Greetings,
this is my 1st post on SDN.
I'm currently an Australian AP registrar (resident), and am about to finish my 2nd year (out of a 5 year training program).
I did my first 2 years rurally, but I got matched to another rural lab for 3rd year, which is extremely unusual, despite me preferencing it very low because it has a reputation for cut-up / grossing for 5 days / week, for both registrars. There'll be very little time to practice reporting cases or preparing slides for multidisciplinary meetings.
The rationale for sending me to such a lab was apparently because my Histology knowledge was sub-par.
But that was because the current lab I'm at is understaffed, and I had to do scut work that is usually done by scientists / lab techs, most notoriously the accessioning and block-printing (up to TEN hours / week), which gets slowed down with shoddy IT infrastracture. I also had to deal with two co-registrars resigning, which meant I had to do more cut-up / grossing whilst the new co-registrar is learning cut-up.
I fell behind in my reporting count, and was really hoping to move to a lab where I can alternate reporting / cut-up days, but instead I got sent to a place where I'll be doing even more cut-up. It makes no sense to me.
I feel like this arrangement has been unfair, coz I feel like I'm penalized for the consequences of an understaffed (corporatized) lab. I did message the powers that be about what I've been through, but they didn't budge. Atm I feel like the College doesn't care about me.
I'm disillusioned and concerned about physical (RSI) and/or mental burnout.
I dunno if it's worth sacrificing these years studying for exams when the job market in Australia is already relatively saturated. Rural areas can only absorb so many new consultants / attendings. And I keep reading about how labs cut staff, or even shut down labs.
I think the material is intellectually stimulating, but I'm just sick of how the workplace is understaffed and corporatized, and the Pathologists seem to get treated like servants / waitresses by a lot (but not all) of the surgeons. I've also seen very senior Pathologists get fired, and not out of malpractice...
I can't see myself applying for Radiology or any other specialties as I'm nowhere near competitive, and my clinical medicine skills have atrophied since my general medical resident year. I feel like I've entered a trap / limbo.
The role of a "Pathologist's Assistant" doesn't officially exist in Australia, although there are a few public hospitals that have scientists doing cut-up of Bowel and Breast Cancers, but those positions are very limited.
Any advice would be much appreciated,
thank you in advance.
CDX-2
this is my 1st post on SDN.
I'm currently an Australian AP registrar (resident), and am about to finish my 2nd year (out of a 5 year training program).
I did my first 2 years rurally, but I got matched to another rural lab for 3rd year, which is extremely unusual, despite me preferencing it very low because it has a reputation for cut-up / grossing for 5 days / week, for both registrars. There'll be very little time to practice reporting cases or preparing slides for multidisciplinary meetings.
The rationale for sending me to such a lab was apparently because my Histology knowledge was sub-par.
But that was because the current lab I'm at is understaffed, and I had to do scut work that is usually done by scientists / lab techs, most notoriously the accessioning and block-printing (up to TEN hours / week), which gets slowed down with shoddy IT infrastracture. I also had to deal with two co-registrars resigning, which meant I had to do more cut-up / grossing whilst the new co-registrar is learning cut-up.
I fell behind in my reporting count, and was really hoping to move to a lab where I can alternate reporting / cut-up days, but instead I got sent to a place where I'll be doing even more cut-up. It makes no sense to me.
I feel like this arrangement has been unfair, coz I feel like I'm penalized for the consequences of an understaffed (corporatized) lab. I did message the powers that be about what I've been through, but they didn't budge. Atm I feel like the College doesn't care about me.
I'm disillusioned and concerned about physical (RSI) and/or mental burnout.
I dunno if it's worth sacrificing these years studying for exams when the job market in Australia is already relatively saturated. Rural areas can only absorb so many new consultants / attendings. And I keep reading about how labs cut staff, or even shut down labs.
I think the material is intellectually stimulating, but I'm just sick of how the workplace is understaffed and corporatized, and the Pathologists seem to get treated like servants / waitresses by a lot (but not all) of the surgeons. I've also seen very senior Pathologists get fired, and not out of malpractice...
I can't see myself applying for Radiology or any other specialties as I'm nowhere near competitive, and my clinical medicine skills have atrophied since my general medical resident year. I feel like I've entered a trap / limbo.
The role of a "Pathologist's Assistant" doesn't officially exist in Australia, although there are a few public hospitals that have scientists doing cut-up of Bowel and Breast Cancers, but those positions are very limited.
Any advice would be much appreciated,
thank you in advance.
CDX-2