This is my last official Class of 2017 Pathologists’ Assistant blog post.  These past two years have been a hefty whirlwind swinging me about in circles of exhaustion, poor-living, wins, losses, anxiety, and when I was lucky…whimsy.  A glimpse into my past two years…

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But certainly the past two years have been a blessing too!  Though I am excited to be done and move into the workforce, I am grateful for the WVU Pathologists’ Assistant program.  I have appreciated each course, each lab and lecture, each exam’s ability to solidify my learning, each professor’s genuine interest in our professional success, each rotation’s offering of learning and experience, and each of my classmates for their laughter and support and comradery along the way.  It has been a journey, one that I am both relieved to see come to a close and sad to see end.

Thank you professors for your kindness and efforts to make me into the best Pathologists’ Assistant out there.  Thank you classmates for doing this with me.  I will miss you all greatly!  Thank you Teejer and Mac for your love despite my exhaustion, for your snuggles and ‘atta girls.  I love you endlessly.  Thank you family and friends for your love and support despite my unrequited communication efforts during these past two busy years.  It’s time to make plans to live life together again!  Woot!  And thank you God for the grace with which you have gotten me through this journey.  I couldn’t have done it without you grounding me.

Sioux Falls, South Dakota…let the next journey begin!

I started my 7^th rotation here in mid September and finished (a week early) in late October when my daughter was born.  This rotation certainly offered a change of pace compared to some rotation sites (every day was a busy day so the time flew by!), and the pathologists offered both experience, kindness, and alternative approaches to handling specimens.  There are no working PAs at this particular site but your rotation contact (Jerry) is a supervising PA and he can be very helpful if you have questions.  His office is just down the hall from the gross room in the same office block as all the Pathologists, so they’re all nearby when you need them.

Your responsibilities:

• Gross all specimens from the cart adjacent to your grossing bench after they are accessioned. You’ll have to scan all the specimen containers to material match but the scanners work very efficiently so it doesn’t slow the process down much at all.  You’ll also have to print the cassettes as you go and then scan each one you used after you’ve completed grossing a case – again, for material match and case tracking.  Specimens are generally ready to start being grossed by 9am.  If specimens arrive in the lab after 4:30pm they are held there to be grossed the following day.
• Keep your grossing station clean and stocked. You are responsible for cleaning your tools, restocking your supplies (ie, scalpel blades, Qtips, paper towels, new disposable long knife, etc), and starting up the computer.  All the supplies are provided for you either there in the gross lab (check the shelves) or in the blood banking stockroom/shelves just down the hall.  The histotechs will restock things for you if you ask, but I figured they had enough on their plate so I restocked everything myself.  However, if you notice the stockroom is running low on something (disposable long blades for the grossing knife for instance), make sure you let the histotechs know so that more can be ordered before you run out and get into a bind.
• Place cassettes in decal containers next to the formalin cassette container at your grossing bench but make sure it’s labeled (overnight decal or just for the day). When grossing any bone/cartilage cases, place your cassettes in a new decal container (on the shelf under the window) and fill it with the appropriate decal solution (located under the grossing bench). Then, as I said, make sure you label it as overnight or just that day only decal and place it next to the formalin cassette container at your grossing bench.  The histotechs will usually take care of them from there.

At Conemaugh, you’ll receive the full gamet of specimens – simple cases, moderately complex cases, and complex cases each day. Following are some of the specimens I’ve encountered thus far:

• LOTS of GI biopsies (these make up at least 1/3 of your case load each day)
• EMB and ECC specimens
• TURP and TURB specimens
• Skin excisions (mostly un-oriented ellipses and cysts)
• Sinus contents and nasal polyps
• Tonsils (usually not for tumor – and if they’re removed at this hospital on a kid, they’re just gross only specimens!)
• Hernia sacs
• Lipomas
• Thyroids (total, lobectomies, and lobectomy/isthmusectomies)
• Gallbladders
• Appendix resections
• Femoral heads
• Finger/toe resections (usually for osteomyelitis or ulcers)
• Above and below knee amputations
• Bone marrow biopsies
• Fallopian tubes & vas deferens (primarily for sterilization purposes)
• Placentas (LOTS! Sometimes up to 20 placentas a day!)
• Products of conception
• Uteri (mostly for abnormal bleeding and/or leiomyomata, but I got a couple for cancer)
• Breast lumpectomies, mastectomies, and reductions
• Salivary gland resections
• Esophagogastrectomy specimens
• Colon resections (for anything – diverticula, ischemia, IBD, and cancer)
• Kidney resection (for cancer)
• Liver resection (for cancer)
• Radical prostatectomies
• Bladder resections
• Lung resections (wedges and lobectomies)

