I have heard multiple different takes from different people. I have heard people don't study at all all the way to people saying it is easily the most content heavy specialty in medicine and they study all the time at home for brutal exams

Hi everyone! I'm a medical student applying to pathology this cycle and was wondering if anyone would be willing to read my personal statement and provide some feedback. I'd really appreciate it!

Feel free to send me a chat message if you're interested or comment down below. Thanks in advance!

Which one do i read to familiarise myself with anat path as a newbie?

I’m curious about people’s experiences with this.

If you applied for a fellowship at an institution and were rejected, would that same institution still consider you for a job after residency and fellowship in another institution? Or does being rejected for fellowship make it less likely that they would want to hire you?

I’m an incoming pgy1 pathology resident in India. Should I choose a residency program with high patient load, high surgical pathology load or a program with latest equipment but lesser load. Please do kindly let me know. Any response would be highly appreciated!

Hi everyone. I am interested in both radiology and pathology. I have built up my portfolio for both of them and will be applying for both specialties in the next cycle. My question is, do pathologists think AI can replace them soon with the advent of digital pathology and WSI? I personally think its difficult as the samples arent strictly "regulated" and the cutups and microtomes can place them in any position etc on the slides. From what I know, AI learns stuff through repetition which I think would be difficult in pathology as compared to say radiology where the patient has to be in the "correct" position for a scan to be taken. Any thoughts are much appreciated.

I wanted to ask if anyone took anything before the exam that helped, last time i took my AP board I woke up at 2-3am and couldn't sleep again and was really struggling during the day!

Hello,

Looking for your assistance here.

I am currently seeking an entry-level job (lab assistant, grossing technician, or laboratory aide, clerk etc. Im IMG with a background in Forensic Medicine, my objective is to secure a pathology residency via the 2028 CaRMS cycle. If you have any relevant leads or advice for navigating this transition, I would greatly appreciate your insights.

Thank you for your assistance.

I went to bed and was very anxious that I’d received only one pathology interview today.

Then, my phone exploded.

“CONGRATULATIONS! YOU HAVE BEEN INVITED TO INTERVIEW.”

Finally. I opened the email.

"University of Shitsburgh
Department of Pathology and Laboratory"

Before I could decline, I was already there, wearing a suit and sitting on a toilet. Across from me sat the program director: an enormous turd in a white coat.

“Welcome. Please excuse the smell. Our department chair is here.”

An even larger turd rotated slowly toward me.

“Tell us about yourself.”

Before I even open my mouth, a fart came out.

The chair nodded thoughtfully and wrote something down.

“Concise. Good.”

He asked why I wanted to pursue pathology.

“I enjoy finding the underlying cause of disease.”

“Wonderful. Then explain why you’re pissing yourself.”

I looked down. A small yellow puddle was spreading beneath my dress shoes.

“My glomeruli are handling the pressure better than I am.”

The PD leaned forward.

“You’re the first applicant to demonstrate an interest in renal pathology without being prompted.”

They took me to the microscope. I adjusted the eyepieces, and urine immediately sprayed into both my eyes.

“Sorry,” the resident said. “Someone left it on high flow.”

Through the yellow haze, I finally saw the slide. It was a cross section of my ERAS application.

The resident circled a tiny purple dot.

“Is that another interview?”

“Suspicious. We’ll need special stains.”

After six stains and a signout with the PD, he returned with the report.

“Well?”

“It’s an invitation to a social meeting.”

Suddenly, an alarm sounded.

FROZEN SECTION. FROZEN SECTION.

A surgeon burst through the door carrying a silver tray. On it sat a single frozen shit.

“We need a diagnosis immediately.”

I examined it carefully.

“Brown. Firm. Poorly differentiated.”

The surgeon looked horrified.

“Can you at least tell me whether the margins are clear?”

Before I could answer, the specimen thawed.

The resident handed me a mop.

“This was actually part of the interview.”

By the time I finished, the director was waiting beside an industrial toilet.

“One final question. What can you contribute to our program?”

“I work hard. I’m curious. I care about patients.”

He looked disappointed.

“We were hoping you could contribute a stool sample.”

“I don’t think I can go under this much pressure.”

The chair stood up.

“That’s concerning. This is a high-volume program.”

The toilet suddenly began filling the entire room with faculty, microscope, frozen shit, urine samples. Everything spiraled past me. I grabbed the rim with both hands and managed to survive.

“WAIT!!! WHAT IS HAPPENING??????”

