A Cry for Help From the Pathology Department
Check out my episode on the Cone of Shame podcast with Dr. Andy Roark!
Dear Readers,
Back in early May, I had the pleasure of chatting with Dr. Andy Roark for his Cone of Shame podcast, and that episode was just released today. If the title sounds familiar, it’s because Andy wanted to focus on my March Substack piece of the same name:
A Cry for Help
On Monday, my specialty’s journal Veterinary Clinical Pathology published a bombshell study with the ironically anodyne title “European Veterinary Clinical Pathologists Workplace Wellbeing Survey”. In my opinion, the results of this survey should be a wake-up call to anyone who uses or runs a veterinary diagnostic lab, because they paint a picture of a specialty in crisis.
Over the half hour, we talked about a lot of recent changes in the veterinary lab industry, particularly how corporate consolidation has hurt pathologists and the risks (and potential benefits) of AI diagnostics. Other concerns from my recent writing make an appearance too, from unsafe workloads to the rising cost of veterinary care.
You can watch the video version on YouTube above or download the audio-only edition from Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or any of the other major podcast platforms. I really enjoyed our conversation and hope you do, too!
—Eric
Author’s Note: The commentary above represents my personal opinion and does not necessarily reflect the viewpoints of any current or previous employers.
Eloquent, insightful conversation ending on a positive note.
I enjoyed interacting with practitioners. My wife once said that I got to spend my day talking with my friends: and she was right.
I enjoyed the challenges of overseeing the microbiology and parasitology laboratories; evaluating serum protein electrophoresis and agar gel immunodiffusion patterns; aiding in urine crystal identification and judging serum chemistry quality control Levey-Jenning charts - in addition to reading cytologies and supporting the talented hematology technitions. It was a rewarding career using all of my training.
I'm glad I am now retired. My heart and best wishes goes out to everyone in this generation of clinical pathologists. I sincerely hope that the pendulum of time does swing in your favor.
Love “The X-Files” reference. I agree about the definition of ambivalent — it’s a misunderstood word. I enjoyed the podcast; it was informative and accessible.