So what is there to share from my experience here?  Following are a few things you may want to consider as you head into your Conemaugh Hospital rotation:

• Your Surgical Case Study Presentation: You’ll likely encounter a handful of truly interesting cases at this rotation and an accessible grossing camera to boot. J
• Case Flow: I mentioned this briefly in my Conemaugh orientation blog post, but here’s the info again for quick review. Mondays are generally the busiest days.  The average number of cases per day that we gross is probably close to 100 (split between two people) and a good handful of them are biopsies.  It’s busy, but the work day really goes by quickly.  The key is to work on your grossing efficiency and the fluidity with which you dictate in Dragon.
• Placentas: I already mentioned that you’ll be grossing more placentas at this rotation than probably all the others combined, so definitely brush up on all the placenta terminology and review twin placenta dictations so you can get through them quickly but successfully!

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I enjoyed the variety and independence that this rotation affords PA students – I found it to be a very valuable rotation!

 

If you’ve just come from the Charleston rotation, you’ll likely find this rotation similar.  Conemaugh has the same community hospital feel despite its larger size.  The big difference is workload.  Their daily case load is quite high for two people (at least that was my experience – I’ve heard that wasn’t the case for a couple students so it may be related to what time of year you’re on rotation there.  if you’re at this rotation by yourself (many but not all PA students share this rotation), one of the Pathologists will generally come assist you in the gross room so that you can get to the whole case load.  Obviously, if there are two PA students at this rotation at a time, the daily workload is split between the two of you and Pathologists only come in to assist when requested.

The hospital is a short direct commute that is less than a 5 minute walk from the provided student housing.

Moving In: You can move into the PA student house anytime the weekend before your first day of rotation here.  You will need to go to the ER and pick up your assigned housing packet from security.  I arrived on Sunday evening and got settled in with no problem.  There are a handful of student houses/apartments so I can’t tell you exactly what to expect, but the student house I stayed in was a 3-bedroom, 1-bathroom old 2^nd level apartment.  The house also has a small kitchen/dining room (bring your own pots, pans, plates, bowls, silverware, food, etc), and a laundry room and internet are also available.  There is supposed to be a cleaning crew that comes in every Friday to clean the bathroom, kitchen, hallways, etc (not your bedroom for privacy/security reasons), but in my time there I think they only came to pick up the kitchen trash once…never did see evidence of them cleaning anything so we brought cleaning supplies and cleaned the kitchen and bathroom ourselves.  The bedrooms had old (but sturdy) furniture that included a twin-size bed, dresser, closet, and a small desk. Victoria (your orientation contact at Conemaugh) will instruct you where to park based on which of the student houses you’re in, and if you have any troubles with anything not related to your actual work in the lab she’s your go-to person (Jerry is your go-to person for all things PA related).

There are a small handful of things to do in and around Johnston – some good eats, mall shopping, a theater, etc.  I will warn you that this rotation and the student housing isn’t located in the safest area so be smart about when and if you’re out and about by yourself.

Access: You’ll be issued a student badge during your first week of the rotation.  Although you don’t technically need it to access the lab, you will need to wear it every day.  You’ll also be given a locker with a padlock and key in the lab employee (co-ed) locker room where you can park your coat, water bottle, snacks, etc.  It is just down the hall from the gross room so it’s easily accessible.

Meals: Meals are wonderfully provided at this rotation at the hospital cafeteria.  At the beginning of the rotation, Victoria will give you a couple cafeteria/coffee shop gift cards with a balance of approximately $200 for you to spend as you wish.  You can use them at the cafeteria or the lobby coffee shop and you can use them as you wish – just be sure to keep them and return them to Victoria at the end of your rotation.  The cafeteria is in the adjacent building but once you get the lay of the land it’ll only take you five minutes to walk there.  The cafeteria food is delicious.  Truly the best cafeteria food I’ve ever had anywhere.  It’s cheap enough and tasty enough I ate nearly all my meals there (ie, picked up dinner to-go after work).  The variety each day and the quality are truly great.

