Hi colleagues, I posted previously to r/medicine a couple months ago about similar matters but wanted to ask the pathology community. Short background - I (33M) am not an American citizen. Came to the US for fellowship (pedipath) after AP residency in my home country. I was hired as staff at the same hospital where I did my fellowship. Academic pedipath on work visa, $260k/yr, in a HCOL area of a HCOL state. Only "bonus" available is 401k match.

Did I f*ck my life up by choosing this subspecialty? I definitely enjoy my job and find the field infinitely interesting. Colleagues are lovely, supportive, and think I'm doing really well for a first year staff (they all have like 10+ years of experience by now). But my god this salary is depressing. I didn't go into medicine to become fortune 500 CEO-level wealthy but I was also expecting a comfortable life at the end of it all, especially with subspecialty training. So now to work for what seems like physician minimum wage? It honestly feels like I stupidly chose the lowest paying subspecialty and then chose to practice it at the lowest paying hospital (I looked up statistics for my state and I'm not even in the top quintile of earners for 2019 - could only imagine how much worse it's holding up now after all the inflation). I didn't know at the time of my decision to pursue pedipath just how badly pediatric anything is compensated in the US (and tbh I never really thought I'd be staying - I was soft offered a position in my home country but that retirement hasn't yet materialized). But apparently according to some of the managers in my department I'm quite a bit better off than many of the clinicians at my hospital.

Is there anything I can do to get to over $300k quickly? Am I marketable to private practice despite my visa status? Do I have to suck it up until I can get a green card, then bolt for greener pastures? Am I f*cked because I don't have CP qualifications? Do I need to use my institution's complimentary tuition to pursue a degree in computer science to land a better salary?

And conversely - do folks think this is actually reasonable compensation? Maybe I'm freaking out over nothing? I think the biggest factor that's contributing to this is still not owning the roof over my head - I think my outlook would be a lot different if I finished training a couple years earlier and was able to buy property at pre- to early-covid levels. Looking at Path Outlines careers, the postings in my subspecialty that actually list salary ranges seem lower than my current position, with houses in those areas not much cheaper than what I'm looking at here.

I guess this is partly seeking advice and partly venting. I hope people can understand the frustration that's led to making the post. If you made it this far, thanks for reading.

MD here. Would I be eligible for the LGG fellowships without residency training?

ABMGG website specifically states that MDs need at least 1 year of residency for Clinical Genetics and Genomics but there is no mention of residency for Clinical Biochemical Genetics and LGG.

I've always been interested in ways to combine my experiences in basic science research and my degree in medicine but I was only able to utilize one of them at a time and in a limited fashion. I first worked in a wet lab after not matching and then moved to clinical trials. Although I did enjoy working in both fields, I fear that I don't see a clear career progression in either. My current job in clinical research pays pretty well but most of my work is administrative and I only rarely get to use my medical knowledge, if at all.

I somehow never considered clinical genetics/lab medicine as a field that I could get into until now. I spent yesterday and today reading everything I can about this field in between my job and so far it sounds amazing. I'm definitely considering doing a residency in either pathology or medical genetics and even a PhD. At the same time, I'm also wondering if there are other paths forward since both options would take at least 4 years and most likely be a significant pay cut from my current position.

Thanks for reading, and I look forward to hearing your perspective!

i’ve heard some bad things, like having to move states for a job. I’d like to stay close to home

Greetings! If anyone has any leads or experience with pathology observerships in Texas for IMGS, please let me know. Thank you!

Hello everyone. I am looking for advice for my upcoming AP/CP PGY-1 year. I was accepted to an academic pathology residency program last week (yay!), and I am now trying to plan out my first year. I am undecided if I want to pursue academics or private practice. I plan to absorb as much as I can during my first year as well as reach out to private practice pathologist to get a better understanding of the role.

For those in private practice, what is your general advice for residency? Do I still need to be involved in publications? Should I focus on fellowships that are more practical for private practice (eg, heme path, surg path)? I enjoy surg path, but I am also very interested in forensic autopsy - I doubt there is a market for forensic autopsy in private practice as there was nothing listed on pathology outlines for jobs, but I may be mistaken.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Hello everyone! I'm strongly considering Pathology as a future residency. If I start, that would be one year from now. My current knowledge about cells/tissue is really really basics, I feel like I would want to start with solid foundations about cells, tissue, and being able to recognize some of them. Is there any app and text book I might want to purchase right know? Any suggestion would be helpful. I already have Robbins, but I feel like it's too much "Theory" and few images to navigate through, too specific. Thanks for your help!

ERAS is open to PD's on Sep 28. I'm from a new DO school.

I'm planning on taking Step2/Level2 in late July. That means I have August and half of september to a complete rotations and September 28 is before the end of the month so the last rotation won't be fully done before it opens.

1. Do 3 X 2 week rotations (From Aug -> Sept)
2. Do (1) 4week rotation and fit in (1) 2 week rotation (From Aug -> Sept)

Another question is whether I should continue setting up pathology rotations after Sept 28. I assume I could still update more LOR and info into ERAS as I complete more rotations but they'll be less important than the ones I finish before Sept 28?

Any other ideas to approach this? Maybe my thinking is totally wrong?

Based on this schedule, I can't fathom how people can manage to dual apply. There's no way to get enough audition rotations/LOR in 4th year before ERAS opens without having already completed a lot of their target rotations in 3rd year.

