Did any of you indicate Pathology as a specialty in Med School Interviews?

[DrBowtie]

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So I was thinking about my response to the which specialty would you like to go into question and although I have a lot to see and experience I feel like Path would be in my top three.

I was wondering if any of you mentioned it in this context and how it went over? It seems like it wouldn't be a very popular answer with some interviewers considering all of the volunteering and other focus on pt care that is highly stressed.

Brett

 

[fedor]

If you wax poetic about diligently analyzing stool and urine samples, I can't see how they could question your sincerity and devotion.

 

[Stinger86]

I mentioned it in my PS as well as during the interview, and things turned out just fine. Of course, I also mentioned family and surgery to round it out, but I was actually thinking of those three at the time. Ah, the joys of being naive

 

[b&ierstiefel]

Given my background and interests, I was actually asked at my Michigan interview, "Would you ever consider going into pathology?" I said, "No. I wanna be a real doctor."

Actually, I told people that I wanted to be a surgeon.

 

[fedor]

Given my background and interests, I was actually asked at my Michigan interview, "Would you ever consider going into pathology?" I said, "No. I wanna be a real doctor."

Offer the interviewer 3 likely scenarios:

1) Orthopedic surgeon w/ in-house cheap MRI to which you can self-refer

2) radiologist w/ 50 "radiologists" in Bombay that sign under your name

3) triple residency and BC in family practice, general surgery, and pathology so you can "take matters into your own hands"

 

[Brian Pavlovitz]

I mentioned it in my interview, and I didn't receive any negative comments. That is, until I began third year 🙄

 

[yaah]

I didn't even consider it until midway through second year of med school, so no. I wanted to be a general practitioner or perhaps an ID specialist.

 

[1Path]

I mentioned it in my interview, and I didn't receive any negative comments. That is, until I began third year 🙄

A friend I know in 3rd year is having the same problem with the crass comments about pathology. 😡

I didn't mention my preference in my "why MD" essay, but it's pretty clear from the other 2 essays I had to write as an MD/PhD applicant, that pathology is a likely choice for me!

I've always heard that it's best to be somewhat vague in essays/interviews so I mention oncology because I'm interested in cancer research, but in reality there's no way in hell I'm going near an IM residency.

 

[deschutes]

I didn't even know I could do pathology for the rest of my life when I applied to med school.

 

[yaah]

I didn't even know I could do pathology for the rest of my life when I applied to med school.

Good point. Like many people, I thought pathology was all autopsies. I used to work at a hospital and they did like one autopsy every month, and I kept thinking to myself that pathologists had it pretty sweet, although couldn't figure out why there was more than one of them there. I had no clue that frozen sections were interpreted by pathologists, although I had heard of frozen sections. Golly, I was an ignorant lass.

 

[deschutes]

I thought pathology was all autopsies... I had no clue that frozen sections were interpreted by pathologists, although I had heard of frozen sections. Golly, I was an ignorant lass.

"lass"? 🙂

At least you thought. I certainly never heard of frozen sections prior to med school v2.0.

In the period 2000 - 2002 inclusive, the entire scope of pathology was to me just one word: Robbins.

 

[xanthines]

Ha Ha! I said just the opposite: "I'm not going to med school to be a real doctor, I'm going to be a pathologist because I'm MD/PhD, huh huh." ...and I meant it, too!

Does this mean I'll be a surgeon when I grow up?

-X

Given my background and interests, I was actually asked at my Michigan interview, "Would you ever consider going into pathology?" I said, "No. I wanna be a real doctor."

Actually, I told people that I wanted to be a surgeon.

 

[b&ierstiefel]

Ha Ha! I said just the opposite: "I'm not going to med school to be a real doctor, I'm going to be a pathologist because I'm MD/PhD, huh huh." ...and I meant it, too!

Does this mean I'll be a surgeon when I grow up?

-X

No. You're gonna be unemployed.

 

[JustR]

oh!! I see andy!!!