AAPA Student Committee

"We at the AAPA Student Committee have been continuing to work during this uncertain time, and we want to update the student and fellow members about what we have been up to.  As part of the Student Committee, we recruit members to act as liaisons between individual programs and the AAPA.  These members play an important role in communicating with the AAPA and the committee in order to best serve the needs of the student members.  We hope that we are able to shed a little light on the variety of changes students are facing during these uncertain times, and we hope to provide some consistency in an otherwise unpredictable time.

We recently had our bi-annual meeting with Program Representatives from all accredited PA programs in the US and Canada.  At this meeting, we discussed a variety of topics pertaining to current and past projects, such as the Interview Techniques Webinar we held this past March.  This meeting aims to provide an advocacy medium for all students to discuss concerns, questions, and shape upcoming projects the student committee puts together.  Among our topics was a discussion on how different programs have changed in light of the pandemic.  For students not entering the clinical phase of their program, all learning has shifted to an online format to continue virtual, socially distant learning.  Many students have pre-recorded lectures or live Zoom conference calls to complete the remainder of the semester.  For students in the clinical phase, the vast majority of programs have pulled students from clinical sites and supplemented learning with a variety of activities from lectures to virtual grossing and projects.

We strive to provide a diverse set of relevant resources specific to the needs of Pathologists’ Assistant students in their first and second years, including CV and interview assistance, board exam preparation, and gross dissection technique.  As mentioned, we recently have been providing resources to enhance student professional development with our webinar discussing interview techniques.  We also have been bridging the gap between the classroom and the real world for PA students via our social media presence.

The student committee has been active on social media on a consistent basis during these irregular and uncertain times.  Our very popular ‘grossing at home’ series on social media outlined some creative ways to use common products at home to simulate grossing.  Skin specimens with paper cut-outs, appendix specimens with green beans, and gallbladders with balloons all highlighted our basic introduction to the concept.  We moved on to some more interesting examples such as limes to simulate prostates, small mushrooms to simulate snared polyps, and dehydrated fruit for cervical cones.  We were even able to take suggestions from our followers on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and as a result we added additional tutorials for simulating a larynx with a toilet paper roll, a whipple with play-dough, and a mandible resection with folded paper.

During our meetings over the past weeks, we also discussed additional resources for students and fellow PAs that we wanted to share.  Free grossing tutorials from Weill-Cornell Medicine are available online and show a variety of common to complex specimens.  The AAPA has provided student members with complimentary access to continuing education lectures from the 2013-2017 Fall Conferences and had previously opened up free student member access to the Certification Exam Prep Course.  Also mentioned by our Program Representatives were lectures from Gross Cutting Room and Sarah Garner, PA(ASCP)^CM available on YouTube, as well as the National Cancer Institute Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program available online.

The Student Committee is always looking for passionate students who are committed to advancing the profession to contribute to our committee.  Positions on our committee will be available within the coming months.  We also are planning a roundtable to provide an open forum for students interested in volunteering with the AAPA to ask questions in June.  We will be discussing the different positions on our committee and can answer questions regarding the Program Representative program as well.  As previously mentioned, Program Representatives are recruited from each NACCLS accredited school to act as a connection between their specific student body and the AAPA.  These positions will be available early Fall 2020.  We at the Student Committee hope everyone in the PA community is staying safe and healthy and encourage you to follow and interact with us on our social media networks."

Twitter: @AAPAstudents
Facebook: @AAPAStudentCommittee
Instagram: @AAPAstudents

PA Student, Class of 2020

"As a second year student with a graduation set for June, this has been an experience that I wouldn't quite wish on any practicing students.  This is supposed to be a time of celebration: we have jobs lined up and are ready to graduate.  But it doesn't feel like a time of excitement.  I haven't seen my classmates or mentors in over a month.  Our graduation has been canceled, and we won't get to walk across that stage or get to say goodbye to our alma mater.  I miss the gross room and my coworkers.  I miss being a PA student.

Many of our mentors and colleagues have stepped up to help students whose rotations have been affected.  Videos, study guides, streaming cases, and suggested routes of study have been supplied by many PAs on social media and from our rotation sites.  To all of you, I am grateful.  But while many of our colleagues have offered suggestions for how to move forward with 'at home' technical training, I know that many echo the concerns that are rattling around in our own brains.  Will they be ready?  Can we trust them to handle these cases?  Their training just isn't the same.  Their universities must be giving them a pass because of the situation... you are not the only ones feeling this way.

When I pictured graduation, there is one characteristic I was looking forward to gaining the most: confidence.  This job is not an easy one, but I love what I do.  Working alongside PAs for a few months has launched my colleagues and I ahead in ways that I still don't believe.  Where I was a few months ago to now...it’s incredible.  I felt challenged every day that I was in the gross room or the morgue.  I lived for the days when something new was placed on my bench.  The days when I was most challenged were the days I learned the most.

The challenges we face are different these days.  It is difficult to understand orientation when looking at a still photo provided in our assignments.  The cases we practice dictating come from our monthly case conferences, meaning they are some of the most complicated we can find.  Our classes are still ongoing; e-learning has been hard for all of us.  Your concerns are valid, but I ask for compassion, for all of us learning through it.  Any worry you've had for our preparedness, we have stared at the ceiling, losing sleep over, for weeks.  I assure you; we would rather be at that gross bench than staying at home.

But we will persevere.  We will continue reading, studying, and absorbing what information we can.  We shall continue to push ourselves to be the professionals that you expect from our institutions.  We will be an asset to this profession and to our future employers.

If you are a graduating student this year, allow me to offer a genuine congratulations.  We all know how difficult this plan of study can be, and we as students have had to overcome challenges that no one could have seen coming from a mile away, but we are going to do this.  We are going to be a class unlike any other, and I want to congratulate you on getting through this difficult situation.  I cannot wait to see what each of you adds to this profession.

For our mentors who are still working on the front lines of the response to this pandemic, thank you, and I wish we could be there with you.  We thank you for your support and patience during this time, and we can't wait to join you in just a few short months.  Be healthy, and we'll see you on the other side."

