Friday, December 12, 2014

I Have a Job!

I can’t believe I’ve made it to this point - PA school is actually wrapping up. We’ve taken our last exam and only have a couple of days left at our clinical rotation sites.  This time next Friday I will have already walked across the stage and received my diploma! The only thing left to tackle is the ASCP Board of Certification Exam. I’m terrified, to say the least, but I’ve signed up to take my exam at the end of January. Unfortunately I’ll be hitting the books hard until then.

So without further ado, I think it’s time to share that I HAVE A JOB!  Starting in January I’ll be working at a hospital outside of Baltimore, Maryland. The department has three pathologists and I will be the first pathologists’ assistant they’ve had. I will work 100% in the gross room and will not be doing any autopsies, as they are sent to another location. The lab receives around 9,000 surgical cases annually and does a decent amount of intraoperative consultations.  I loved that the lab receives a variety of specimens including Whipples, mastectomies, and quite a few penectomy cases (a rare specimen, typically).  It was important to me that I’d be in an environment that would continue to challenge me and expand my pathology knowledge.

The lab is also a clinical rotation site for PA students attending the University of Maryland. This past year increased my confidence, knowledge, and skills exponentially because of the mentors I had at my clinical rotation sites. I’m excited (and a tad nervous) to be able to have a role in educating future PAs, ensuring that they have a clinical experience similar to mine.  


Accepting a position in a lab with a wide variety of specimens and teaching opportunities was at the top of my priorities. An added bonus was that the job was in my desired location, only 45 minutes from home! After so many years of schooling, I can’t wait to finally start my career in a field that I love!