Your Day: I won’t go into a ton of detail in this blog (more info in my next blog post) but figured it’d be helpful to give a little preface of what your day as a student looks like in general.  Although our handbook says we’re scheduled to be at the hospital from 8am-5pm, they told us the first day to just be there by 9am because specimens weren’t ready for us until then anyway.  We were usually done around 5pm, but there were more than a handful of days we were there as late as 6:30pm so it just depends on the case load for the day.  I will warn you that you’ll likely gross more placentas on this rotation than all the others combined.  We spend the first 2 hours every morning just grossing placentas each day.

Regarding breaks, they are pretty laid back so you can take bathroom breaks as needed, just go.  They do not have set break times or lunch times and instead simply ask that you take what break time you need to eat and then get back to grossing specimens.  They basically just want you to respect the fact that you are there to work and not abuse their flexible time schedule.  Basically, get your work done ASAP and you’ll never have a problem.  J

Each of the three Pathologist has different preferences for specimens, but that’s pretty much true at all rotations.  Some like it short and succinct without much details, others prefer the full picture.  You’ll figure it out as you go along.

There are three grossing benches – one for each of the PA two students and one for techs to assist with biopsies if need be or pathologists to do frozen sections on so as not to interrupt students at their grossing benches.  The grossing benches are in the room adjacent to the Histotechs, and histology lab equipment (processors, frozen sectioning, etc) so they’re almost always available if you have a question or need supplies restocked.

Specimens arrive and are immediately accessioned and placed on the cart next to the grossing benches for PA students to grab and gross.  So once you’ve finished up the last round of specimens and cleaned up your tools and grossing bench, you’re done for the day and can head home.  The histotechs take care of loading the processor, etc.

Cases: Mondays are generally the busiest days.  The average number of cases per day that we gross is probably close to 100 (split between two people) and a good handful of them are biopsies.  It’s busy, but the work day really goes by quickly.

Frozen Sections: There are usually a couple frozen sections each day, but they’re automatically assigned to a pathologist with a histotechs assisting them.  You are not required to do them, but you’re welcome to jump in and ask to do the frozen section if you’re not in the middle of grossing something at your bench…just know that you are responsible for initiating so make sure you ask.

 

You’ve got your ducks in a row: your resume/CV has been updated, your portfolio has been compiled, and you’ve found some Pathologists’ Assistant job openings that are of interest to you…now what?

With jobs, just like most things, first impressions are incredibly important.  You want to make sure you are looking and sounding your best in every possible way, and in the case of the great job hunt, that starts with your cover letter.  A well written cover letter shouldn’t be more than one page – it’s an introduction and a concise summary of your skills and a chance for you to briefly say why they should consider you for the job.

So what should be included in your cover letter?  In short…

• Your contact info (name, address, phone number, and email address)
• A quick statement about who you are and why you are writing to them (can include your areas of expertise, career goals, and how they align with their company)
• A brief rundown of the skills and knowledge you have that are specific to the job you’re applying for…what you’ll will be bringing to the table should they offer you the position (highlight your qualifications and how they fit with the job description)
• A wrap up statement thanking them for taking the time to read your letter and consider you for the position

That’s it!  Keep it short, keep it concise!

Here is a copy of one of my cover letters as an example.  It certainly isn’t perfect but it’s a starting place if you’re need one – feel free to improve upon this and make it your own!

What is a Pathologists’ Assistant you ask?  What’s the end goal?

A Pathologists’ Assistant is a physician extender whose expertise lies in gross examination of surgical specimens, as well as performing forensic, medicolegal, and hospital autopsies.  Layman’s terms?  In a nutshell, we dissect human tissue that is removed surgically, to look for infection, disease, and most commonly…cancer.  We also execute full-body autopsies to assist in the discovery of cause of death.

 

What does a typical day look like for the PA student?