Jason "Jay" Innerhofer, MHS, PA(ASCP)^CM
AAPA member since 2002

"Bienvenidos from Albuquerque!  I am a senior pathologists’ assistant working for a pathology group that provides services to several different hospitals and a reference laboratory in Albuquerque, NM.  Our governor just extended the stay-at-home order through May 15, 2020.  Our state is currently working to develop a phased reopening plan for our economy, which will include how businesses will protect employees and customers.  This will be a long process, as New Mexico is not predicted to hit the 'peak' of the virus until early May.

There have been quite a few significant changes at the hospitals.  We are currently working with a skeleton crew, as our schedule includes only surgeries and procedures that are deemed essential.  At the start of the pandemic, I was asked to develop a procedure on how to manage fresh specimens sent to pathology from the operating room from diagnosed and/or suspected COVID-19 patients.  The updated procedure pertained specifically to lung, oro/nasopharyngeal, and bowel specimens.  The procedure was carefully adopted by all departments to ensure consistency and uniformity when handling specimens.

My new normal is most likely quite similar to others working in our field.  When entering the building, I am asked to show my badge, my temperature must be taken, and I am required to answer specific questions about any symptoms I may be experiencing.  I am then offered a mask, as they have recently become a requirement when working.  An extra precaution taken at one of the hospitals I work at is the use of an ultraviolet light to help disinfect the gross room before we begin working.

As the lead PA responsible for providing training and education, this unique situation has provided me the opportunity to designate more time towards my obligations for the pathologists' assistant students at Rosalind Franklin University and the pathology residents at the University of New Mexico.  One challenge I have been focused on recently is how to reduce the need to have our pathologists enter the frozen section room to view specimens.  Currently, the PAs have been fitted with N95 masks, but most of the pathologists have not.  This obstacle will most likely be solved through the use of technology and telepathology I am currently working on.

This unprecedented time in recent history has surely given me quite a few difficulties to overcome, not only professionally, but personally, as well.  Of particular concern are my elderly parents and my twin brother, who all fell ill last year with the flu and had to be hospitalized with near fatal pneumonia.  It is so vitally important for stay-at-home orders to be followed as much as possible to protect people like my parents, who are more susceptible to COVID-19.  My wife and I feel so incredibly thankful to work in 'essential' positions during this time, as we know others are not as fortunate and are suffering significant economic devastation.  Although our new normal at home can only be described as controlled chaos with virtual learning and online classes for our two children, and speech-language therapy services being given online by my wife, we certainly find so many things to be grateful for during this time.  I can’t help but appreciate a calmer, less busy way of life during my drive to and from work.  I enjoy seeing so many families exercising outdoors on our beautiful hiking trails and bike paths, all while upholding rules of social distancing.  My family and I also look forward to Friday nights, when we support a local brewery/pizzeria in town by ordering carry out.  It’s always important to find the silver lining!"

Shelbey Richey
AAPA student member since 2019

"As a first-year student in a Pathologists’ Assistant program, along with many others across the country, COVID-19 has drastically changed my educational experience.  Instead of getting hands-on experience touching organs and observing various disease states of tissues in the gross room or morgue with a professional, we now rely on self-study materials such as WebPath and Aperio to observe specimens and look at histology slides.  These resources are used in addition to our didactic courses that have been coordinated with the lecturing pathologists and residents.  Our lectures are now given 'live', but online through Blackboard Collaborate Ultra.

Prior to mid-March, my classes would meet in person four times a week, Tuesday through Friday.  The most intensive course we are currently taking is Systemic Pathology.  For this class, we would meet Wednesday for a two-hour lecture, and Friday for a two-hour lecture followed by a one-hour lab where we would get to review patient specimens exhibiting the pathologies we discussed during lecture that week.  The most difficult change to deal with is the loss of our hands-on practice with the actual patient tissues.  A classmate of mine, Jessie, also wrote about the changes to our program, and she is absolutely right in saying we cannot wait for things to get back to normal so we can work with actual specimens again!

Like many PAs, I was first certified as an MLS before starting graduate school.  During my program, I decided to continue working in the Microbiology department at the same university hospital where most of the lectures for PA school were held prior to going online.  The laboratory went through several changes at the start of the outbreak, especially regarding personal protective equipment (PPE) use and conservation.  In the beginning, we were performing respiratory virus panel testing on patients under investigation (PUI) for COVID-19 using a mask, yellow paper gown, gloves, and biosafety cabinet (BSC); within weeks of changing to the extensive PPE requirements, the laboratory went back to general PPE use, only gloves, gown, and BSC.  Now we have new regulations in place that make wearing a mask mandatory if you are on hospital grounds, and our yellow gowns for molecular testing have been redistributed to the 'front lines' like the ER and units with positive COVID patients.  To compensate, we ordered two more cloth lab coats for each employee and designated a single mask to be kept and reused for each shift.  I currently work every other weekend, which means each time I come in I must learn a new procedure for specimen handling and analysis for COVID.  Basically, over the past several months since the start of the pandemic, my laboratory makes changes and updates to the procedure for handling and performing testing on COVID-19 specimens on a daily basis.

It’s incredible to read everyone’s experiences and find the similarities and differences in how the situation is being handled.  Thank you so much for sharing, and as always, stay safe, stay healthy, and keep washing your hands!"

We want to hear from you!  During this time of isolation, now more than ever we need to see and hear from our PA community!  How is COVID-19 affecting your work?  What tips and tricks have you found useful?  How are you using this time to promote pathologists' assistants?  Send us a summary describing your "new normal", along with one or two high-resolution photos, and your story may be featured next (read previous features here).  Or, if you have any COVID-19 resources to add to our list, please pass them along.  Remember, we are all in this together, and the AAPA will be here to support you throughout this crisis and beyond.

