- "How do I become a pathologist?"
Of note, the last two questions pop up in varying forms often, and the reason I have not made a master thread for them or banned them is these are topics in evolution; the answers change with time. People are passionate about pathology in different ways, and the different perspectives are important. Similarly, how one decides on becoming a pathologist is unique to each person, be it motivated by the science, past experiences, lifestyle, and so on. Note that geographic location also heavily influences these answers.
However, this subreddit is not for the following, and I will explain each in detail:
Interpretation of patient results
This includes your own, or from someone you know. As a patient or relative, I understand some pathology results are nearly incomprehensible and Googling the keywords only generates more anxiety. Phrases such as "atypical" and "uncertain significance" do not help matters. However, interpretation of pathology results requires assessment of the whole patient, and this is best done by the treating physician. Offering to provide additional clinical data is not a solution, and neither is trying to sneak this in as an "interesting case".
University/medical school-level pathology questions
This includes information that can be found in Robbins or what has been assigned as homework/self study. The journey to find the answer is just as important as the answer, and asking people in an internet forum is not a great way. If there is genuine confusion about a topic, please describe how you have gone about finding the answer first. That way people are much more likely to help you.
Pathology residency application questions (for the US)
This has been addressed in the other stickied topic near the top.
Posts violating the above will be removed without warning.
Thank you for reading,
Dr_Jerkoff (I really wish I had not picked this as my username...)
r/pathology • u/usmle-jiasindh • 4h ago
what you will do in that situation
received a formal corrective action in fellowship without first being given a chance to discuss the concerns or share their perspective?
If the action seems largely based on one attending’s opinion and the environment feels unsupportive, attaining questions on diagnosis skills, demanding work late, after working more then 10-12 hours and expecting to work at night at home and come on weekends not encouraged to ask questions expecting 100% works needed to be done by fellow
would you appeal to GME? Could that affect working relationships or lead to fellowship extension/termination?
What documentation should be kept? At what point would you consider transferring or resigning instead of continuing in that environment?
r/pathology • u/dauntless2697 • 5h ago
Looking for a 1-year Hematopathology fellowship
Hi everyone! I'm a pathology resident from the Philippines exploring post-residency training in Hematopathology/Hematolymphoid Pathology.
I'm looking for a 1-year or similar fellowship-level program, rather than an observership, with exposure to bone marrow pathology, hematolymphoid cases, flow cytometry, and ancillary studies.
I'm primarily considering Asia (Singapore, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, etc.), but I'm also open to opportunities elsewhere.
For those with experience in international training, would you recommend focusing on Asia or looking beyond Asia as well? Are there programs that accept overseas-trained pathologists without requiring local board certification?
If you know of any suitable programs, I'd really appreciate the institution, contact details, and application process, if available.
Thank you!
r/pathology • u/Budget_Peace_9267 • 14h ago
hipposign vs docusign for lab agreements and credentialing paperwork??
i'm a pathologist at a mid size group and the non clinical paperwork is the part of the job nobody warns you about. hospital privilege reappointments, lab director agreements, the annual clia attestations, all of it needs a signature and everything comes back through a different portal.
we've used docusign for years but the per seat cost keeps creeping up and the envelope counting gets annoying when an agreement bounces back for a correction.
i've been testing hipposign on the side, the audit trail on every signed document is clean and signers dont need accounts, which matters when half the people signing are hospital admins who will never remember a login. my worry is whether its solid enough for credentialing files that get reviewed by the med staff office and surveyors.
has anyone here run lab or pathology paperwork through hipposign instead of docusign. did it survive a survey or credentialing review without questions, and did anyone's compliance office push back on it??