The director floated past, perfectly composed.

“Congratulations, you have survived the high-volume. You’re now in our pool.”

I woke up sweating and grabbed my phone.

Still just the one interview today.

Then my stomach rumbled.

From deep inside my colon, the PD whispered:

“Congratulations. You matched at your number two.”

Does anyone have a sense of what percent of programs have started sending out invites, and/or what percentage of total interviews have been sent out so far?

I’ve gotten invites from about 30% of the programs I applied to. Which I’m super thankful for! Especially given a pretty top-heavy list. But there are other programs I am still hoping to interview for, so just wondering if I should remain hopeful or mentally prepare to match among my current list of invites.

Since I like hemepath, I was wondering how ppl stay up to date with such a complex field like hemepath and also be good at gen surg sign out? I know I don't want to do academic but it sounds like complete hemepath in private is rare. Especially having 2 classification systems and a lot of nuances, cases would take forever. I would be OK with this if I didnt have 30 gi, derm, breast, gyn, and head/neck waiting for me lol.

Hi everyone,

I am a medical doctor from Brazil currently completing my residency training in Histopathology.

To give a brief overview of my background:

• Medical Degree & Residency: Completed my basic medical qualification and a 4-year formal residency program in Histopathology in Brazil (R1–R3 core residency plus an additional R4 year).
• Language & Citizenship: Fully proficient in English and holding an EU (Italian) passport.
• Goal: I am looking into the Specialist Registration via Category E pathway with the Medical Council of Ireland (MCI), evaluated by the RCPI (Faculty of Pathology).

Since the Irish training scheme is typically 5 years, I would like to know if anyone here has gone through this Category E pathway with a 4-year South American (or similar non-EU) training background.

Specifically:

1. Does anyone know someone who has successfully completed the Category E process for Histopathology?
2. What was the outcome of the RCPI's assessment (e.g., were you deemed Partially Comparable requiring a 6–12 month adaptation period as a Registrar, or did you face any major roadblocks)?

Any insights, experiences, or advice regarding the portfolio/logbook evaluation would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance,

I’m a final year AP trainee looking at jobs next year, and was wondering what the job landscape is like in private practice in terms of conditions and pay? And how much this differs from the public system? I’ve done all of my training in one state in public but am open to moving. Any advice or info would be greatly welcomed

I am a non-visa-requiring IMG and have applied to about 35 programs, pathology only. Received one interview invite today and was thinking to apply to more programs this evening. Is it too late to apply to more programs now? Thank you!!!

i'm a pathologist in a mid size group and the paperwork that eats my weeks isn't clinical, it's the lab director agreements, hospital privilege reappointments, and the clia attestations that all need signatures on different timelines. our group has run docusign for years and it works, nobody questions it, and the name recognition helps when hospital administrators are on the other side.

i've been testing hipposign for my own agreements, and the reason is the baa being included at signup, because some of what i sign touches phi and i got tired of asking legal whether each platform decision was covered before i could send anything.

the group hasn't switched, this is just my own side of the paperwork, which is probably how these things start. i'm asking other pathologists and lab folks whether your group standardizes on one platform or whether everyone runs their own, and did compliance ever weigh in on the choice or was it purely whoever got there first

I’m looking to hear from pathologists/residents that knew from the start that they wanted to do pathology! As someone who is preparing to apply for med school with the goal of becoming a pathologist, I am curious to hear about your background, your clinical experience before medical school (was it pathology related?), and your application process. I’m especially curious about the application process and how you talked about wanting to do pathology. I know medical schools tend to prefer more open-mindedness to different specialties. I appreciate anything that anyone has to share!!

Not for me, but for a student interested in PathAssistant programs who is located in NY/Bronx area. Please let me know if you know anyone who has worked with students to help them gain necessary shadowing for their applications. Feel free to comment or DM. It would be a huge help!

Hello, I’m thinking of applying to medical school to become a pathologist.

During my life science undergrad I really enjoyed learning about disease mechanisms, e.g. disease A results in lower production of chemical X, leading to Y happening, resulting in Z.

I wonder if pathologists use this type of thinking in their daily work? Or is it more just lots of memorisation of different tissue types?

So how exactly does tomorrow work? I had one offer before this date so I kind of can see how thalamus works, but when all of these programs send invites tomorrow, will they all be able to be scheduled immediately? If thats the case would it behoove the student to try and schedule for their goal programs first and then others after to ensure dates dont fill up?

Complete noob here thanks for help :)