Would you like to be featured in ASCP BOC’s new campaign?  As a tie in with Lab Week, the ASCP BOC is seeking to honor the heroic efforts of laboratory professionals from around the world who are engaged in the fight against COVID-19.  They are asking for pictures, stories, and/or videos that can be shared on their social media channels throughout this crisis.  Click here to learn more; submit your story to joseph.baker@ascp.org.

Submission guidelines: There are no strict submission guidelines or criteria (submissions can be about anything people are doing to combat COVID-19).  But some examples of what you could send are: how laboratory workers are keeping themselves safe, how they are encouraging good hygiene and hand washing, how they are using humor to relieve stress, how they are raising awareness of the medical laboratory profession in the midst of this pandemic, etc.

Christopher Bannwarth, PA(ASCP)^CM
AAPA member since 2000

"Greetings from San Antonio!  Like most across the nation, our city has adopted a Stay Home, Work Safe Order, which has been in effect for some time now.  We get daily updates from our mayor, which include any changes to those orders, the latest of which includes that all people are required to wear a face covering when in public, with a few exceptions.  The hospital where I work also requires us to wear a mask at all times, except in our case, when we are grossing.  There are only a few select open entrances into the hospital now, where upon entering, our temperature is also taken.  No visitors are allowed.  Only essential surgeries are allowed at this time, which has significantly reduced our daily grossing volume.  However, just last Friday our governor announced that elective surgeries will be able to resume next week.  Another new addition to my hospital is an overhead speaker alert 'Transport Team in Progress', which warns those in the hospital that a COVID-19 patient is being transported out of the ER to a hospital room, and to steer clear of the area until completed.  There are many changes happening to help keep us all safe and healthy.

But more noticeable to me in our hospital are the things that are not happening.  The halls are usually bustling with employees, patients, and physicians who routinely greet each other with a beaming smile and promote a warm sense of community.  Our CEO even makes it a point to visit each department to observe the daily routine and get to know the faces of those who help to keep the hospital running, often on a first name basis with most of them.  Due to the COVID-19 restrictions, the hallways are virtually empty, the cafeteria is quiet, and I have to imagine the smile behind the mask of the person I am greeting in the hallway.  Most of the usual things that create that sense of community cannot happen right now.  For now, I’ll wash my hands often, as I always have done, and hope to soon see the warm, pearly white smiles of everyone as we pass by.

To help stay healthy and sane at home, my wife and I have a home gym, thankfully, as all the public gyms are closed.  We also have the best medicine for any illness – a fluffy golden retriever, Molly, who will melt your heart and make you smile as soon as you walk through the door at the end of a long day.  I count my blessings and am thankful to have a great job and to be a part of such an essential profession.  Stay safe and be well!"

We want to hear from you!  During this time of isolation, now more than ever we need to see and hear from our PA community!  How is COVID-19 affecting your work?  What tips and tricks have you found useful?  How are you using this time to promote pathologists' assistants?  Send us a summary describing your "new normal", along with one or two high-resolution photos, and your story may be featured next (read previous features here).  Or, if you have any COVID-19 resources to add to our list, please pass them along.  Remember, we are all in this together, and the AAPA will be here to support you throughout this crisis and beyond.

Would you like to be featured in ASCP BOC’s new campaign?  As a tie in with Lab Week, the ASCP BOC is seeking to honor the heroic efforts of laboratory professionals from around the world who are engaged in the fight against COVID-19.  They are asking for pictures, stories, and/or videos that can be shared on their social media channels throughout this crisis.  Click here to learn more; submit your story to joseph.baker@ascp.org.

Submission guidelines: There are no strict submission guidelines or criteria (submissions can be about anything people are doing to combat COVID-19).  But some examples of what you could send are: how laboratory workers are keeping themselves safe, how they are encouraging good hygiene and hand washing, how they are using humor to relieve stress, how they are raising awareness of the medical laboratory profession in the midst of this pandemic, etc.

Charlene Gettings, PA(ASCP)^CM
AAPA member since 2010

"My experience with the COVID-19 pandemic comes from the perspective of a laboratory manager at an academic hospital in Chicago.  Our Hospital Incident Command System (HICS) was activated in mid-January.  Part of that activation included establishing a resource center on our internal intranet page wherein all our COVID-19 communications are consolidated.  This was extremely helpful since the HICS Update emails increased from a few sent sporadically in early March to multiple e-mails sent daily by mid-March.  This was an overwhelming situation that left little time to digest the disseminated message and factually explain the practicalities and impact to our laboratories’ personnel.

By mid-March, our workload census decreased dramatically because of cancellations of elective procedures and the postponement of cancer surgeries.  Meanwhile, we implemented a number of 'low census' activities such as SOP revisions and creations, cross training, completion of competency assessments, updating training materials, organizing and cleaning all workspaces, scanning a backlog of paperwork, organizing files on the shared drives, organizing legal specimen storage, filing of slides and blocks, slide send-backs, CAP preparation, providing support to the microbiology lab (in-house testing for COVID-19), etc.  We were still 'essential' employees coming to work each day to follow our usual schedules while waiting for other areas of the hospital to stabilize as the decreased census had a domino effect and didn’t halt all areas at once.  However, the dictate to social distance and work from home recommendations issued by the HICS Updates, combined with the Governor of Illinois’ declaration to 'shelter in place' on March 20th took a final toll on staff.  Tensions ran high in the labs until we implemented our rotating 'reserve' schedules.

Aside from my daily responsibilities as a manager, and although COVID-19 activities took on a major focus, there were many other pressing tasks that needed my attention.  In early February to mid-March, a local Teamsters election took place involving laboratory staff and other 'technical' positions across the hospital with the outcome of the vote having a direct impact on my area.  The end of February and early March included preparation for the annual USCAP meeting and exhibiting at the AAPA booth.  As the climate of the COVID crisis evolved, I had to tell PAs that they could no longer attend the AAPA Spring Meeting.  As an AAPA volunteer and member of the BOT, this was not an easy task that also needed attention.  However, my most overwhelming responsibility was the completion and relocation of our entire morgue and autopsy operations to a newly reconstructed space, a project that was over a year in the making.  (Read More)"

We want to hear from you!  During this time of isolation, now more than ever we need to see and hear from our PA community!  How is COVID-19 affecting your work?  What tips and tricks have you found useful?  How are you using this time to promote pathologists' assistants?  Send us a summary describing your "new normal", along with one or two high-resolution photos, and your story may be featured next (read previous features here).  Or, if you have any COVID-19 resources to add to our list, please pass them along.  Remember, we are all in this together, and the AAPA will be here to support you throughout this crisis and beyond.