6:00 am – try to wake up….bemoan the rising sun…try to wake up again

6:30 am – shower…turn on the water, then let gravity to the work (Note: assume the elementary tornado drill position and cover your head with your hands or you may lose all the high-effort learning you embedded in your brain the night before on your decent into the tub!)

7:00 am – review for the day’s exam (because there’s always an exam)

8:00 am – start the trek to the Health Sciences building at WVU’s Evansdale Campus while eating breakfast (part of graduate school education is becoming fluent in multi-tasking)

9:00 am – class (information downloading)

11:00 am – “lunch break” that more likely morphs into supplementary last-minute exam review

12:00 pm – exam #713 for the semester (ok I exaggerate, but my brain’s neurons are demanding overtime pay)

2:00 pm – hit the books in the library (literally….ok, not always literally, but sometimes it’s a helpful pressure release)

5:00 pm – make the return journey back to our tiny-house 600 sq. foot apartment

5:45 pm – prepare your 5^th bowl of Ramen in as many days, then sit back and watch your blood sodium levels raise the roof

6:00 pm – review CPT codes for the 18^th time

6:15 pm – complete Histology exam review handout

7:30 pm – splash face with water

7:35 pm – read the 193-page anatomy chapter

9:30 pm – begin brain massage to settle the information and make room for more

9:35 pm – complete Disease Mechanisms objectives

11:30 pm – review Netter’s plates for cadaver lab

12:00 am – hit the sack…mentally review required margins for each specimen type & normal organ weights until the beauty of blackness fills your droopy eyelids

 

Sounds like fun, right?!  It is.  Truly, I’ve enjoyed every day – even the most challenging ones.  🙂

So what is this portfolio thing all about?  Well, it’s purposed to provide potential employers with an example of your work as a Pathologists’ Assistant.  It provides and accounting of which specimen types you have had exposure to, offers samples of your gross photography, and displays your gross description of surgical cases (particularly noting how you handle the grossing of complex specimens).

While it is not a mandatory requirement that you compile and present a portfolio at job interviews, it alone will likely make you stand out a candidate.  Many many PA students will attest to the fact that a well-done portfolio has impressed employers and has always been well received, often even solidifying them as the best PA candidate for the open job.  For some students it has been the thing that tipped the scale in their favor and landed them an official job offer.

So what do you need to consider when creating a portfolio?  First of all, you’ll need to track the number and types of specimens that you encounter (especially moderately complex and complex specimens).  Additionally, you’ll need to be forward thinking about which complex cases might offer you the ability to show off your dictation and gross photography skills then note the case number of that case so that you can return to it once it has been completed and request a copy for your portfolio.  And lastly, you’ll need to de-identify everything you use in your portfolio!!!

Admittedly, portfolios do not have to be as all-inclusive as mine…in fact, some would argue that a shorter, simpler portfolio might be more conducive for employers to thumb through.  I suspect that is a matter of opinion and preference.  Mine worked well for me and was highly complimented.  That said, this certainly isn’t a declaration that all PA portfolios should be like mine – certainly there are ways to improve on mine and make it your own.  But I only have mine to share and thought it is much too long to share in its entirety in this blog, I have taken screen shots of a handful of pages that may assist you in determining the layout of your own portfolio.

Good luck!  And enjoy…I have certainly enjoyed and even appreciated the recalling of this year’s more interesting cases each time I’ve thumbed through my portfolio.  I suspect it will become a bit of a keepsake, a reminder of all the exceptional experience I have gained in my 2^nd year of rotation in the WVU Pathologists’ Assistant program.  Perhaps it will be the same for you…

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You’ve wrapped up your first year of Pathologists’ Assistant graduate school and you’re headed into your second year.  You’re planning out your year, moving from place to place, and you know job applications are on the horizon.  What do you need to compile in order to get your ducks in a row so that you can began the actual job hunt?

Two things I’d suggest (in this order): 1) Updating your resume/creating a CV and 2) Compiling a portfolio of your cases.  I’ll discuss the latter in the next blog (and provide so suggestions that might help you get started).  In this post I thought it’d be helpful to share a few suggestions about what to include in your official resume/CV (and for that matter, what not to include), as well as provide you with an example.

