Day in the Life of a DOCTOR: Shadows a PATHOLOGY ASSISTANT

Pathology is like the CSI of medicine... where they search for health criminals like bacterial and cancer. This fascinating work happens on a microscopic level! Have you ever wondered why it takes so long to get your biopsy results? Join me in the pathology lab to find out exactly what happens when a specimen is delivered from the operating room.
HUGE thank you to Janice, Cristina, Dr. Salehi, the pathology department and the medical lab technologists for making this video possible!
SUBSCRIBE so you never miss a video
COMMENT with any questions or just to say hi
LIKE if you want to see more like this!
🙋‍♀️ Let’s stay connected!
Instagram: Violin.MD
Facebook: @realviolinmd
Twitter: Violin_MD
Mail: PO Box 1, 119 Spadina Ave, Toronto ON, Canada, M5T2T2
See you in the next video!
~ Siobhan (Violin MD) ~
----------------------
❤ YOU MAY ALSO ENJOY WATCHING... ❤
Shadowing a flight paramedic (in a helicopter!)
• MEDICAL EMERGENCY: Day...
Day in the Life of a Doctor: on call with my husband in the hospital
• DAY IN THE LIFE OF A D...
Shadowing an ER department Social Worker
• Day in the Life of a D...
----------------------
📚 References:
- American breast cancer screening guidelines: www.cancer.org/cancer/breast-...
----------------------
📸 Image Credits:
- By BruceBlaus. Blausen.com staff (2014). Medical gallery of Blausen Medical 2014; DOI:10.15347/wjm/2014.010. Wiki commons.

[@melissapichette8152]

This is so interesting. Side note: someone needs to help that pathologist clean up his office 🤣

[@oanasterpu4045]

Just let it be! Maybe it is not clean his office and also his wallet.

[@susanmcfarland652]

Pathology lab technologist here. Thanks so much for giving a good synopsis of what our lab does! We are usually just lumped in with “lab” but our works is very different from other labs!

[@LaraA55]

Appreciate what you all do

[@ViolinMD]

Agreed! I learned so much about your role during this video and loved spending time in the lab!!

[@jamessimmons7480]

This world 🌎 definitely needs more people like her that like to help people and don't have a selfish motive behind everything that they do!!!!!!

[@amnaq3053]

☝️

[@LaraA55]

👍

[@nattys_adventures169]

❤

[@Ann3M4r13]

100%

[@ashleysmith6773]

Anatomical pathology is really cool! I would love to see a clinical pathology shadowing video as well! This is where I work in hematology, but it covers all tests from urinalysis, to A1C, chemistry panels, etc. In hematology, we are constantly seeing patients with new leukemias and lymphomas.

[@LaraA55]

This would be interesting to see indeed

[@ssjess2504]

Wow I'm not in healthcare but has spent a lot of time in the hospital and I can't believe all this happens in a hospital ♥️

[@lindseywilson3764]

I’m a pathologists’ assistant and it was super cool to see our job highlighted in this way! Thank you for an awesome video!

[@alishasmith4358]

You have no idea how interesting your content is to me. It's so fascinating to get to see the behind the scenes of what goes on in hospitals. Thank you and I hope you keep making videos to educate and inform. I would love to see you Shadow someone who works with the deceased. I think that would be so interesting but might not be something you want to do. Lol. I don't know how you get the opportunity to shadow people but I think that would be extremely interesting.

[@britneynicole8903]

I am so excited about getting into the healthcare field!

[@xchristine8700]

I’m a pathologists assistant, I’m so excited that you took the time to see what we do! It’s such important work thank you thank you!!❤❤

[@Georgiaisapirate]

Great video :) My father in law is a Pathologist and he is incredible! He doesn't use a microscope anymore, it is all digital pathology for him! I very much respect the work they do, so it's lovely to see you do a video about it!

[@kelleysigler9759]

Wow. This is so complex. I really had no idea. I will never complain or wonder why it takes so long for these results. Again, thank you so much for showing us the complexities of a result process. Amazing.

