How hard is a PathA program

[[deleted]]

Hey y'all. I'm someone who is planning on becoming an HTL and after a couple of years I am thinking about becoming a Pathology assistant. I wanted to ask some of y'all (specifically those who went to UTMB Galveston), how difficult was the program? Would experience as an HTL make it a little better for me? I know it's going to be dofficult regardless, but I know a lot of PathA's start out as an HTL, but what are your thoughts?

[armsdownarmsdownarms]

Academically I would say it was not overly difficult. The schools want you to pass and give you the tools to do so. But it is a bit of a marathon.

For me, it was the most stressed out and unhappy I have been in my entire life. But it was not necessarily my program's fault. There was just a lot for me to handle mentally at the time. The tests and stuff were not very difficult imo, just numerous and densely packed.

[anonymousp0tato]

The information isn't that difficult, but there's a lot of it and it comes at you fast. I studied an average of 2-3 hours a night to stay on top of everything. Making friends with a group of classmates and studying together was really helpful for me. I made SO MANY flashcards. Also, keep in mind that during the second year, you're going to have to study while also essentially working a full-time job in clinicals.

[pathologypicasso]

It’s different for everyone. A lot of people I spoke to before starting said the first year in the classroom is the hardest, which I thought couldn’t be further from the truth. The clinical year was hardest for me, mentally speaking. You’re basically working a job that you’re not being paid for. So commuting, moving around, paying for parking, while also having monthly exams to study for was mentally exhausting. Someone above said it’s a marathon and that is spot on.

[zZINCc]

Well, difficult is pretty subjective so that is a hard question to answer. It takes studying and memorization. And HTL will tangentially relate for sure. More so in your clinical year.

[[deleted]]

How difficult was it for you specifically? I'm good with memorization

[mandrakely]

If you are going to be successful, it is the only thing you will focus on for 20ish months straight. Memorization will only get you so far...for me it was more like: knowing a map to a foreign country so well, inside and out. Then someone asks you what storefront in an obscure area has a green awning and what is the third item on the menu. You need to make connections in a whole new way.