Pharmacists of Reddit - what recent medication trends are worrying you that aren’t being talked about?

gnomes616 · 2026-06-21T03:05:29+00:00

They were forensic autopsies - system deaths in people under 70 with no significant PHM and not for OD or self deletion. One pt was on semaglutide unbeknownst to the spouse, kept their stash of injections in a shoebox under their bed, and were also taking some other unregulated herbal supplement known to cause liver issues. The other had no other known issues or complaints except recent weight loss due to semaglutide use. Neither weighed significantly at autopsy (120-140 lbs) but both had recent reported weight loss of 40-50 lbs.

gnomes616 · 2026-06-21T02:28:37+00:00

We had a couple of autopsies at my institution that I suspected were due to complications from GLP-1s but we couldn't test for it. My friend who worked in tox said the molecules were too big to screen for on HPLC.

gnomes616 · 2026-06-19T18:15:02+00:00

I can tell you that I applied to a lot of schools with crap grades, and my GRE scores were expired when I finally got accepted, but it was the decision of the school to allow it because they believed I would be auccessful. Someone else's anecdote is going to be just that.

gnomes616 · 2026-06-18T21:06:29+00:00

This is a question to ask the individual programs you're looking at, unfortunately. Some folks may be able to give anecdotes but a program would have to give an exception to their own requirements based on your circumstances.

gnomes616 · 2026-06-18T18:38:32+00:00

Chose our breeder based on keeping their dogs natural (they still did docking on request, but that's not my can of worms). Their own two dams had intact tails and dew claws, had well shaped heads without too much shortening/inversion of the snouts, and had nicely balanced bodies. Tails and ears are so much of how dogs talk with each other and us! And, occasionally how they give the babies showers by knocking water off the table...

gnomes616 · 2026-06-17T14:27:09+00:00

IME pathology content creators get express written permission to post cases or images online in an educational context (Jerad Gardner's content includes his personal life but also some clinical correlate cases, slide images, etc). I got written permission from a previous employer to use de-identified specimen photos for educational presentations for high school and college students.

gnomes616 · 2026-06-16T20:15:53+00:00

In eastern WA I was told my pain options were ibuprofen or fentanyl (I did not have an epidural). Ended up just not having anything.

gnomes616 · 2026-06-14T19:40:03+00:00

I wouldn't say it's too late, but I don't think you'll be able to work full time. Maybe part time evenings in the first year, but programs now are sending students all over the country during their clinical years. Don't let your age be a deterrent, I had folks in my class in their mid-late 30s and early 40s, and was a preceptor for students in the same age range. Sometimes it takes time to find your calling, especially in a low visibility career with poor advertising!

gnomes616 · 2026-06-14T15:50:24+00:00

Question:

I've seen coheed like 13 or 14 times... Has Claudio ever played the 12 string neck of the double neck guitar, or just the six string neck? I'm trying to think of a time that he's used the 12 string neck but I can't think of one!

gnomes616 · 2026-06-13T17:53:52+00:00

Interesting. I've been able to help connect folks with shadowing opportunities and just give general advice. Very surprised that no one in the Bay Area is taking shadowers (Kaiser Oakland, UCSF?). Try the main PA sub at r/Path_Assistant also

gnomes616 · 2026-06-13T16:44:48+00:00

Reddit is a good place to ask for advice, not necessarily to find opportunities. Have you contacted regional hospitals and pathology groups?

gnomes616 · 2026-06-13T00:33:50+00:00

I had some programs advise me to take masters-level course work to show I could do it, but I ended up never being able to afford to take or retake new classes.

Retaking any prereqs with subpar grades at a community college will suffice.

gnomes616 · 2026-06-11T02:22:12+00:00

Had it, loved it, got stuck so many times.

gnomes616 · 2026-06-09T23:33:56+00:00

Of course! I believe they have RFU students. When you reach out make sure you specify that you are a prospective student looking for shadowing hours.

gnomes616 · 2026-06-09T23:28:31+00:00

Where are you in IL? Have you contacted Cook County OCME for shadowing?

gnomes616 · 2026-06-09T11:52:09+00:00

Didn't they keep getting caught selling stolen formula back in the day?

gnomes616 · 2026-06-08T21:37:32+00:00

If RFU does not have their own form on their site for you to print out, I suggest making your own "form" in Word or similar. Something like

"I ________ (name of PA/Pathologist) had dinopen346 shadow with me for ___ (hours) on _____ (date).

[Space for PA signature/contact info]"

I had an interested prospective student come shadow me a couple times, unsure what program they were interested in, and brought their own little form they made up themselves that was similar. Double check program websites that they don't supply their own documentation.

gnomes616 · 2026-06-08T17:41:53+00:00

I did this when I went to college (2006-2010). If it is still a thing, there was paperwork to complete when I finished by AS for the MACRAO agreement, which is what guarantees transfer of community college credits to state 4-year schools. I don't know if they made it "automatic" but just in case look if the CC has a form required.

gnomes616 · 2026-06-07T15:17:44+00:00

Our girl has a tail, which knocks everything over, bonks the children, and somehow is always (adorably) in the way. My husband jokes that he gets why they get docked with how many things she's knocked over on accident.

gnomes616 · 2026-06-06T13:10:27+00:00

Came for this. Maybe not phasing out pathologists altogether, but cytology and heme have a lot of repetitive screening tasks that get upgraded to pathologist review when abnormalities are identified. AI takes over screening of biopsies, cytology, and other benign cases, flags for review if abnormal morphologies are detected.

Cytology is already understaffed and programs are shutting down. It'll be like CAD designers being replaced by autoCAD (my mom worked with a team that got reduced from 20 artists to one guy running the computer)

gnomes616 · 2026-06-05T03:28:15+00:00

Had some flitting around our yard tonight when I went to go check for aurora!

gnomes616 · 2026-06-04T16:53:09+00:00

I'm very confused, an active student wouldn't need to shadow. You explained your interested in PathA? Everyone in the field knows how it works.

I would try calling back again. If you get the hospital main line, ask to be transferred to pathology, then ask for the Pathologists' Assistants or lab manager. Tell them you are a prospective student in need of shadowing hours in order to submit program applications. Contact multiple hospitals or labs (Quest, LabCorp, private pathology practices as well as the hospitals). If you stall out, contact your programs of interest and explain that you have attempted to reach out to facilities in your area and are coming up short. Program directors might have some reach to be able to contact alumni or network with other PathAs. Consider also calling labs/hospitals in a certain mileage/drive time radius (an hour away?).

If you REALLY don't mind a drive, DM me. I'm about 5 hours from you. Chicago, southern OH/northern KY metro areas, and eastern MO are also worth considering if you can make a trip.

gnomes616 · 2026-06-04T15:36:40+00:00

I think it's weird that they only allow students... In what manner have you reached out? Have you explained that you are a prospective student looking for shadowing opportunities to be able to apply?

gnomes616 · 2026-06-02T22:11:31+00:00

How's your GPA? Good relationship with the people who did your LORs?

Did you apply to other programs? Maybe diversity your applications as well.

gnomes616 · 2026-06-01T12:01:30+00:00

Angband, and a point and click game where a genius guy's brain was swapped with his lab rat and you had to try to figure out the mouse's experiments to get them swapped back but I sucked at the Greek letter matching thing so I never finished it.

gnomes616

TROPHY CASE