[@LaraA55]

Well said👍

[@callmecelll]

My mum had stage 2b invasive ductal carcinoma in 2019. We spent most of our days during lockdown visiting the hospital for scans, chemo and radiotherapy. It was extremely stressful. I didn't want to show my mum how anxious and heartbroken I was (to watch her suffer) so I'd cry to myself almost everytime when I'm waiting for her to be done with chemo. I'd always greet her with a smile and a big hug. I'm so thankful for her breast surgeon who's so so supportive and reassuring us.🥺My mum is cancer free and I'm praying that it remains like this forever🙏It's amazing to witness and understand how much work goes being such a life changing diagnosis, thanks for sharing with us, doctor! You are amazing💖

[@joygernautm6641]

Would really love to see you follow some of the less glamorous hospital occupations like portering, or housekeeping or maintenance. I recently went looking for a hospital bed tripod after hours, and ended up with the maintenance engineer in the bowels of the hospital in this huge room with a complete machine shop where they fix repair in manufacture parts. It was absolutely fascinating and even though in an abstract way, I knew this existed in our hospital. I had never been there, and it was amazing to see!! so much goes into Running and maintaining a hospital, and people forget sometimes it’s not just about doctors and nurses and pharmacists and medical professionals.

[@caitopotato5519]

Pathology is the specialty that I want to do!

[@HeyHey2734]

A someone who is a Medical Scientist (Chemical pathology)- this was a great video to show people what it's like behind the scenes

[@aleckai138]

This video was fascinating. I’m glad you could show the process of pathology as I had done an Upper GI endoscopy awhile ago and they ran pathology on biopsies taken from the area examined.

[@kittycatbloodlove747]

This series is the best!!! I’m so grateful to be able to see the behind the scenes of what different jobs happen in healthcare!

[@queenofdramatech]

This made me feel so much better about the endometrial biopsy that took a whole week to get back to me! THANK YOU FOR POSTING!!! (Normal in case anyone was wondering!)

[@Droopysmine]

Pathology is amazing! My mother had a cancer scare earlier this year and waiting for the pathology report was agonizing (and luckily quite quick), but I am so grateful to have the knowledge that it provided. Thankfully it was all clear but having the cellular level backup info to what the oncologists saw was such a relief.

[@rachaelmichael3845]

All the vital components of your job are so fascinating. Thank you for sharing.

[@kingtylermt]

It makes me so happy hearing an intermal med and rheumatology specialist now instead of resident! So proud of you!!!

[@veratherese2043]

i'm currently an laboratory technology intern and i'm currently rotating in the histopathology section of the lab so imagine my excitement when i saw what your new video is all about^^ great content as always : D

[@AngelaBrinker]

This is related to what I do! I'm a clinical research coordinator (a role which varies a lot), and the research studies I work on are tissue banking studies. So I go and talk to cancer patients (specifically lung), to get their consent to use tissue samples from their surgeries or biopsies that they are getting as standard of care (in this case we never take tissue that wasn't already coming out) to put in the tissue banks for research. Although I'm not a doctor or a pathologist I regularly visit the pathology lab, procedure areas, or even occasionally ORs to get fresh tissue - for the tissue banks we need it before it hits the formalin. Interestingly, because the patient's path through treatment is relevant to the research studies, I often do follow them throughout their journey via their medical record (which they also give us consent to use). Unlike breast cancer, lung cancer is much more deadly and often not caught until it's advanced, which can make knowing what happens harder.

[@andrews6211]

Hope all is well Dr. Shioban. Glad to see another video from you!

[@karlaatiencia1231]

My grandma recently passed away from Leukemia, she had multiple tests, and the results took so long, I'm a med student I have some knowledge but at the same time seeing this and getting this information is so awesome, thank you. It gives an explanation to all those weeks waiting for an answer

[@ViolinMD]

I’m so sorry to hear about your loss Karla ❤️

[@anotherbanga]

@@ViolinMD new video 😎

[@SpicyBricy]

Completely amazing & educational. Rn x 35 years and had never seen this actual process. Thank you so much for sharing!!

