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PATHOLOGISTS' ASSISTANT INTERVIEW 2025 QUESTIONS WITH 100% CORRECT ANSWERS
Typology: Exams
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How are you doing today? I am doing well. I'm very excited to be here. I know there are very limited spaces for this program and I am extremely thankful for the opportunity to be here today Tell me about yourself. I am 26 years old. I live in Florence, South Carolina. I received my bachelor's degree in biology from the College of Charleston in 2015 and I am currently working as a pathology assistant at McLeod Health, which is a large regional hospital that services Florence and the surrounding counties, which I feel has prepared me for this program. Why do you want to be a PA? My interests in anatomy peaked when I was in college and I felt a desire to pursue a career in the field. After college I worked as a vet tech, I love animals and thought this would allow me the hands on work that I had a passion for. I wasn't even aware that a career as a Pathologist
Assistant was a thing. It wasn't until talking with a friend that is a pathologist that I became interested in this career. Once I was hired on as a pathology assistant at McLeod, I continued to reach further and pursue my education. I am extremely ambitious about my job, it's the first thing I want to talk about when I meet new people. I love being behind the scenes in patient care knowing that I had a major role in the pathologist providing an accurate diagnosis. Tulane specifically interested me because of the teaching portion of the program. I have been responsible for teaching several new pathology assistants as well as leading and teaching anatomy to Physician Assistant students from the local program. I want to share my knowledge and passion with everyone. Why Tulane? Tulane specifically interested me because of the teaching portion of the program. I have been responsible for teaching several new pathology assistants as well as leading and teaching anatomy to Physician Assistant students from the local program. I want to share my knowledge and passion with everyone. What are your strengths? I set goals and accomplish them I am trainable and adaptable I am punctual and reliable What are your weaknesses? I am a perfectionist, my supervisor says I'm a type "A" so, it may take me a couple minutes longer to perform a task because I want to make it perfect. I know that's not what you guys want to hear, the strengths that are worded to look like a weakness. Something I do struggle with everyday truly is social anxiety, I think that is why I fit into this job so well so quickly. What are your short and long term career goals?
What qualities do you think a successful PA should possess. Ambition, Integrity, and Professionalism What makes you stand out from the others that we have interviewed? I have three years experience at a high volume pathology lab, I am motivated in continuing my education and I am extremely passionate about my work, it's what I love. I read about it in my free time, I follow accounts on instagram, it's what I scare off people with when I first meet them. Describe a normal day for you at work. Dissecting surgical specimens. Frozen sections. Accessioning specimens. Cytologies. Familiarizing PA students with gross anatomy. Communicate my findings with the pathologist. Describe the steps in an autopsy. Weight and length of the deceased. Photograph, remove clothing. External features (tattoos, lacerations, scars, bruises). Y-incision, expose organs. Take fluids (urine/blood) for toxicology etc). Remove organs in blocks, perform neck dissection. Organs weighed and sectioned. Bowel is cut and examined. Organs are replaced and body and closed. What is the history of PA's?
Dr. Kinney of Duke medical school started the first program in the 60s due to pathology manpower concerns with physician assistants used previously. AAPA was formed in 1972 and set standards for accreditation and certification through NAACLS and the board exam is offered by ASCP to those who complete accredited programs. What is the AAPA? American Academy of Physician Assistants, it is the only national society to represent all PAs in every area of medicine and is structured of 57 chartered chapters What is NAACLS? The National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences. Responsible for accreditation and approval of educational programs. What is ASCP? American Society for Clinical Pathology. They affirms that someone demonstrates the knowledge and skills to perform tasks in the medical laboratory. They have certified more that 560,000 people. What is a pathologists' assistant? Examine, process and prepare tissue specimens for a variety of clinical tests and procedures, and perform autopsies all in order to assist the pathologists in the diagnosis of a disease. What is pathology? The study of disease. What is the difference between a PA and a PathA? PA's work in all areas of medicine, PathA's specialize in anatomic pathology. Who may be in your interview? Sarah Garner MS PA(ASCP) Dr. Byron Crawford, MD
Dr. Haitao Zhang, PhD Doreen Barrett Sarah Garner,MS, PA(ASCP) Director of Pathologists' Assistant Program Dr. Byron Crawford, MD Associate Dean of Academic Affairs Professor & Interim Chair, Director of Anatomic Pathology Dr. Haitao Zhang, PhD Assistant Professor Tulane Cancer Center Program Member Doreen Barrett Program Director Describe the relationship you think should exist between the Pathologist and Pathologists' Assistant. You should be comfortable talking to your pathologist about your work, asking any questions that may arise and being able to work in a friendly environment How do you work in team setting? I work very well with a team. I am not only self motivated but I also have the ability to allow others to help me and help others when needed. I like being a part of a group as a whole and how each person falls into a task based on their strengths. My coworkers are some of my closest friends. If you were hiring a PA training program graduate, what qualities would you look for and why?
Ambition and drive, it is important for work flow to not have someone standing around waiting to be told what to do. Passion, it is important to love what you do, or you will not be motivated to do it well. Professionalism, as a PA we deal with a lot of sensitive subjects and patient information and it is important to remain professional not only within the lab but with your superiors as well. How would you describe your ideal job? I enjoy all aspects of what I do daily from biopsies to colons to legs. I would like to work somewhere that allows to spread my knowledge and passion for pathology with others whether that be at a teaching hospital or in a classroom. In what kind of work environment are you most comfortable? Definitely not one that feels hostile. I think it is important for the health of the employee as well as quality of work that everyone gets along. I have always worked in a high volume lab with all women and everything has run smoothly because everyone has their own tasks and knows how to handle stressful situations tactfully. How do you feel about coordinating or tackling projects not necessarily in your current area of expertise I enjoying lending a hand to others when needed as well as experiencing new things, I'm not intimidated by stepping out of my comfort zone. Why do you want to work in community/academic/private practice setting? I currently work in a community hospital and I enjoy all that I do, I would however like to work in a facility that allows me to have a training responsibility as well. Can you work without close supervision? The supervisor over my department is a MedTech and has no idea what AP is about or how it runs, so we are essentially on our own and we all efficiently and effectively. We all have settled into our own tasks and it makes dealing with the high volume run smoothly.
Why do you want to relocate here? I found out about your program, honestly, the day that Ms. Garner posted it to her instagram page. I think I applied the first week that you all were accepting applications. I had begun to feel discouraged, which is unlike me, I'm normally pretty driven, however after receiving rejections emails from multiple different programs it can get you down. I starting applying to programs two years ago and this is not an opportunity that I am going to turn down. When I received Ms. Garner's email I anticipated it to say "thank you for your interest in our program, your application as been reviewed and unfortunately we cannot offer you a position in our program this term." But when I read it and she was offering me an interview I sat back and cried, I am so thankful for this opportunity.