First Week at St. Clair Hospital

St. Clair Hospital is a 328-bed independent, acute care facility. The Pathology Department receives about 16,000 surgical cases per year and since the hospital is a general hospital, they get a variety of specimens (great for a first rotation). The lab is set up so that the gross room, histology, and cytology are all in one room, which has been really great because it allows for immediate feedback on issues that may arise (thick sections, submitting sutures and staples, or any stones, etc.).

This past week I was able to gross several smaller specimens (biopsies, appendixes, gallbladders, placentas, etc.) and then I would observe the PA as he grossed larger specimens.  I’m still getting used to dictating using the Dictaphone (and having to hear my own voice on a recording).  While shadowing at Ruby I got used to the “Voice-over” technology and being able to see what I’ve dictated on the computer screen as I’m working. With the Dictaphone you press down on a foot-pedal and say your dictation into a microphone.  Once you’re finished, the dictation gets sent to the transcriptionists and they type it up for you.  There were many times where I would lift my foot off the pedal too soon and my lasts words would get cut off or sometimes I would end up saying a sentence later in the dictation that I wished I had said earlier.

I think the highlight of my week was cutting a frozen section for intraoperative consult with success! This was something I was definitely nervous about doing so I was happy that I didn’t panic and was able to cut decent sections for the Pathologist.

Another great thing about St. Clair - all the employees in the lab are super friendly and more than willing to help me out when I have questions. The Pathologists have been awesome at explaining certain gross descriptions that correlate with what they see microscopically and giving me pointers on what sections will work best for what they need to see microscopically.  The PA and the grossing tech that work with me have been such great teachers and have been so patient with my awkward, just-starting-out dictations and millions of questions.

Overall I’d say my first week of rotations was a success and I’m loving clinical year so far! On to week 2!

Moving to Pittsburgh

With clinical rotations starting, I have moved to Pittsburgh!  Having lived in Morgantown for the last 5 years, it has been a huge change moving back to a bigger city (but also extremely exciting at the same time).  Three of my classmates and I found an awesome, quirky 4 bedroom, 2.5 bathroom house in Squirrel Hill to live in for part of this year! The Squirrel Hill area seems to be really safe and there are tons of restaurants, shops, and grocery stores nearby.  Also because our house is on the other side of the tunnels, we are able to avoid most of the dreaded Pittsburgh traffic.

My advice for any first year students who are reading this is to wait until you get your rotation schedule before picking a place to live (this will let you avoid renting additional housing while living in provided housing, or paying double rents).  I know the wait will probably kill you and you will feel like it is very last minute, but my roommates and I wish we would have waited.  

In other news – the first day of rotations was today! A brief overview of my day: I battled the arctic tundra to get to the hospital, made it there on time, didn’t get lost inside the hospital, found the cafeteria (really important), got a surprise flu shot, grossed some specimens, and mastered the Dictaphone (just kidding- I struggled). Overall I’d say it was a pretty good first day!  Expect more about my St. Clair rotation this weekend- but for now I have tons of unpacking and reading assignments to do!