Would you like to be featured in ASCP BOC’s new campaign?  As a tie in with Lab Week, the ASCP BOC is seeking to honor the heroic efforts of laboratory professionals from around the world who are engaged in the fight against COVID-19.  They are asking for pictures, stories, and/or videos that can be shared on their social media channels throughout this crisis.  Click here to learn more; submit your story to joseph.baker@ascp.org.

Submission guidelines: There are no strict submission guidelines or criteria (submissions can be about anything people are doing to combat COVID-19).  But some examples of what you could send are: how laboratory workers are keeping themselves safe, how they are encouraging good hygiene and hand washing, how they are using humor to relieve stress, how they are raising awareness of the medical laboratory profession in the midst of this pandemic, etc.

Drew Sciacca, PA(ASCP)^CM
AAPA member since 2012

"Within the anatomic pathology departments throughout the M Health Fairview system, there is a daily call-in meeting at 8:30 a.m. led by our System Operations Director, which helps communicate COVID-19 information to all labs and locations.  Information shared includes number of cases within our state and health care system, key specimens the infectious prevention department has labeled as requiring additional precautionary PPE, as well as sharing questions regarding staffing changes.

Patients testing positive for COVID-19 within the health care system are moved to a short-term acute care hospital that was retrofitted from a long-term care hospital allowing for all patients to have specialty intensive care in a single location.  Current specimens within the gross room that are handled with additional precautionary measures include lung specimens, intestinal resections, and oral and nasal cavity specimens.  When these are received, the specimens are handled within our biosafety cabinet (BSC), wearing standard PPE (impermeable gown, gloves, and eyewear) and N95 masks.  Any specimens not able to be handled within the BSC are handled at regular grossing stations with standard PPE, N95 mask, and face shield.  Updated policies concerning specimen handling are sent in a document that is updated frequently with any new changes or pertinent information.  Also, to increase communication between the ORs and gross room, any infection with COVID-19 and TB, in addition to any isolation status, will be listed on the received requisition.  The N95 masks used when handling these specimens are stored for later use in individual paper bags.  For residents, fellows, and PAs who despise shaving daily like myself, we have looked into ordering PAPRs that will be stored for readily available lab use and not take the limited amount our supply chain has available.

Typically at the University campus, the five PAs will cover three different gross rooms; however, with the reduction in elective surgeries, one site closed their ORs resulting in no longer staffing the gross room.  For any clinics that remained open at this site, a courier was set up to bring specimens to the main lab on campus.  On the remaining two sites, elective surgeries have greatly reduced with an initial slight drop in larger cancer resections.  However, over the past three weeks a new standard of cases has been established.  The schedule is adapted weekly to meet these needs while complying with social distancing by assigning individual office hours, placing two PAs and a resident in the main campus lab and single PA within the second lab.  Scheduled office hours and downtime within the lab has resulted in time to update our photo database available for pathologist’s lectures at the medical school, revise all upcoming resident lectures given by PAs, plan the July introduction month for residents, examine all sections of the grossing manual making appropriate edits and additions, and start/finish projects that are necessarily delayed during busier times.  The autopsy service during this time continues to remain at a normal level, and testing for COVID-19 is done on a case-by-case basis, based on the clinical history of the deceased.  Our facility is not equipped to handle any positive COVID-19 cases, but regardless of the test result, all autopsies require wearing a N95 mask in addition to our standard PPE.  Currently, we are examining ways to expand our morgue cooler storage in preparation for a higher demand.  

Additional changes within our department have included remote work waiver approval for the pathologists where nearly all of the slides are viewed through whole slide imaging and signed out remotely.  Our residency program also has formed platoons where one week out of three they will be present within the lab rotating within the gross room and autopsy service, as well as assisting in signing out cases.  The other two weeks the residents are able to view the slides remotely, assist in signing out cases, and attend educational meetings directed by the pathologists through video communication software.

Outside of work, I am grateful that even with the stay-at-home order for the state, the city of Minneapolis has responded by closing down streets around lakes and along the Mississippi River in order for others to remain active while keeping social distance.  Personally, the pandemic has resulted in the high possibility of cancelling my wedding scheduled for the beginning of June.  As disappointing as this may seem, I must remind myself of all the challenges others are going through during this difficult time and how grateful I am to work with a cohesive, adaptive PA group.  Hope everyone in the PA community is staying safe and healthy!"

We want to hear from you!  During this time of isolation, now more than ever we need to see and hear from our PA community!  How is COVID-19 affecting your work?  What tips and tricks have you found useful?  How are you using this time to promote pathologists' assistants?  Send us a summary describing your "new normal", along with one or two high-resolution photos, and your story may be featured next (read previous features here).  Or, if you have any COVID-19 resources to add to our list, please pass them along.  Remember, we are all in this together, and the AAPA will be here to support you throughout this crisis and beyond.

Would you like to be featured in ASCP BOC’s new campaign?  As a tie in with Lab Week, the ASCP BOC is seeking to honor the heroic efforts of laboratory professionals from around the world who are engaged in the fight against COVID-19.  They are asking for pictures, stories, and/or videos that can be shared on their social media channels throughout this crisis.  Click here to learn more; submit your story to joseph.baker@ascp.org.

Submission guidelines: There are no strict submission guidelines or criteria (submissions can be about anything people are doing to combat COVID-19).  But some examples of what you could send are: how laboratory workers are keeping themselves safe, how they are encouraging good hygiene and hand washing, how they are using humor to relieve stress, how they are raising awareness of the medical laboratory profession in the midst of this pandemic, etc.

