Pediatrics/Internal Medicine

As a medical student on Pediatrics or Internal Medicine clerkship, there are many opportunities to see pathology. Which tests are performed depends on the clinical setting. Medicine and Pediatrics clinicians routinely use laboratory studies, cytology, and surgical pathology to diagnose diseases, including infectious, autoimmune, and malignant processes.
In hematology-oncology, abnormal CBC results may indicate the presence of an underlying hematologic disease such as leukemia. A hematopathology fellow may review a peripheral blood smear to identify cells such as blasts. In infectious diseases, a microbiology pathologist may interpret blood cultures and look for pathogenic bacteria. The morphology seen on Gram stain and rapid tests give a clue to the pathogen’s identity, which helps guide treatment. For Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, you can check Pathology and Lab results on EPIC as part of the work-up.

1. In outpatient clinic, you can do pap smears and CLIA labs perform wet preps to evaluate vaginitis.
2. In Inpatient care, patients may have biopsies of various organs and/or tissue performed (GI, lung kidney, bone marrow, etc). Your clinical team may also obtain skin biopsies to work-up unexplained rashes/fever of unknown. In Inpatient clinic, you might order peripheral blood smears and lab tests for uric acid crystals to check for gout. CLIA labs perform a spin urine to look at urinary sediment.
3. Include Transfusion Medicine and Pheresis
4. Transplant – pheresis, therapeutic drug monitoring, biopsies and lab studies for rejection, etc.
5. Opportunity to do a Medical Microbiology, Clinical Chemistry, or Dermatopathology elective x 3 weeks.

Self-study modules from Baylor integrating high-value care/lab testing with clerkship content