Helping to save a life and solving the mystery of another's death are all
in a day's work for pathologists' assistants.
Just ask Bryan Radosavcev. He's a pathologists' assistant (PA) in California.
He's helped uncover disease in patients, even when no one was looking for
it. He has worked with tissue that looked normal, but was later diagnosed
as cancerous by a physician.
"These findings help the physician treat the patients in an appropriate
fashion. It leaves me feeling like I've completed a job well-done."
"Personally I have had many gratifying experiences throughout my 25-year
career," says Lance Fuczek. He's the administrative director of a university
pathologists' assistant program.
"They include having my opinion sought by surgeons, other clinicians and
pathologists, regarding the various cases that I have been involved with.
And in one case, a patient made the effort to thank me personally for detecting
her unsuspected cancer in a breast reduction specimen."
Those "feel good" moments can be important in a career that requires constant
exposure to death. Much of the work performed by PAs involves cadavers (corpses)
and body parts. It's not the best job for someone who has trouble dealing
with death. Still, the career does have its benefits.
"I enjoy the benefits of working in the medical field," says Radosavcev.
"The years of training compared to being a physician is much less. And I am
not on call, so I can have a stable home life. The compensation package, including
salary, is wonderful, and the future of a PA is open to new arenas as new
technology develops."
There's even a social aspect to the job that Radosavcev finds appealing.
He says PAs have a network of very close colleagues and friends.
"My personal experience the past five years has been that this work has
opened my eyes to the personal relationships in the medical field," he says.
"People in these types of professions are highly trained on technical procedures,
which leave little time for the personal side of working with patients.
"I have been introduced to a number of activities and projects in this
field that have let me build relationships with patients and other co-workers.
I have learned more about priorities, compassion and all of the soft skills
that most technical people do not have the opportunity to explore."
Pathologists' assistants constantly examine tissue samples, perform autopsies
and dissect organs and tissues. Their hard work not only advances medical
science -- it can also help families after a death.
"The work performed at [an] autopsy helps the pathologist to identify mechanisms
underlying a death," says Susan Cromwell. She's a pathologists' assistant.
The work helps families understand why a family member died. It can also warn
them of their predisposition to certain diseases.
Under the supervision of a pathologist, Cromwell works on adult,
stillborn and prenatal autopsies. She also dissects small and large surgical
specimens. In addition, she teaches surgical dissection and autopsy to undergraduate
and postgraduate students. And she's responsible for administration at the
morgue.
"There isn't a day when I don't learn something new," she says. "I recently
spent an entire morning with a neuropathologist (a pathologist who has a further
sub-specialization in the pathology of the nervous system). We examined a
single brain in extensive detail.... I learned so much that day through instruction,
discussion and hands-on practical experience!"