[@katie-kb6qd]

as someone who gets biopsies almost yearly, this is so cool to watch! finding out this is how it is behind the seems is super interesting and i can’t even be mad i wait 2 weeks for the results

[@bobammie116]

This is so timely. I just had surgery and this video gave me patience now that I know what the process can look like. Amazing! ❤

[@ViolinMD]

So glad this is helpful - wishing you the best on your recovery!

[@bobammie116]

Thank you so much! Doc just let me know today that all is well! Love your videos! Keep it up! ❤️

[@Amanda.Cooper]

Love when pathology is showcased!

[@Erin-fm1fs]

I love how much you care ❤️ I wish I had a Dr. Like you!

[@meganringler6129]

I love my histology class that im taking right now!! So cool to see the content used in practice! Thanks for the vids!! Lots of love from Montréal!

[@user-ys9ht6pw5k]

Learning pathology for a full year in med school and I had never seen how H&E slides are prepared! So interesting the process of creating the slides, thank you so much for sharing! Also so cool to hear you say “internal medicine and rheumatology specialist” really motivating thank you Siobhán. Sending well wishes in Ireland!

[@emilybalck57]

I had Melanoma this past winter, so I am beyond thankful for path teams for what they do!!

[@ViolinMD]

Oh gosh I’m sorry to hear that Emily! Very glad to hear it was caught and sounds like you are doing well!

[@becsterbrisbane6275]

Wow, this was really eyeopening, thanks for this Siohban! I only ever thought of pathology being of blood & bodily fluids, so there you go! I was really surprised though at just how large that "sample" was, when you said it was a small cancer that was caught!

[@lecrah]

yay! thank you for experiencing laboratory medicine!

[@LaraA55]

@Violin MD My eyes were glued to the screen as this was absolutely fascinating😀. Like you, I learned so much process about the process. 👍So a shout out to the hard working pathologists as they do such important work in helping doctors to make a correct diagnosis. And being a big time Star Wars fan, I appreciated the R2D2 like machine so much😍. And like you, I find microscopic slides to be mesmerising.🤩

[@louisevessey3839]

Such an informative video on a topic rarely documented! You are incredible at all you do Siobhan!!!

[@amystarke3317]

I love these behind-the-scenes videos.

[@msaditu]

Thank you so much for showing us how a sample is processed in the pathology lab and explaining why it takes so long to get the results. I always thought it was due to the large number of samples they have to process.

[@p33kin89]

Who could dislike this? Incredible video as always, thank you. :)

[@yehhshhs]

i love the cute little ET @3:55 the pathology department really has a chill vibe which i really like .. for example the wanda thing humor.. i dont even watch star wars but i appreciate the humor

[@pamcooke61]

Wow!! I really appreciate this video. Thank you!!

[@russbrown6453]

BRILLIANT video VMD! BRILLIANT DR!

[@michellegelman2052]

Thank you for this video! Extremely interesting to see this side of medicine and would love to see more videos similar to this one! 😊

[@jill9405]

Thank you for sharing this. I didn't realize how much work goes into getting results back

[@alimcarthur5254]

I absolutely love this video! So informative and I love how you explain everything!! Thank you ❤️

[@3mjay577]

Thanks again for the in depth look into the field

[@charlenechua6073]

Yay another episode of your work

[@notsilkorsatan2000]

My sister works in pathology, she works with bloods and they really do everything they can to make things more fun for themselves including naming the machines!

[@jessicacephas5103]

Thank you for this video!

[@marianpizeno8511]

As a breast cancer patient, I really appreciate this video.