Jessie O’Donnell
AAPA student member since 2019

"Although I am not yet a working pathologists’ assistant, as a current PA student, COVID-19 has also created a new normal for me.  I am a first-year student at the University of Maryland, Baltimore.  Like most universities across the country, all of our didactic classes have been moved to an online format for the remainder of the semester.  Several of my classmates, including myself, have left the area for the time being to return home and be with family.  Although it can be difficult to focus on schoolwork at home, I think we are all making the best of it.

My classmates and I are taking three classes this semester: lab management, physiology, and systemic pathology.  The most challenging class we are in right now is by far systemic pathology.  Our lecturers are various residents and attendings in the pathology department who have been gracious enough to continue our learning experience by giving us live lectures through Blackboard Collaborate.  We can interact with them and ask questions, which I think has helped all of us stay connected and engaged in our studies.  Normally, in addition to lectures, we would go into the lab and see specimens of each of the pathologies we have been learning about, but unfortunately, the lab component for the class has been postponed.  I know we are all looking forward to going back to campus when this is all over and getting our hands dirty again!

The second-year students had about six weeks of rotations left when they were canceled.  Fortunately, they are all still set to graduate in May.  For the time being, they are at home finishing up their remaining graduation requirements including writing up a case study, doing CAP inspector training, filling out an autopsy competency list, editing a grossing manual they made last year, and writing up practice quizzes for my class.  Additionally, Carlen, our fantastic Associate Director, is working on sending them two to three cases a week so they can continue to practice dictating.  I know all the second-year students are disappointed to be missing out on their last several weeks at rotations, but all those I have talked to said they feel confident and ready to enter the workforce.  I think this speaks to how great our program is, but maybe I am a little biased.

I know these have been challenging times for all of us, but I just wanted to say thank you to all of you that continue to go to work every day.  I am grateful for the important work each of you are doing, and I am so excited to become a part of this amazing field.  I hope you all stay safe and healthy!"

We want to hear from you!  During this time of isolation, now more than ever we need to see and hear from our PA community!  How is COVID-19 affecting your work?  What tips and tricks have you found useful?  How are you using this time to promote pathologists' assistants?  Send us a summary describing your "new normal", along with one or two high-resolution photos, and your story may be featured next (read previous features here).  Or, if you have any COVID-19 resources to add to our list, please pass them along.  Remember, we are all in this together, and the AAPA will be here to support you throughout this crisis and beyond.

Beth Obertino-Norwood, PA(ASCP)^CM
AAPA member since 2005

"Hello all.  My journey through the COVID-19 crisis had been pretty similar to the stories I have heard from many of you.  After a flurry of a few very busy days preparing our hospital for the upcoming surge of patients, our specimen numbers dropped significantly, and I am having to find new and creative ways to fill my days.  Because of the limited number of COVID-19 tests available, we were getting emails every day about who qualified for testing.  Because of safety concerns, no more visitors were allowed in the hospital, and because of concerns for staffing and employee safety, all travel was restricted to within one hour of the hospital.  I understood the reasoning for each of these decisions, but everything became a little more real to me when our 29-year-old daughter living in Chicago got COVID-19.  Suddenly, I was not only looking at the restrictions with the eyes of a medical professional, but also with the eyes of a mother.

The shortage of tests meant that because our daughter is in her 20s and has no comorbid conditions (no asthma, no diabetes, etc.), is not in a working or living situation where she could infect others, and is not sick enough to be hospitalized (thank goodness!), she did not qualify for testing.  Her symptoms are classic, and we feel confident she has COVID-19, but she won’t be counted in the numbers of positive patients.  She is isolated in her home, and her doctor is watching her and treating her with the assumption that she has COVID-19.  I certainly would not want our daughter to have a test that could be better used on a healthcare worker or a more-at-risk patient, but I will admit that there was a 'what do you mean you won’t test her' reaction that I couldn’t help.

I do not expect our daughter to be hospitalized.  She is young, otherwise healthy, and statistics are on her side.  However, I am acutely aware of the fact that if she were to be hospitalized, we would not be allowed to visit her.  It makes my heart ache for all of the families that have loved ones in our hospital and can’t lay eyes on them or comfort them.

My daughter’s fiancé is with her and keeping a watchful eye on her.  Her doctor has been very responsive and is answering all questions and checking in.  She does not need our help, but I am overly cognizant of the fact that we are in separate cities with travel restrictions and exposure concerns preventing me from being part of her care if needed.  The isolation and separation that we were already dealing with now feels even worse.

I get an email from our hospital every day with the number of our current COVID-19 inpatients.  But now I am more aware of all of those people with COVID-19 who are managing their symptoms at home.  I feel grateful that they are not sick enough to warrant hospitalization or be on a ventilator but also understand that they, too, have scary and uncertain moments.  Just how bad does one’s breathing need to be before you call your doctor again?

As a medical professional, I understand all of this.  As a mother, I don’t like any of it!  None of us do.  I am so very grateful for Zoom and FaceTime so that we can keep in close contact with our children, friends, and family around our city, country, and world.

For now, I go to work, gross what cancer cases, biopsies, and placentas we have, and try to fill my days by being useful in other ways.  I am more caught up on QA reports and procedures than I have ever been, and my grossing station has had a good deep clean.  Although our surgical numbers are way down, I’m sure we will more than make up for them when elective surgery restrictions are lifted.  I don’t know what our new normal will look like, but I look forward to the day when life and work is back to a routine.  I especially look forward to seeing and hugging my children."

We want to hear from you!  During this time of isolation, now more than ever we need to see and hear from our PA community!  How is COVID-19 affecting your work?  What tips and tricks have you found useful?  How are you using this time to promote pathologists' assistants?  Send us a summary describing your "new normal", along with one or two high-resolution photos, and your story may be featured next (read previous features here).  Or, if you have any COVID-19 resources to add to our list, please pass them along.  Remember, we are all in this together, and the AAPA will be here to support you throughout this crisis and beyond.