Creating a professional-looking resume that stands out (but not in a bad way) can be tricky.  Additionally, this increasingly tech savy world seemed to call for both hard copies and digital copies of my resume/CV.  So I made use of a really great website called VisualCV (www.visualcv.com).  They provide some great professional-looking templates and their website is super easy to use.  I just copied and pasted my updated resume in and in less than 15 minutes I had a great resume/CV that several potential employers and my current employer have complimented and commented on.  It’s absolutely worth the tiny bit of extra effort.

So what should be included in your resume?  In short…

• Your name, address, phone number, and email address
• The name, address, phone number, and email address of your References (make sure you have their permission first!!!!)
• Relevant work history
• Your educational history (include your GPA if 3.0+)
• A list of your professional memberships
• A list of your academic projects
• Your volunteer/community service experience
• A short list of your extracurricular activities (just to make you memorable)
• A brief list of your skills (aka, a change for you to concisely list your strengths!)

My final suggestion:  spend $2 and go to Office Max/ Office Depot/Staples and get your resume printed on actual “resume paper” – they’ll know what you mean.  You won’t regret it!

Here is a copy of my resume just as an example – feel free to improve upon this and make it your own!

 

 

You’ve made it through what seemed like eternal rounds of interviews and they’ve finally given you an official job offer.  What now?  First of all, make sure that the job offer has been given to you in writing!!!  It’s a reliable rule of thumb that anything not in writing is not a guaranteed.  So what are you supposed to make of this job offer?

Well, it’s important to understand a “good offer” looks different based on where the job is (check out [insert] to see what the cost of living is like in the area you are considering) and what the job entails (you should expect a higher pay if you have to work the night shift than if you work a normal day shift).  That said, lets breakdown your official job offer a bit:

Salary:  Generally speaking, you should expect a job offer of $80,000 or higher as a new grad.  But there are scenarios in which a lower salary is still a good offer.  For example, a $75,000 salary coupled with guaranteed yearly profit shares/retirement package or student loan reimbursement assistance would still amount to a great offer!

Health Insurance:  Generally speaking, employees pay for at least part of their health benefits, so if your job offer includes full medical, dental, and vision coverage then count yourself lucky!  (You may also want to consider inquiring about the cost/option of including your family on your health insurance.)

• If they don’t offer full health insurance, they may offer some helpful alternatives like a Flex Spending account or Health Saving Account (HSA) that allows pre-tax money to be automatically set aside from your paycheck to cover your health insurance, life insurance, vision care, dental care, or child costs. The advantage here is that you have a lower amount of taxable income and therefore you’ll pay a lower percentage of federal income tax.
• This is where you’ll need to break it all down so that you know if the salary makes sense. Estimate that the federal government will take 25% of that salary, then look at the cost of living in the area (ie, rent, utilities, etc), account for your other bills (ie, car payment, tv/internet), and definitely don’t forget to factor in your student loans (often between $1,000 and $2,500/month)

Retirement Package:  Generally speaking, you will have the option of putting a percentage of your pre-tax income into a 401k that your employers will match (often up to a certain percentage), so if your job offer includes guaranteed profit shares (ie, your employer puts money in your 401k regardless of how much you put into it) you should count yourself very lucky!  This 401k is portable so you can take it with you if you change jobs in the future.

Vacation Time:  Generally speaking, you should expect approximately 2 weeks of paid vacation each year during your first 1+ years on the job (anything more than that should be counted a generous offer).  It is best to clarify with them that these paid vacation days do not include time spent at pathology conferences in which you are getting your CEs requirement for certification.  If they do count conference attendance days as vacation time, this would be a good topic to negotiate with them because CEs are required for your job.

Sick Days:  Generally speaking, sick days are days that you accumulate with each paycheck.  You’ll likely start with only a couple sick days and your sick day bank will grow from there.  It is a good idea to ask how much you get/accumulate each pay period – being in the know is always a good idea or you’ll inadvertently dip into your beloved vacation time!

Moving/Relocation Expenses Reimbursement:  So there isn’t really a standard on this, but most offers will include at least $2,000 of moving expense reimbursement.  This is likely negotiable, especially if you explain that you’re moving 1,000 miles and not just across town, etc.