[@ashikihsan1946]

Hi Dr. Siobhan, I like your valuable time with a Pathology Assistant and his examination of materials to diagnose any sickness. Siobhan, I appreciate your help to women who are suffering with breast cancer and your treatment to them

[@yann1ck666]

Was an intern in a anatomical pathology lab a couple months ago and it was a really interesting experience, following the entire process from macroscopy to the preparation and staining of slides. While I was a bit squeamish at first, since I had never worked with human tissues before (school only used meat from the store), it wasn't nearly as bad as I had feared. Was even allowed to bring home some of the slides I made myself, giving me a nice souvenir. Also helped to have amazing colleagues. Definitely something I would consider doing full-time

[@nickietadgell8835]

Fascinating! ALL of your videos are so cool, informative, and reassuring. Takes the hidden mystery and fear out of the medical world.

[@smilingnavel]

I am simply amazed, and I'm only 4 minutes in!

[@troark1991]

I work in the main core laboratory. It’s definitely a field that gets overlooked. We are the investigators of the healthcare field. I love it. 😊

[@alslet]

im currently studying to become a lab technologist (and literally just finished the histopathology block) so it was really interesting to watch this and recognise so much of what we’re learning. I also appreciate that you took the time to show everything going on inside the lab bc it’s often overlooked and a lot of people don’t realise how much work are actually going on "behind the scenes" in hospitals

[@dawndevereux263]

Thanks. That was fascinating !

[@sam-feet.paws.hooves4564]

Ahhhh this sent me back to my pathology internship many many years ago. Good times!

[@Angelikasdiary]

Incredible video!!

[@Melissa-ps6sh]

Thank you so much for sharing!!!

[@lilalucio3206]

My daughter volunteered at a local hospital in the pathology department and was a porter and a slide maker and loved everything about it

[@27Eilene]

Wow, I’ve always wondered how they do this. Thanks for sharing! ❤

[@joyalbuquerque6060]

Wonderful video I learned so much - thank you!!

[@bethanycook8430]

This is awesome!!!

[@sthomson06]

They make it look so easy! I made some slides of plant tissue in college lab and it takes a lot of math & fine motor skills. My spouse had a brain tumor removed and I knew that he agreed to have the tissue preserved for future research. It's so cool to know what happened to it after it was removed.

[@Noniepluim]

Thanks for another informative video!

[@heatherbee8848]

Wow, how incredibly interesting. Thanks for a great video.

[@atwatermarci]

Love your content, especially when you talk about my line of work 😉

[@salvadorhirth2919]

Hi Dr. Siobhan, good to hear from you again! :-) As soon as I saw the slice of tissue stained in purple and you said the word beautiful, I remembered it's your favorite color. You would be amazed at the enormous Amethyst hollow " cathedrals " ( geodes) that were by the entrance of Parque das Cataratas in Foz do Iguaçu ( near the border between Brazil and Paraguay). Some of the geodes were more than 2 meters tall! And full of amethyst gems all in the inside surface! Awesome infos about ways to detect cancers. It was not clear to me yet, how the tiny radioactive seed helps the physicians to see the cancer outlines. I remember reading that radioactive seeds of iridium are used or were used against prostate cancers. Have a great weekend! :-) PS did you send me a few messages on telegram a few minutes ago?

[@adamcheaney7185]

Pathology reports have always been my favourite. 🤪👍

[@tammyeime5070]

Thankyou, i found this really interesting. My mum was diagnosed with breast cancer last year. Thankfully she had a very little cancer hidden in amongst a whole heap of cysts. It was the cysts that first alerted her to an issue, because the cancer was so small they were able to get it all. Early detection definitely saved my mum. Please get checked.

[@manolin.6597]

Fascinating, thanks a lot for sharing!

[@belindakroll8180]

WOW As having had 3 breast cancers this is fascinating. The last one was found in the pathology after my mastectomy and this explains a lot!

