Andrea Llanes (first year PA student, class of 2020) shares her experience in forensic pathology at the Forensic Services and Coroner's Complex.
What LP did you do? I completed an LP in forensic pathology at the Forensic Services and Coroner's Complex. Forensic pathologists are physicians who are responsible for determining the cause and manner of death by performing an autopsy and evaluating the patient’s medical history. How did you go about contacting and arranging the LP? I heard about the placement from a University of Toronto PA student. She kindly connected me with the assistant manager who was in charge of scheduling student placements (contact MPASA for details). Unlike most LPs that we arrange individually, this site allows 5-7 students for each shift - so they arranged two 8-hour shifts for me and six other classmates. What did you learn from the LP? Performing an autopsy requires a thorough understanding of anatomy and physiology, and our preceptors willingly answered our questions about what to look for when examining different organs. Nonetheless, despite a comprehensive autopsy, some cases may remain inconclusive, which then requires samples to be collected from the body for further analysis under a microscope. I was eager to learn about forensic pathology because it is so different from the clinical aspect of medicine, which involves a lot of patient interaction. Instead, pathologists and pathologist assistants take a retrospective approach to patient care by determining possible causes of death based on their medical history and autopsy findings. Apart from the medical knowledge I gained through this placement, I learned to appreciate the work that they do to ensure that patients and their families are provided proper care even after a patient’s death. What do you wish you had known beforehand to help in your LP? It would have been helpful to review post-mortem changes (changes that occur in the body shortly after death) and what information they provide about the patient. Apart from that, given that it involved working with deceased patients, we really needed to be mentally and emotionally prepared prior to the placement – but also understand that it is normal and acceptable to feel overwhelmed by the experience. How has this experience helped you clinically, in class, and/or in career decision-making? I learned a lot about anatomy and physiology from these two days of placement which, in my opinion, is incomparable to learning from a textbook. We also saw real examples of some conditions we’ve discussed in class (eg. pulmonary embolism, atherosclerosis, cardiomegaly, hepatomegaly). Now, every time I review a disease and its pathophysiology, I have a clearer understanding of how it may present in the human body. Comments are closed.
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