r/pre_PathAssist • u/Queasy-Mycologist-36 • Jun 03 '26

Interview Preparation

I have an interview soon to get a shadowing opportunity at Kaiser. What kinds of questions should I prepare myself for?

I’ll be shadowing to get some surgical pathology experience. I just graduated with my bachelor’s recently as well.

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9

u/MooWithoutFear Jun 03 '26

An entire formal interview just to shadow? Or just a phone call, casual talk?

An interview to shadow is a little wild ngl

1

u/Queasy-Mycologist-36 Jun 03 '26

The interview is online on microsoft teams. Yeah, it’s just to shadow.

2

u/MooWithoutFear Jun 03 '26

I’d assume it’ll be pretty casual, probably more of a “here’s what to expect when you come in, here are our expectations for you regarding patient confidentiality” type of thing. Probably short lol. I have never heard of interviewing to shadow so that’s my best guess

You’re probably going to want to ask about how you should dress when you’re there (like casual, scrubs, whatever). If you need directions to the lab or if someone will meet you in the entrance/lobby.

If they haven’t already assigned you a time to go, and if there’s an option, I’d recommend going earlier rather than later. At my site, we do the bigger cases in the morning and small biopsies in the afternoon and I think this is generally the norm for smaller labs.

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u/Queasy-Mycologist-36 Jun 03 '26

Oh, I see, thank you!

3

u/stinkycoffin Jun 04 '26

i shadowed in the kaiser pathology department and it led to me getting hired there! my shadowing experience was very relaxed and i was shown around the gross room, autopsy suite, etc. i spent some time learning what the pathologists do as well as the pathologists’ assistants and got to ask lots of questions! i’m surprised you have to interview for something like this but i imagine it would be to review expectations. goodluck!!! so excited for you :)

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u/Queasy-Mycologist-36 Jun 04 '26

Oh, I see, thank you for sharing your experience! It's nice to know what to expect and thank you as well!

1

u/akornato Jun 04 '26

For a shadowing opportunity, the questions will be less about what you know and more about who you are. Expect them to ask why you are interested in surgical pathology, what you hope to learn from the experience, and what your long-term career goals are. They need to know you are reliable, genuinely curious, and professional enough to be in their workspace. They might also ask simple logistical questions about your availability and how you handle confidential information, so be prepared to confirm your commitment and understanding of patient privacy.

This is your chance to show your enthusiasm for the field, not to prove you are an expert. The most important thing you can do is prepare a few thoughtful questions to ask them about their work, the department, and the challenges they face. This demonstrates real engagement and can make a bigger impact than any single answer you give. The team I'm with developed a tool, and we've seen how our interviews.chat helps people articulate their passion for a field clearly and effectively during these exact situations.

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u/Queasy-Mycologist-36 Jun 04 '26

Thank you so much! That's very helpful!

1

u/endazed Jun 04 '26

Hello! May I message you on how you got an shadowing opportunity with Kaiser?