Jill Johnson-Dare, MHS, PA(ASCP)^CM
AAPA member since 2008

"Hello PA Community!  I have enjoyed hearing how other PAs are dealing and adapting during the COVID-19 pandemic.  In the state of Colorado, we also have a stay-at-home order in effect, but, as we all know, pathology is an essential business, and cancer doesn’t stop for a pandemic.  Working for a large private practice that covers a broad geographical area, our volumes have decreased significantly, but the PA staff is still needed in the hospitals almost every day for coverage.  The cancer resections have not stopped.  We service two separate hospital systems, and it is interesting to see how differently this pandemic is managed.  This has also led our staff to need to keep up on daily changes in the recommended employee safety precautions based on what facility they are working in.

One system has limited entry points, nurses staffed at the entrances to take your temperature, and required periodic check-ins on the computers where you must verify that you are not experiencing any of the listed symptoms during your shift.  They have also approved the use of personal 'homemade' masks for staff that do not have direct patient contact.

The other health system requires hospital-issued masks to be worn at all times up until you walk out of the building.  To help conserve masks, they’ve set up a 'recycling system' for unsoiled PPE.  They’ve partnered with a manufacturer that reprocesses medical equipment and supplies.  This manufacturer will be able to reprocess the collected masks to augment supplies within the hospitals.  The reprocessed items are equivalent in efficacy to initial-use products, based upon existing FDA standards.  The medical staff also receives daily emails with COVID-19 related updates and to answer common questions.  These emails have been very helpful and reassuring to the pathology staff, since we are sometimes in our own little world in the gross room.

We don’t provide autopsy coverage but have proactively moved storage of amputations from the morgue refrigerator to a secondary refrigerator, in order to have as much space available for when it is needed.

During the downtime, the PAs have been able to focus on reviewing policies and procedures, completing our annual safety trainings, and working on other projects that have long been put off.

We have also seen tremendous support for health care workers from the community, with donations of cloth masks, food, and discounts.  One of our own histotechnologists has used her sewing skills to make over 100 masks for all of the staff within our company!  Thanks, Kathy!

I am lucky that my spouse is a teacher, so he is home, handling the online schoolwork with our children.  Personally, I could not handle homeschooling my kiddos!  We are trying to keep home life relatively similar to how it would be for us if they were on summer break, with chores and lots of backyard activities.  We always like being outdoors in Colorado, so not being able to go into the mountains and be outside for sports has been difficult.  I have two sisters who are nurses in rural and community hospitals also dealing with COVID-19.  We talk almost daily about our experiences and how things are going.  It is difficult to comprehend how things have changed so quickly.  I hope everyone has an outlet to help deal with things during this difficult time.  Wishing everyone the best, and stay safe!"

We want to hear from you!  During this time of isolation, now more than ever we need to see and hear from our PA community!  How is COVID-19 affecting your work?  What tips and tricks have you found useful?  How are you using this time to promote pathologists' assistants?  Send us a summary describing your "new normal", along with one or two high-resolution photos, and your story may be featured next (read previous features here).  Or, if you have any COVID-19 resources to add to our list, please pass them along.  Remember, we are all in this together, and the AAPA will be here to support you throughout this crisis and beyond.

Erica Price, PA(ASCP)^CM
AAPA member since 2015

"I work at a smaller community hospital in the suburbs of Chicago.  The city itself is on a major lockdown with all parks, schools, and walking trails closed.  The Chicago Police Department is ticketing and arresting people that are out unnecessarily.  The hospital I work at is also on an intense lockdown.  We were designated as a 'hot spot' recently and have seen a significant change in the hospital's atmosphere.  We, too, have our temperatures taken upon arrival to the hospital.  The halls are empty, and the OR schedule is completely blank.  I normally have three gross room techs, but one has been redirected to the ER, and another is home sick.  I worry everyday about my coworkers, my family, and all the other healthcare workers out there. 

In early March, our pathology group decided to take action and start rotating shifts for PAs and pathologists to minimize exposure.  We immediately began having the PAs rotate weeks, and the pathologists split up into groups of four.  Since there are eight pathologists and two PAs, it seemed like it would work fine.  However, as the hospital became inundated with COVID-19 cases, all elective surgeries were cancelled, and the work in pathology dwindled.  The other PA and I are still rotating weeks, but the pathologists have gone down to two on staff per week.

With so many cancer cases delayed or cancelled, I am not working my full shift in the lab.  We are now only grossing placentas, a few sporadic GI biopsies, and urgent resections like perforated or obstructed colons.  Last week, I had only grossed two cancer cases by Wednesday – it's unreal!  Luckily I work for a group of pathologists that take good care of me.  I know that in these trying and stressful times, that is something for which to be grateful. 

Aside from my hospital job, I also usually do per diem work at a local coroner's office.  With the pandemic going on, though, my position there is in limbo.  The coroners are not taking COVID-19 cases and are just doing chart reviews for these decedents.  I had never heard of forensic pathologists working from home, and I wish I had more information about what the office was going through.  I understand not wanting any extra personnel around, though – minimizing the amount of people present can be essential to not spreading the disease.

I hope that all of my PA colleagues are finding themselves amongst friendly pathologists, managers, and hospital staff that appreciate everything they do and take care of them too.  I think that staying in touch as a PA community is a great way to lessen the social distance that this quarantine had to create.  Stay safe and healthy everyone!"

We want to hear from you!  During this time of isolation, now more than ever we need to see and hear from our PA community!  How is COVID-19 affecting your work?  What tips and tricks have you found useful?  How are you using this time to promote pathologists' assistants now and beyond PA Day?  Send us a summary describing your "new normal", along with one or two high-resolution photos, and your story may be featured next (read previous features here).  Or, if you have any COVID-19 resources to add to our list, please pass them along.  Remember, we are all in this together, and the AAPA will be here to support you throughout this crisis and beyond.