[@SailingNomad17]

So cool! Good video/lesson Sibohan 🥰

[@lenakrikorian2553]

Maybe you can go next time to the microbiology lab. It is also very interesting 😊

[@Aurochhunter]

This reminds me of my foremr job as a lab assistant a few years back. Normally we only specimens via a pneumatic tube system, but ocassionally a doctor would show up in person a the lab to correct an error or because they needed to order an additional test. While mistakes can have serious consequences in a medical environment, I find that if they're spotted before giving a patient the wrong information, the situation can usually be remedied.

[@RawTheory87]

I work EVS in a surgfical pathology lab. Now I understand how everything here works. Thank you. I love the smell of the chemicals in the staining room.

[@alyseandrews1066]

This was a really comforting video. I lost my mom to inflammatory breast cancer. It is rare, hard to detect, and extremely aggressive. There is also very little known about it, because it is so uncommon. I will be vigilant in regular screenings as we have no idea if there is a genetic risk factor

[@Jefuslives]

This is fascinating stuff.

[@PennyEffect]

This video and its information is so useful. Thank you.

[@trendnwin6545]

This video helped me a lay person understand what’s going on. Amazing what technology can do to help us beat cancer.

[@Skatejock21]

My cousin was diagnosed with breast cancer about 3 months ago and currently going through radiation. Its really hard to see because she has 4 young children and one is only 9 months. They didn't catch it right away but the blessing was that her having kids so fast was actually the red flag that something was wrong. It was the one thing that kept giving the signs that she otherwise wouldn't have seen. If I had the brains to do pathology or work in a lab, I would love it.

[@FjRennard]

So fascinating 😮

[@michellesunshinestar]

OMG, I'm 42, and my gen. doc. finally prescribed a mammogram. I guess after hearing this, I should get one.

[@pammclaughlin8210]

This is very interesting as I was diagnosed with breast cancer 4 years ago, and thanks to pathology and my drs, it was diagnosed and treated quickly

[@ViolinMD]

Thanks for sharing Pam - so glad you got diagnosed and treated quickly!

[@MaryleaMemaw]

Thank you for sharing this. I was diagnosed with breast cancer 6 years ago. My tumor was only 7mm so very tiny. I remember the piece of metal being inserted but it kind of looked like a breast cancer ribbon to me. I had a mastectomy and since the tumor was aggressive, I had 15 rounds of chemo 🤢 I then had a prophylactic mastectomy of my other breast. So far so good. 🙏

[@ViolinMD]

Thank you for sharing! Sounds like a lot to go through. Glad to hear you are cancer free and things are going well!

[@giuliamotta628]

Thank you for such great information

[@meganthursby2002]

Early and amazing video😀🥰

[@salvadorhirth2919]

Dr. Siobhan, how have you been? You are missed! ❤

[@tiff-t9g]

Wow i was exactly thinking about doing pathology this is so cool such a an amazing inverting job like me. 😊

[@tyson4307]

Love your videos

[@tyson4307]

Hi

[@salvadorhirth2919]

Very interesting also the staining process.

[@FatimaBoud99]

INTERESTING 😍😍😍

[@erinmay5283]

I don't know if you've already done something like this before, but can you do a video on the heart and vascular specialties? I've been working at a heart and vascular clinic for a little over a month now, and it's my favorite job I've ever had. I'm now exploring career pathways in the medical field because of it. I would love to see a video about some of the heart screening/tests and procedures that are used to diagnose/treat different heart conditions :)

[@101taiga]

Omg! That pathologists office! 😂

[@samrusoff]

As someone who worked with FFPET blocks (extracting genetic material for molecular diagnostics rather than optical), seeing the process of how these samples are made is very interesting.

[@kurtcraig3421]

that was interesting. what an insight.

[@yehhshhs]

@5:32 that doctors office is hillarious!! My chaotic mind would never be able to function in THAT office lmao

[@ChrisMcEvoy]

Great video as usual. That hospital looks so familiar 😉 , I have to take my dad there in a couple weeks for an appointment. If I see you there I'll say hi.

[@samiraperi467]

Was screened this year, they found a few calcifications that eventually turned out to be nothing of concern. Which is good because having two cancers at the same time would suck.