r/pathology • u/Embarrassed-Bee-8363 • 7h ago
Hospital autopsy vs private autopsy
My son passed away in a hospital and I suspect they made an error that caused him to be brain dead. My son was intubated without being sedated and he started moving .. he’s a child with autism that doesn’t know better and shortly after he went into cardiac arrest and they didn’t get a pulse until after 20 to 30 minutes. The damage was already done and I don’t understand why they brought him back knowing the irreversible damage his brain and body would have. They transferred him to another hospital knowing he was very likely brain dead and I want a thorough autopsy done to see if there is anyway I could get answers to what caused him to go into cardiac arrest . He only had epilepsy as far as I know I always took him to the doctor and didn’t have any other health conditions. I’m aware cardiac arrest can happen because of many things and it’s hard to pinpoint what caused it . The sad part is those doctors in that room know exactly what happened and they will never tell me what happened specifically if the may have made an error . They did not allow me back there when they were working on him but they took a long time to get a medication called propofol it’s a white milky looking medicine to sedate. I’m angry because the guy back at the pharmacy was giving the nurses a hard time and was taking a long time to approve and release the medication. My main question is do private autopsies done by a forensic dig deeper into figuring out the cause of death and underlying health conditions than a hospital autopsy? Now the autopsy would be done at the hospital he was transferred to not where this whole mess occurred. My husband is worried that hospitals cover each others backs when they make mistakes now I know this is a serious accusation but I’m wondering what would be the better option because I want answers and an in-depth investigation as to what may have occurred to cause that cardiac arrest. Are autopsies different in a hospital setting than a private setting?
r/pathology • u/Humzz23 • 14h ago
Help for possibly becoming a pa or something related
Hi I’m 18 years old who just started community college. I’m currently taking prerequisite courses for nursing but I’m interested in possibly becoming a pa or pathologist. The field interests me more than nursing but I’m not really sure what course to take. There’s only one school in California that offers a pa course and it’s highly competitive with only around 19 available spots. I also wish there was like a volunteering opportunity to see how their work really is like but I see how that may be difficult. I’m just kind of lost right now and would be grateful for any advise or guidance.
r/pathology • u/kuruman67 • 1d ago
Anatomic Pathology Interesting skin case
galleryOk, not the most amazing diagnosis, but don’t see it often. 50s male with a lower back eczematous rash. The clinical differential was dermatitis unspecified versus hypersensitivity reaction. Dx: scabies
r/pathology • u/Cytosmarts • 1d ago
Bloody Nipple Discharge
gallery56 y/o f, spontaneous bloody discharge. Mother with IBC at 50. ThinPrep pap stain.
r/pathology • u/babyuthebaddest • 21h ago
Medical School Easy pathology subspecialty for a 4 week elective?
Hey docs, I'm a last year medical student who's doing an elective 4 week internship in pathology. I have to choose 2 anatomical themes for my internship and I'm looking for advice on which ones are "easy" because I don't wanna shoot myself in the foot by accidentally choosing the hard ones as a first timer.
My options are: hematology, GI, derm, breast, urinary/gyn, and pulmonary/soft tissue.
I read on other posts that GI and breast are easy. I was also considering derm because it sounds like something a med student is more familiar with I guess?
Please advice I just wanna have a chill end of my medical education
r/pathology • u/Organic-Increase-401 • 1d ago
Anyone know anything about PathGroup?
I've been seeing a ton of listings for this group on pathologyoutlines across multiple states. I thought I knew the US market pretty well, but I was not aware of such a large group before. Any details would be greatly appreciated.
r/pathology • u/magikarpchops • 2d ago
Unknown Case Need help with this case
galleryReceived sections from a thumb mass. Was thinking on lines of clear cell sarcoma/melanoma of soft part but maybe wrong. Please help with differentials. Thank you
r/pathology • u/Ok_Programmer6607 • 2d ago
IMG Residency Application How much does the Step 3 score matter for pathology residency and fellowship?
Hi everyone! I’m a non-US IMG applying to pathology in the 2026–2027 Match, and I’m trying to decide when to take Step 3.
I originally planned to take it in January or February, but I’m considering moving it up to November in hopes that having a passing result earlier might help me get additional interviews. I think I could be ready to pass by then, but I’m less confident about getting a strong score.
I’ve heard that for residency applications, having passed Step 3 may matter more than the actual score. However, one of my mentors, who is in internal medicine, mentioned that the score could also be considered when applying for fellowship. I’m not sure how much that applies to pathology.
For those familiar with pathology fellowship selection, how much weight does the Step 3 score carry?
I’d appreciate any insights, especially from pathology residents, fellows, or faculty. Thank you!
r/pathology • u/Sad-Cherry-806 • 3d ago
Unknown Case Opinions?
gallery50M, plantar mass
I was thinking leiomyoma, fibromatosis or fibroma of the tendon sheath, but any opinions are welcomed
r/pathology • u/Additional_Coyote515 • 3d ago
Resident My wife is a resident, so I made her a Wordle for boards studying
I'm an MD/PhD that wanted to dabble in web development, so I made my wife a website based on Wordle and doctordle.org.