Heather Gaburo, MHS, PA(ASCP)^CM
AAPA member since 2008

"My experience with the COVID-19 pandemic is probably very similar but also somewhat different than most of yours.  I work as a pathologists' assistant for a biobank, and our consenting operations were suspended mid-March to protect our staff and patients.  So, unable to procure new tissue, I followed up on all the cases I did have going at the hospital and have been working remotely from home on what I can.  The longer this goes on, the more I anticipate there will be temporary furloughs until it is safe to resume consenting.  Prior to the pandemic, I had been planning a move and taking a break from full-time pathology to pursue other passions, so I suppose you can say the timing works out in my favor.  I look forward to still staying active with the AAPA as the Grossing Guidelines Molecular Editor, and Board Adjunct to the AJCC.

In San Diego, we have had the stay-at-home order since March 19th, but the department was trying to implement staggered shifts to protect the staff and investigate remote options before that officially went into effect.  Hospitals are still open, and ours has been screening visitors and employees verbally with only a few entry points to campus.  Leadership has been doing a great job trying to keep morale up.  We are now required to wear cloth masks any time we are not wearing surgical masks.  Our non-essential surgeries were canceled, so specimen volume dropped considerably, sometimes to 5-10 specimens per day.  It is mostly placentas, cancer cases, and other emergent specimens.  Many of the cancer cases would have been candidates for the biobank.

Supplies were an issue at the beginning of March and still are.  Luckily, at work we have cloth lab coats that are washed on-site, so that is one less supply to worry about.  There are random bag checks upon exit to make sure supplies are staying at the hospital.  The stores around town seem to be better stocked now that the initial wave of shopping has passed.  All of the stores practice social distancing with stickers/tape on the floor, so you get to hop scotch your way to the cashier, who is finally protected by plexiglass.  All essential employees in the stores are wearing cloth masks, and the public is also encouraged to do so when we leave our house.

I strongly believe moving is super important to my overall physical and mental health.  I am doing my best to stay active as our county imposes more restrictions (all parks and beaches are closed), stay mentally focused, and find a daily routine.  Yoga is a source of daily energy/calm for me, so I try to practice daily.  Since I am also a certified instructor, I've been teaching yoga for friends and family on Zoom once a week.  For those who may want to practice at home, the studio I practice at is offering free classes online for the public at various levels, and also live-streaming three classes a day on YouTube.  I'm also very involved in our swing dance community, so I've been trying to build morale and stay in shape via weekly practices on Zoom.  The San Diego community has a nightly cheer at 8 p.m. to say thank you to the essential employees who are keeping us safe, healthy, and stocked.  It is very uplifting to hear the community engaging!

I hope you all are staying safe and healthy, both at work and at home.  Today's pandemic silver lining – hopefully all first-year residents in the years to come will understand the concept of cross-contamination, and doorknobs and clean surfaces in the lab will stay blood-free!"

We want to hear from you!  During this time of isolation, now more than ever we need to see and hear from our PA community!  How is COVID-19 affecting your work?  What tips and tricks have you found useful?  How are you using this time to promote pathologists' assistants and prepare for PA Day?  Send us a summary describing your "new normal", along with one or two high-resolution photos, and your story may be featured next (read previous features here).  Or, if you have any COVID-19 resources to add to our list, please pass them along.  Remember, we are all in this together, and the AAPA will be here to support you throughout this crisis and beyond.

Mary Latino, PA(ASCP)^CM
AAPA member since 1982

"You could say I am near the epicenter.  I live in Hudson Valley of New York and work in western Connecticut, in Danbury right at the New York border.  On April 7th, 23 people died in the county where I live.

We have a large COVID-19 testing center outside Danbury Hospital.  We test about 200 people per day, most of whom are positive.  I know this because one of my new duties is calling positive results to clinicians and then filling out the paperwork to send to the state.  I now have the time for this as my grossing is now only about one to two hours a day.  I also work with residents.  The CP residents are 'working and learning' from home.  The AP residents do not want to be in the hospital as they think of themselves as 'non-essential'.  We have received varying guidance on how to handle them going home.  The first was if there were enough PAs, they could be sent home.  Since I am the only PA here, our resident director decided they must stay and do autopsies.  The PGY1s are still learning to gross, so this gives me more time to teach them.  We are getting more autopsies than normal, and we are being assured they are not COVID patients.  The residents are not taking any chances, though, and they are using the appropriate PPE.  We have two autopsy assistants, so I am rarely involved in autopsies (and I am happy about that).

Like Beth, we are getting cancer cases and placentas, and some of our outside doctors’ offices that are not part of the hospital are still open.  The urology group usually has their own pathologist, but now they are sending their 12-14 part biopsies to us which are three to five sets a day.  But most of my time now is spent tracking down doctors to tell them COVID results and filling out paperwork.  My hospital network has told us they will not furlough or lay off anyone.  They are re-purposing anyone they can.  I will do whatever they need me to do.  Before all this happened, we had so much work that we could barely keep up.  Now it's the exact opposite.

I hope all my PA friends stay healthy and employed during these challenging times!"

We want to hear from you!  During this time of isolation, now more than ever we need to see and hear from our PA community!  How is COVID-19 affecting your work?  What tips and tricks have you found useful?  How are you using this time to promote pathologists' assistants and prepare for PA Day?  Send us a summary describing your "new normal", along with one or two high-resolution photos, and your story may be featured next (read previous features here).  Or, if you have any COVID-19 resources to add to our list, please pass them along.  Remember, we are all in this together, and the AAPA will be here to support you throughout this crisis and beyond.

Abigail Skerritt-Jones, PA(ASCP)^CM
AAPA member since 2010

"My new normal is making a trip to the Central Sterile Department at the beginning and end of every day to collect and drop off my N-95 masks.  Two weeks before the Surgeon General decided to recommend everyone wear masks, even homemade ones, I was wearing my N-95 all day at work, and homemade masks to enter and leave the hospital.  I did not want to be accused of using hospital supplies unnecessarily, and I certainly didn't want to take work masks home.

