PA grads for 2014?

Can someone let me know please if Winnipeg will be graduating PAs this year?  How about Calgary?

Workload!

Holy smokes!  Are we EVER busy these days!  One PA has resigned; one site's Gross Room has been condemned; all of the grossing from that site is being done at the other site which was already extremely busy.  There are only 3 grossing benches and there are now 7 people who can do the grossing.  Shifts are despised but are a necessity.  Gladly we're going to use the well-ventilated Autopsy Suite dissection benches as grossing benches.  We'll be ensuring that the formalin levels are within safe limits and we will have created a couple more spaces at which to work during normal working hours. Yeh!  We're still one person short however so the backlog, which has been building since the New Year, is not likely to disappear soon.
We have a brand new grossing Tech trainee who is nice and smart and eager to learn.  This can only mean good things for the group once she learns the ropes and hones her skills so that her productivity increases.  I'm looking forward to her soon being a full-fledged member of the team.
On a more serious note, the PAs are quite demoralized at the volume of the backlog.  Emotions are right at the surface and I don't blame them for a minute. The light has disappeared from the end of the tunnel I'm afraid.  With a little perseverance and the use of another grossing station or two, I'm sure that we'll eventually get back to an acceptable level where the turnaround times are within normal limits.
I hope that the PAs hang in for a little while longer.  We'll get there and we'll get there together.

PA programs and Morgue Attendants

I've learned recently that university PA programs are graduating Masters-level Morgue Attendants (MA) (ie. when it comes to autopsy pathology).  Although the graduates are supremely competent in all things 'Morgue Attendant', they have no idea of what it is -- to my way of thinking -- to be a Pathologists' Assistant to the fullest extent of the meaning of the title.
To clarify... the MSc PA graduates are at a point where they are very prepared for a career in surgical pathology.  I'm fine with that but I'm talking about autopsy here.
My vision of a PA's responsibilities at [a medical] autopsy: a PA confirms that a proper consent is in place; does the first draft of the clinical history; reviews the history with the supervising the pathologist and formulates a plan for the autopsy; performs the external examination with the assistance of a Morgue Attendant; eviscerates with the assistance of a Morgue Attendant; dissects, weighs, measures, etc. all of the organs and -- this is the MOST IMPORTANT part -- examines the organs while performing the dissection and interprets all findings, whether normal or abnormal; records all findings; makes judgements while being mindful of the patient's history (and examines the organs for expected findings and, as importantly, for unexpected findings); examines the external brain (removed by the MA); reviews the gross findings with the supervising pathologist after the case; prepares the initial draft of the preliminary report; dictates the gross autopsy report; performs detailed dissection and sampling of heart and brain, as necessary; blocks all routine tissues as well as heart and brain and dictates findings for all routine tissues as well as for both heart and brain, as is appropriate for the case; presents the case history and gross findings at autopsy rounds; blocks all tissues including heart and brain and dictates specific portions of the report related to heart and brain; and lastly, compiles all reports and slides and delivers all to the pathologist in timely fashion.
It is not the MSc PA grads who are to blame (obviously); it is the program.  The program is run primarily (from a curriculum standpoint) by the pathologist(s) at the site(s).  The problem, or so it seems, is that pathologists want PAs to be MAs, not true assistants.  I'd love to see the programs train the PAs to apply the medical and pathological knowledge which they have presumably been taught so that they can competently handle surgical pathology specimens, to autopsy.  In fact, PAs should gain the knowledge gleaned from autopsy BEFORE performing gross descriptions of surgical specimens.  This is the traditional method for training of pathology Residents and it ought to apply to PAs also, for exactly the same reasons.
PAs exist.  Use them.  Don't hold back; train them to their fullest capabilities.

North Korea's successful missile launch

N. Korea saying publically that they've launched a weather satellite is like hearing Japan say that they're killing whales for "scientific" purposes.  What a crock.  I hope I'm mistaken.

PAs way out here in _________

I just thought it was time to declare to all those who bother to listen that we've landed one of the best PAs that I've seen in quite a long time.  There were 6 open positions at the time and we were very fortunate to convince her to try us out.  She's a grad of Western U -- I definitely have a connection there -- and is obviously well trained.  She's smart and a quick learner and, while admitting that there is much yet for her to experience, she has added a new, higher standard to the gross room.  Her level of enthusism is very welcome.  I'm glad that we've finally begun autopsies -- since that's her major penchant -- so that she can get heavily involved in that part of our practice as soon as possible.   I think that she and her colleagues are learning much from each other.  It's a treat to watch as each individual develops and grows.  I am feeling a new level of confidence that the PAs way out here have a secure future, even after I [finally] call it a day.

A great first week

There were two autopsies this week and some really neat findings but the thing that topped off the week was our first autopsy rounds (Friday at noon) which were attended by several pathologists, all of the PAs, one Cardiologist, a few Med Lab students and a big bunch of Medical school students.  There was a great exchange of knowledge and information and a generally high level of enthusiasm amongst all who attended.  I hope the Meds students didn't feel too much 'on the spot' when quizzed; we want them to feel welcome (and to return to future rounds).

We met with the regional Coroner and 2 other Coroners this week; introduced ourselves all around and ironed out a number of details.  We're looking forward to beginning Coroner's cases in the latter part of November.

We've discussed the wording of the job description for the Morgue Attendant and hope to get the posting up soon (my old body can't take the beating much longer!).