From Academia to Big Pharma: It is More Than Looking at Slides

摘要

In training, it is important to prepare oneself for the future, not the present (or worse, the past!). Slide reading in the future will be off-shored and done by less highly paid people. Pharmaceutical industry pathologists need to be broad-based scientists who integrate information. Successful pathologists need to be facile at pathophysiology, logical experimental design, pharmacokinetics, drug metabolism, and many other areas. Since very few of us enter industry positions with the requisite broadbase of knowledge, we must be curious, eager to learn, and capable of learning quickly. It is essential to think critically and ask good questions. We must be willing to be wrong (most of us learn that during our residencies!) and avoid dogmatic, inflexible positions. Versatility is essential. One must accept that for the rest of your professional career, you will always be on a steep learning curve—don't get stressed about that; enjoy it! The key is to enthusiastically embrace leaving one's comfort zone, which for many young pathologists is the necropsy floor and the microscope.