​

Hello all! Im not sure if this is the place to ask this, but I am a Forensic Science student in my second to last year of undergrad. I recently was accepted for a summer internship at my district’s ME office. I want to arrive as prepared as possible, I have taken a plethora of science courses (Chem/bio/forensic biochem/orgo/etc.), but my major does not require anat/phys or any health sciences related courses. What do you all recommend I do to prepare for this internship? All help is appreciated!

Asking for a friend as the application time approaches, which center would equip one better for a private practice?

As a Match 2024 Applicant who was not matched, despite 3 months USCE, Step 3 done, 3-4 publications, 2 conferences (with poster presentations) and 8 interviews with favourable post iv communication.

I also got paid interview preparation, and had lots of mock interviews. I am really passionate about Pathology and hence did not apply to a back up specialty.

Other people who applied that I know of with various university rotations and research positions matched into their backup specialties rather than pathology.

I have limited resources, and I want to know if pursuing this for another cycle is going to help or if I should try for a home country residency/ different specialty? Any constructive feedback is greatly appreciated. TIA

I'm currently seeking resources to research a specific topic but I'm facing difficulty in finding relevant databases to sift through.

Topic: Best practices for distinguishing between human and non-human soft tissue remains.

While there's ample literature available on identifying human skeletal remains versus non-human remains, I'm encountering challenges in locating any scientific journals, articles, reviews, or textbooks specifically focusing on the identification of SOFT TISSUES ALONE (without attached skeletal remains). My objective is to compile a short presentation that outlines the best practices for distinguishing between human and non-human soft tissues, especially in situations where skeletal components are absent. While this may include both gross and microscopic methods, I'd really appreciate any literature on high-yield organs to focus on when asked to grossly distinguish between human/animal remains (ex something like: "the heart better than the kidneys or stomach because it has the greatest anatomical differences between species" or other practical advice like this.)

Note: TO BE CLEAR, I'm not looking for someone to do this for me at all. I'm looking for someone to point me in the right direction to START my literature review. As of right now, google, scopus, and pubmed searches have not been fruitful and I am not familiar with any of the numerous forensic journals.

Thank you!

^ what the question says

Hello, I am an OMSIII that plans on pursuing pathology. I am trying to figure out how exactly to pick a program. I worked with a pathologist who is the head of an independent group in Jacksonville who said he will not even consider applicants if they have not attended top programs. This was pretty surprising to me, as from my research on this sub i have seen a big emphasis on attending a program based on its fit for you rather than its overall academic standing. A friend at Yale's path program said definitely to go top 30 for the program. Just trying to get clarification on this. Thanks!

Medical student looking for some advice on if pathology is the right choice for me. Likes and dislikes about pathology: Pros:

• I like being a diagnostic consultant, enjoy the detective work of pathology
• I like patient care but it's not something I need in my job
• Histology is cool and microscopy is neat
• Workflow is relatively calm compared to medicine
• Rarely have call and weekends are free
• Residency apprenticeship-style training is appealing to me

Cons:

• Not as passionate about pathology as my colleagues (I have depression)
• See medicine as a whole as more a job than a passion
• Barely have any experience, uncertainty

Are these good enough reasons to get into pathology? Will I have a hard time fitting in if I see pathology more as a job than a passion? I'm an easy guy to get along with but I just can't get excited about anything in medicine really.

Hello everyone, I’m asking for a friend. Does anyone know about a summer program for biostatistics and bioinformatics for graduate students?

Hey all, I'm curious about how other people choose (or chose) their fellowships, especially since it's about to hit peak fellowship app season. Mine was purely interest-based, but so many other factors can contribute (geography, future practice setting, etc).... So:

Is there anything you wish you knew before? Something you wish you had considered more? Something you wish someone had told you in advance? (Maybe something you're GLAD you asked or considered?)

TIA!

I was curious to see what everyone thought about have lab experience before going to med school and specializing in pathology. I’m thinking about doing the MCAT and going to med school. I don’t have the best grades but I hope that working in the medical field and especially in the lab would help me be a good candidate. I am already shadowing the pathologist here and I was going to see if he can connect me to other pathologist in town to help me get a grasp on what to expect in pathology. Any advice?

RISE score will be released in May, while fellowship application usually start around May/June of PGY2. So during fellowship application and interview, is RISE score important? Or if someone get a high RISE score, is it worth mentioning in the resume? All responses are appreciated.

This fall, I am going to Veterinary school at NC State and I am interested in a career as a pathologist.

Would jobs/pay be similar since I’m going the DVM route? How can I set myself up for success for a residency program? Do you go in office or work from home? How are benefits, raises, promotions? I am someone who loves to travel and not stay put in an area, do you ever feel stuck because of your job?

THANK YOU!!

Did you study for RISE as PGY1? Or just scored low 😂

I went for MLS with a biology/chemistry route and minored in statistics. Did anyone else take an unorthodox route for pathology?

Hi, as the title says, is there anyone here has a compilation of it? Match 2025 Non-US IMG aspirant

Just curious what’s the best use of time in residency, learning via primary resources (such as journal articles) vs textbooks?

I’ve heard mixed messages on what is better for your time

Thanks

Hello, i'm in my first year of residency in a hospital where we receive no cardiothoracic specimens, no neuro and no osteoarticular...like I'll never see a lung here, never a bone etc...
I'm very afraid of having such spicemens in my first year grossing-exam but also in the future when I will finish residency

I am asking for any help with videos (ytb, moocs etc), I've found some books on my own but I need to SEE what such specimens look like and how to deal with them

Ps. no grossing means no mico, I know i'll be struggling with the histologic description of these same stuff we won't see, but atm i'm panicking over the grossing part.