Thomas Memorial Hospital

This post is long over due since it’s already the end of my third week at Thomas Memorial Hospital.  I've been preoccupied with moving out of my Pittsburgh house (for good), becoming acquainted with Charleston, going back to Morgantown for a test, and watching the World Cup (biggest, yet best, distraction). It's hard to believe that I'm at my 7th rotation site already, only 3 more to go! Which means it's also crunch time for finding a job.  I've been applying to many places, but am really hoping to find one in DC, Maryland, or Virginia.

Now for a little about my current rotation site. Thomas Memorial is a general, community-based hospital located in Charleston, WV. There are three pathologists here and the two PA students are the ones responsible for grossing all the specimens. The pathology department receives around 10,000 surgical cases annually so it’s been more of a slower paced working environment than some of the other hospitals we rotate through.  The specimens we typically see here include placentas, gallbladders, total hysterectomies, colons, and thyroids.  I’ve found that I really enjoy working at these community-based hospitals where you get to have ample interaction with the pathologists and histotechs.

The grossing stations are really nice and we even get our own office, which has been great for studying if we finish our specimens before the next drop off time! And get this- they give us free lunch every day! Taco Tuesdays are now the highlight of my week. I’m not sure if I mentioned this before, but the pathologists at Thomas Memorial Hospital provide a house for the PA students in Charleston while they are rotating through Thomas and St. Francis hospitals.  I am so grateful that they were so accommodating and that we weren’t responsible for finding our own housing down here.