Pathology
Was there an aspect of the residency program that was unexpected and required adaptation on your part?
The majority of the specialty was unexpected! Never having had the opportunity to do an internship during externship. Despite everything, the adaptation was easy with the whole team. Specifically, I think what surprised me the most was having to study chemistry/physics concepts allowing dye (color) and/or molecular affinity with human tissues in order to observe them. A particular vision of the "basic sciences" within the framework of medicine.
There were none until most of the professors left several years ago, which caused stress and uncertainty for the rest of my residency (I went to do my planned year in Montreal and when I returned, there were several new motivated teachers!)
At the very beginning, only where I missed the contact with the patient. But after a few months I got used to it
Do you follow the recommendations you give to your patients?
Not Applicable
N / A
What do you think is the most difficult medical practice?
The routine (basic analyses)
In your opinion, what is the easiest medical practice?
Free organization of working hours in pathology (analysis of slides under the microscope) = offers flexibility for other commitments (teaching, management tasks)
What is your favorite alcoholic drink?
Vodka (and its derivatives/cocktails).
Baileys and wine (rosé or white).
Rosé wine
What personality traits are typical of your profession?
Attention to detail, meticulousness, good communication skills (especially written) and an emphasis on family values.
Thoroughness, sense of observation, curiosity
Sense of visual observation, Precision, erudition, patience
What do you think is the most difficult medical practice?
Some consultations that arrive at the laboratory without having the necessary clinical information
In your opinion, what is the easiest medical practice?
Solve cases and make diagnoses under the microscope
How many hours of work per week on average?
About 40-50h for the medical aspect and 10-15h for the teaching aspect.
I don't count them... 50-60? Between the academic, the clinic and the family, I never stop!
55 to 60 hours /clinical lab and teaching
What is the level of contact with patients?
Zero
Exceptional
What do you think is the most important factor for a successful residency in your specialty? A career in your specialty?
Meticulousness and good time management
Interest in scientific reading (erudition) and getting to the bottom of things (in-depth exploration from complex cases)
What is the best advice you have received?
Do not give a diagnosis of a difficult at 5hPM (after a long day) and to see him again the next morning with a rested head.
"Choose a job you love, and you won't have to work a day in your life." (Confucius)
What is the most common criticism you receive?
That I trust people too much
How would your colleagues describe you?
Honest, leader and good communicator when resolving conflicts
If you had to specialize in something else, what would it be and why?
Radiology; I have a passion for image analysis
Genetics (laboratory) because it is a discipline with close links and overlap (molecular pathology), proximity to basic sciences ++
Does your specialty take jokes well at work?
Yes
Yes (no issue of shocking the public or patients in particular)
Do students/residents sometimes make you feel overwhelmed?
No, I stay current in my area of expertise
Yes because the discipline evolves very quickly, it's very stimulating
If your specialty had to have a romantic relationship with another which one would it choose?
Gastroenterology/Radiology (because of the correlations we make for diagnoses)
Genetic
What do you dislike most about your practice?
Spontaneously, I would say "nothing"! But come to think of it, I think it's the autopsies. Fortunately, for me, this represents about three cases per year.
The guards (fortunately, we are not very busy...)
Not having control over the number of cases that come in. But if it were to start over, I would do the same pathology
The attitude of some colleagues
A poorly known discipline and therefore little valued in the course of care
Do you sometimes have contact with (living ;-) patients?
In practice "No". In theory, there are exceptional occasions where this is possible (multidisciplinary meeting with the patient, direct explanation of a complex diagnostic result to support the clinician or declaration of a delicate situation with possible incident), but personally that does not never happened. In fact, our clients are rather other physicians and it is with them that we have to interact directly.
No, except in exceptional cases (only once a patient came for me to explain her diagnosis...)
Depending on where you work. Here in Sherbrooke no. But we participate in cancer committees and multidisciplinary meetings for the care of patients, so we know the clinical files of the latter. NB: In some centers it is the pathologists who still do the cytopunctures
What specialty would you never do? Why?
I've considered most lab specialties and I have a fairly "surgical" personality so no problem with that. I would therefore do less "medicus" areas, but I cannot name one specifically. One specialty I would never do is probably psychiatry. Paradoxically, I loved the theory and my internship in this field, but I find it to be an invasive practice in one's personal life and I like being able to draw the line between work and home.
Psychiatry; it doesn't appeal to me (I don't think it goes with my personality!). Whoops! I also said that I never wanted to do patho and I changed my specialty to come to patho after discovering this specialty late! The moral of the story: you can't talk about what you don't know! Still, I won't go to a psychiatrist, that's for sure!
Internal Medicine: I don't have the patience for chronic illnesses. Surgery: Physically I exhaust myself easily
Would you be friends with your colleagues if you had met them outside of work?
Yes but not necessarily with all colleagues
During your medical studies, what did you do on a Friday evening?
I guess I should answer "study", but it was more like "video games", "cinema", "road to visit family" or "restaurant/games/night out with friends".
I saw my boyfriend (who didn't live in the same city!). In first grade, I often went back to my parents' house to see my friends.
Sometimes going out with friends/is sometimes studying
How many hours of work per week on average?
Not enough to not notice that the question is duplicated, hahaha! (see also "Which personality traits are typical of your profession?": attention to detail).
Between 50 and 55 hours with management tasks and preparation of lessons for teaching
What are the difficulties, the least pleasant aspects that you encounter in your specialty?
Some people find aspects of macroscopy disagreeable, in particular the fresh management of certain organs (eg stomach, colon) which may be less glorious (...presence of food material), but that does not bother me. particularly. When we are in work mode, we are concentrated and we pay less attention (especially after three children...). Otherwise, a significant difficulty is to organize one's work since one does not have a significant patient, appointment or schedule, one must have good self-control to be effective.
Cases where diagnostic uncertainty remains. The compulsive person in me is not satisfied when it's not clear and precise!
What car do you drive?
A sports Mazda3 and a Mazda CX5.
A hybrid minivan (3 children...)
Jeep. Soon an electric
How do you plan your vacation?
Especially depending on children and family. By looking for opportunities to introduce new aspects of life to children. Whether it's with nature, life in a cabin, camping or with cycling, boating, etc., we try to get out of the routine.
For the summer, we often don't plan too much... we do simple activities to suit the children and we rest! If we go outside, there we plan in advance (eg in the south during school holidays!).
In consultation with colleagues, at least 6 months in advance in plenary meeting to ensure continuity of service in the department