I approached the Central Sterile Department about the Duke Health article I read on the Facebook PA group about using hydrogen peroxide to decontaminate my mask.  Though the manager had heard about it and planned on using the procedure, they still had not written an official policy – I was the first person to request it.  They gave me my own personal sterilization container.  I thought I could bring in a week's worth at a time, but the manager recommended daily cleaning, thus my new normal routine.

The first day, I experienced watery eyes and a runny nose and had to change to a new mask.  I gave that feedback to the department.  The first adjustment was to try alternating masks with a one day airing-out process (which decreased my symptoms but not completely and comfortably).  Finally, they decided to use a Tyvek Pouch, which allows for more aeration following the decontamination.  Since then I've had no issues with the mask.

Other challenges I've faced have been feeling out of breath due to wearing the mask all day and dictating.  Of course, there have been a few issues with transcription due to my somewhat muffled speech; I imagine Dragon users would have this problem too.

Personal challenges have been not being able to run home with hugs and kisses to greet my family.  What I have done instead is let my son hide while I head straight to the shower, then I make a big deal about finding him and showering him with hugs and kisses (even though he hides in a combination of three or four spots). 

Overall, I am grateful to still have a job and good health, and I hope our PA community and their families stay safe in these challenging times."

We want to hear from you!  During this time of isolation, now more than ever we need to see and hear from our PA community!  How is COVID-19 affecting your work?  What tips and tricks have you found useful?  How are you using this time to promote pathologists' assistants and prepare for PA Day?  Send us a summary describing your "new normal", along with one or two high-resolution photos, and your story may be featured next.  Or, if you have any COVID-19 resources to add to our list, please pass them along.  Remember, we are all in this together, and the AAPA will be here to support you throughout this crisis and beyond.

Lindsay McCarley, PA(ASCP)^CM
AAPA member since 1995

"I just read Beth Felicelli's story about her experience with the COVID-19 pandemic.  Mine is very similar.  We, too, have the stay-at-home orders from the governor of South Carolina, but as we all know, a hospital does not close.  When I get to the hospital, I have to check in, get my temperature read, and answer the usual questions (any fever, have I had or been around anyone experiencing symptoms, etc.).  They give me a mask (love the idea Beth and her coworker have with the vacuum filters) and put a sticker on my badge, showing anyone who checks that I have been approved to come to work.

I have changed companies this year, but luckily I'm staying at the same hospital.  Our workload has decreased about 40%.  Some days, though, it does not seem so.  One day last week, I received three breast cases, two lungs, a Whipple, and a soft tissue tumor resection to include ribs.  I know for some of you that's a normal day, but down here in South Carolina, that is rare.  Of course, the other days are not as bad, so it evens out.

My family is still sane.  The children do their school work at home, and then entertain themselves (I'm sure some of you know Fortnite!).  My wife, son, and I walk the dog in the afternoon to try to find some normality to each day.  The stores are all out of toilet paper, paper towels, and napkins (we now order from Staples – who knew?).  I am sure you all (or y'all as we say in the South) are seeing the same.

I have lost two lab techs (awaiting results), and I'm hoping they are okay.  I also know families who have lost loved ones due to the virus (one of the factors of growing up in a small town).  I am hoping for the best for you all during this pandemic.  Thank you to Beth and all who share their stories at this time, for giving us a way to 'keep in touch' with other members.  Best of luck and stay safe!"

We want to hear from you!  During this time of isolation, now more than ever we need to see and hear from our PA community!  How is COVID-19 affecting your work?  What tips and tricks have you found useful?  How are you using this time to promote pathologists' assistants and prepare for PA Day?  Send us a summary describing your "new normal", along with one or two high-resolution photos, and your story may be featured next.  Or, if you have any COVID-19 resources to add to our list, please pass them along.  Remember, we are all in this together, and the AAPA will be here to support you throughout this crisis and beyond.

Beth Felicelli, PA(ASCP)^CM
AAPA member since 1996

"Here we are in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic: Isolated, on stay-at-home orders, but also with essential careers.  As pathologists’ assistants, our workload has changed dramatically.  I work in a small community hospital in Holland, Michigan, which is also the county morgue.  Our non-emergent surgeries are canceled, so we don’t have much work for the foreseeable future.  Because of this, our boss has allowed the two PAs to work amongst ourselves to get the work done.  We are now typically working four hour days.  The vast majority of our work has become cancer resections and placentas.  Coincidentally, we have had very few autopsies since this has come about.  We have discussed the possibility of COVID autopsies, but since these are natural deaths, we will not be performing them.  We will continue with our standard PPE practices, making sure to save our N95 masks for autopsies.

We do have a plan in place in case our hospital sees an abundance of deaths.  Our morgue holds six bodies.  We have discussed with our local funeral homes the possibility of extra refrigerated storage if needed.  Our body transport company has a large cooler available for additional storage and refrigerated trucks are on standby as well.

My biggest change at work is having to constantly wear masks.  Although, I have started taking them off while grossing, since this has made me realize there is indeed a way for my voice recognition to screw up even more!  We have mandatory check points at the only entrances we are still allowed to use.  My temperature is taken every time I enter or exit.  With my newly found spare time, I am now catching up on my policies and procedures and preparing for our lab’s CAP self-inspection.

Our hospital is short on masks, but our community has stepped up and donated several homemade, cloth masks.  My coworker and I have dissected out vacuum filters to insert into our masks.  I will say, it’s wonderful to see the community step up during these uncertain times.  So many donations, not only of masks, but food, coffee, and even pints of ice cream have been given to each employee.  Families have left chalk messages around the hospital entrances to encourage all the healthcare workers.

I would love to hear what others are going through as we all navigate this situation together!  Please share your stories and any other helpful tips you have for our list of COVID-19 resources."

We want to hear from you!  During this time of isolation, now more than ever we need to see and hear from our PA community!  How is COVID-19 affecting your work?  What tips and tricks have you found useful?  How are you using this time to promote pathologists' assistants and prepare for PA Day?  Send us a summary describing your "new normal", along with one or two high-resolution photos, and your story may be featured next.  Remember, we are all in this together, and the AAPA will be here to support you throughout this crisis and beyond.