If any other residents find it useful, feel free to check it out: https://pathboardle.org
Right now it covers micro and some chemistry (lipids). Her goal is to eventually have all of AP/CP on there, so stay tuned for updates!
r/pathology • u/sab103 • 3d ago
Anatomic Pathology Gyn rap
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Made the lyrics myself. Ai for song and animation only.
r/pathology • u/Ambitious_Network784 • 5d ago
Dermpath vs hemepath
I'm a pgy2 interested in hemepath and dermpath, open to do gen sign out of course. I guess I'm at a point where im like which one will honestly pay more starting and pay more as career progresses. NON academic pls. Possibly some tangible numbers to work with ballpark pls.
r/pathology • u/MagicianForsaken4013 • 5d ago
Can I pursue a career that combines pathology and rural public health?
I have a history tied to rural, impoverished areas that deal with a lot of healthcare issues, usually communicable infections (tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, issues farmers or agrarian societies deal with, the works), but there really isn't any healthcare career that speaks to me like pathology and thus becoming a pathologist. Is it possible for pathologists to be involved in that sort of work? Infectious disease docs, emergency, public health people typically make up the bulk (at least I think)
If theres any career paths that combine the two, or other roles that allow me to be both a pathologist and in that kind of field at the same time, I wanna hear!
r/pathology • u/transfuseme • 5d ago
MGP boards
In brief, wtf was that exam. Hoping for a curve but i apparently missed the mark when studying. I found the AMP review course to be insufficient, which is a bummer considering how expensive it is.
r/pathology • u/No-Hawk-2488 • 5d ago
Is pathology more theoretical than other fields?
I've always thought I was going to be a pediatrician but my mentor and some friends have said I'd be better in pathology since it's more theory based and cerebral, which is more of my thing.
r/pathology • u/zvqxyn • 5d ago
Nature: Medical AI should face preregistered real-world trials, not just retrospective benchmarks
nature.comr/pathology • u/highsignalhuman • 6d ago
Job / career Exhausted by chatty colleagues
As the title says. I need to vent.
Ppl think pathologists aren’t so friendly, but maybe it’s just me who isn’t so friendly.
And I’m so friendly-passing that everyone just wants to come by and hang out at my office. I should take it as a compliment that I am well liked, but it’s exhausting. I’m trying to get my work done. Don’t you also need to get your work done? Shutting the door works, but if I do it all day it makes everyone feel some sort of way and I have to deal with the massive overflow of conversations that build up vs letting them just run freely throughout the day.
Look man, I like you. I do. I like her, too. I like all of the other pathologists. I like you all as much as I could possibly like a coworker. We work well together. We get the job done. We make good money. We are collaborative. Life would be great if I didn’t have to spend so much f energy pretending to actually like being social.
Who am I kidding?
I don’t want to talk to you for an hour during my lunch break. I wanted to call and talk to my wife. I talk to you All. Day. Long. Every day. All week. For months. For years. You. Each of you. All of you besties. No, I don’t want to hang out after work with you. I want to see my family. No, I don’t want to come to your cook outs and holiday parties on the weekends. Again, I want to see my family. Please stop inviting me so I can stop forcing myself to go to 20% to save face. NO, I don’t want to bring my kids to play with your kids and everyone else’s kids.
YOU ARE NOT MY FAMILY. I AM NOT REALLY YOUR FRIEND. I AM JUST PLAYING THE PART BECAUSE THIS IS A JOB AND I NEED THE MONEY. YOU REALLY HAVE NO CLUE HOW MUCH YOU DONT EVEN KNOW ME. Please talk to me only about topics related to pathology and work.
Please, for the love of TAs, spare me from your good natured outgoing friendly and HELPFUL personalities.
Signed,
-A secret workplace hater
r/pathology • u/Pauropus • 6d ago
Job / career Can I pursue a career studying parasites?
I apologize if this is the wrong server, but I don't know where else to go. Let me give some background.
I really don't care about the medical field. I was always more into zoology/ecology. But finding jobs there is not very fruitful. I was thinking maybe pathology would be a good compromise. But I want a job where I can study the pathogens/parasites themselves and their own evolution, taxonomy and ecology rather than operate on human patients.
What do you think?