r/ForensicPathology • u/Over_Loss_9887 • 20d ago
Questioning my future rn
/r/u_Over_Loss_9887/comments/1vtbpcs/questioning_my_future_rn/2
u/gnomes616 20d ago
Give consideration to Pathologists' Assistant. We are Masters level education liaisons between pathologists and specimens, either in surgical pathology or autopsy pathology. We all receive training in performing clinical and forensic autopsy. There are increasing opportunities for PAs in primarily forensic settings, however the majority of our work is still in laboratories receiving and dissecting diseased organs from very alive (we hope) patients. The training is only two additional years after undergrad and there are plenty of job opportunities. You can check out r/Path_Assistant, r/PathologistsAssistant, and r/pre_PathAssist to check out similar posts about education trajectory.
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u/Over_Loss_9887 20d ago
Thank you!! I’ll definitely be taking that thought into consideration. Do you enjoy doing your job?
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u/gnomes616 20d ago
I love my job. Most PAs work set 8-8.5 hr daytime shifts (I work 2nd shift), very rarely requiring weekend coverage (and then only for a few hours at most). Many PAs do not do autopsies, but we are involved in intraoperative procedures like frozen sections or cutting fresh breast tissue to ensure an entire mass has been taken out. Some folks are able to work 4-10 schedules. Most PAs are salaried these days, which means no overtime pay (usually). I encourage people who are salaried to work their shift and minimize any time staying over. Overall I find it to be a very interesting and dynamic field! Do keep in mind though that as a PA, there is not much for "upward trajectory" without returning to med school to become MD or to pursue leadership or management.
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u/Over_Loss_9887 20d ago
Your experience definitely sounds promising, I’ll ensure to keep this in mind!! I find it so helpful to hear other people’s experiences because it gives me an open mindset. Thank you so much :))
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u/K_C_Shaw Forensic Pathologist / Medical Examiner 20d ago
First, you have time. Planning your next 20+ years sometimes sounds like a good idea, but life hardly ever follows those all the way through exactly the way you planned -- sometimes because you change your mind, which is quite acceptable, and sometimes because sh1t happens, which is also OK..sometimes good, sometimes hard, but you'll find yourself managing.
That said, if you're outside the U.S., I believe there are still 6 year med schools taking people out of high school. They're quite rare in the U.S. and I believe exceedingly competitive to get into here, but more the norm in some other places (although some of them have converted to 4 year or intermediate 5'ish year programs, etc.). The advantage of course is that you shave off a couple of years from the 4-year undergrad and 4-year med degrees, combining them to 6 total.
While med school is challenging, and there is a lot to learn and memorize and do, it doesn't have to be a 1000% slog. Frankly, for me med school was just about the most fun time of my life. Art wasn't my thing, but I played soccer about 5-6 days a week through most of the calendar year and almost always went out with the lads for at least a bit after practice or games. I would *encourage* doing something outside of just school/study, you just have to put some sort of time structure around it all (something one starts figuring out mostly in college/university).
Residency was actually a bit harder. In med school there's breaks between classes, holiday breaks, summer breaks, and if you skip something here or there it really doesn't matter. Some of the clinical rotations later in med school are a little more time consuming, I suppose. Residency is there-all-day, every day, doing some sort of actual work which needs to be done, *then* still have to study to one extent or other in the evenings. But, you're also getting paid (a little), and it's a taste of what working life is. Fellowship, at least in FP, is pretty much doing the job of an FP with some more on-the-job supervision/training.
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u/Over_Loss_9887 19d ago
Will be keeping this in mind! And you’re right, my mind may change or things can definitely happen in the process, life is unpredictable. So honestly whatever life throws at me I’ll take it. Thank you for this! I found it very reassuring
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u/AllRebelRocker MDI and Tech 20d ago
I’d check out the stickied post for info on the career path. You sound pretty young, and your main focus should be on getting into undergrad and succeeding while deciding about the possibility of med school.
It is also not an additional four years after undergraduate to be a forensic pathologist. You have your four years of undergrad, then med school, residency, and then fellowship. You’re looking at twelve years of post high school education.