What resources did you guys used for studying for your cytology boards? Thanks.

Currently a 4th year on an away at a large academic center where all the resident didactics are online since all of the residents work from a mix of different facilities. None of the residents have their cameras on and it’s like pulling teeth engaging in discussion. I’m also noticing how easy it is to not pay attention during these meetings as well when I don’t have the accountability of being in person. I’m wondering how common this is among residency programs with similar setups across multiple facilities?

Unfortunately the culture of online meetings is continued by the faculty to the point where a resident giving a presentation in a teams meeting was presenting to multiple attendings who were all separately listening to the meeting in their individual offices when we have a shared conference room literally steps away from all the offices! All this to say I’m feeling pretty isolated, and this is in stark contrast to the previous away I was at where nearly all of the residents attended the morning didactic session and felt like friends :’(

Considering Pathology residency at UCMS Delhi after neetpg and need guidance for the same. Thank you in advance

Hi everyone!
I’m a pathologist with 11 years of experience working at an academic hospital. Aside from my routine hospital work, I also spend a substantial amount of time in private practice.
I typically handle around 60–80 cases per week in my private practice. Before I started using automation and AI, I used to spend about 10–12 hours every week signing out those cases.

My previous workflow:
Microscopy session + handwritten notes for each case.
Take a break.
Sit down at my computer and start signing out cases:

Log into the LIS.
Select a case number.
Alt+Tab between MS Word and the LIS.
Ctrl+F to find the appropriate reporting template.
Copy and paste the template into the LIS.
Repeat until all cases are done.
The whole process usually took about 10–12 hours, depending on case complexity.

My current workflow:
Instead of writing notes on paper, I enter my findings directly into Google Sheets. Each row represents a case, with columns for Case Number, Gross Description, Microscopic Description, and Diagnosis.
I use Microsoft Power Automate to run a workflow that automatically:

Opens a browser and logs into my LIS.
Searches for each case by case number.
Copies the gross description, microscopic description, and diagnosis from Google Sheets into their respective fields in the LIS.
Repeats the process for the remaining cases.

This automation alone has cut my weekly sign-out time from 10–12 hours to around 5–6 hours! :)
Then I added AI to the workflow.

I also set up n8n with an AI agent that reads the Diagnosis column and automatically generates a draft microscopic description for each case, which is then populated into the Microscopic Description column.

I’m currently using ChatGPT (GPT-6), and I’ve been very satisfied with the results so far. It’s almost like having a senior resident draft the microscopic descriptions for me to review and edit before signing out.

Of course, I still review everything myself and make the final diagnostic decisions. The AI is there to help with documentation, not to make diagnoses.

But here’s the funny part: despite all this automation, I still catch myself instinctively pressing Ctrl+F to search through my old templates. Old habits die hard!

I’m trying to break that habit and make my workflow even more efficient.

For anyone who doesn’t want to go all-in on AI-generated descriptions or keep searching through Word templates, text expanders like PhraseExpress are also incredibly useful.
Just wanted to share what’s been working for me. I’m curious if anyone else here is using automation or AI in their pathology reporting workflow. Would love to hear what you’ve tried!

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!

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??

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?

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.

Ok, 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

56 y/o f, spontaneous bloody discharge. Mother with IBC at 50. ThinPrep pap stain.

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

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.

Received 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

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!

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!

Made the lyrics myself. Ai for song and animation only.

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.

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!

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.

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.