Continuing Education:  There really isn’t a standard on this either.  Some employers offer it, some don’t.  It is always a good thing to negotiate into your contract if they don’t standardly offer reimbursement for CEs and time off to attend conferences, etc (as mentioned previously, make sure they don’t count your conference attendance as vacation time).  You can often also inquire about and negotiate their reimbursement of your national board exam fee (approximately $500) and your membership fees (ASCP and AAPA). 

Tuition Reimbursement:  Again, there’s no standard here.  Some offer it, some don’t.  The end.  But here again, this student loan repayment assistance is negotiable so it doesn’t hurt to ask.

Sign-on Bonus:  Another some do, some don’t thing that is easily negotiable.  It is easy to make the argument that coming right out of graduate school you do not readily have funds available to you to put a deposit down on an apartment, move everything to a new city, etc, etc, etc so it is an easily negotiable topic.  I will say, that generally speaking, if they do offer a sign-on bonus it is usually pre-tax (which is obviously a nice perk) but you should double check with them just to be sure…so that you’re in the “know”.

Ok, hopefully that helps a little.  Just remember that you’re working with Human Resources at this point (not the pathologists or PAs…ie, your co-workers), so don’t be too shy – anything is negotiable!  Just because your HR contact says $70,000 is the average starting salary for PAs in their region doesn’t mean it is (Who did they survey? Certified PAs?!), so definitely fact check that sort of thing and don’t hesitate to show them why that isn’t true or why your negotiated salary makes sense.  It isn’t the most fun part of the job acquisition process (in my opinion), but the negotiations are a normal part of the process so it’s important to wrap your head around that.

I’ll leave you with this one tidbit of wisdom: don’t settle for a job you’ll dread.  A good fit is out there, that’s a promise, so walk away if you need to.

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Good luck – enjoy!  Go get ‘em!  🙂

You’ve submitted countless job applications (or at least it feels that way) and they’ve finally started contacting you to set up an interview.  What now?!  Well the first thing you need to understand is that the process is slightly different for everyone but the result is the same – you will land a job!  So relax a bit, take a breath, and dare I sound like a broken record…trust the process.

That said, I thought it might be helpful to share some of the wisdom I’ve gleaned over the course of the job finding process – take it or leave it as it applies to you.  🙂

Now that you’ve landed a job interview it is time to do a little interview prep.  Often times your first round of interviews will be the the Human Resources department and their questions will likely be similar to those you’ve encountered in previous jobs:

• Why do you want to work here?
• What are your strengths? Weaknesses?  I suggest that you define yourself professionally first (ie, I am a new graduation of WVU’s PA program, etc), then personally (ie, I enjoy problem solving and tackling challenges, etc), and then share a snippet about your family (or save the sharing about your family for the dinner).
• What accomplishments are you proud of?
• What are your long-term goals? (etc, etc, etc…)

Your second round of interviews will likely (hopefully) be with those within the department you’ll be working (Pathologists and Pathologists’ Assistants).  Their questions will likely be more job related:

• How good are you at multi-tasking?
• How do you handle high pressure situations?
• How would you gross a total colostomy specimen removed for inflammatory bowel disease? (etc, etc, etc…)

So run through answers to these questions (and any other similar questions you can think of) so that you’re not thinking about every single question for the very first time during your interview.  Additionally, I’d suggest researching the hospital/company you are interviewing with ahead of time so that you know about them – what they’re known for (ie, transplant surgeries? GI specialties? etc), how many cases they get annually, how many pathologists and pathologists’ assistants they have on staff, and whatever else might convey to your interviewers that you are interested in and well-informed about their company.  One informed comment or compliment about their company goes a long way!  For example:

• I like this geographical area and the fact that your hospital offers… that’s one thing that is important to me.

And don’t forget to think up a few questions for them!  Have a handful of questions ready to ask them – it shows that you are genuinely interested in working for them and turns the table a bit to remind them you’re qualified and capable and they’d be fortunate to have you.  Don’t ask about salary at this point in the process – try to come up with alternative questions.  Examples could include:

• What does a typical day look like for you? (if you’re speaking to a PA)
• Are there any conferences available for PAs to attend?
• What types of specimens do you mostly receive?
• Are there on-call hours PAs are asked to work? Weekends?  Holidays?
• Is there an orientation period for new employees? If so, how long? (etc, etc, etc…)

What else can you do to ensure a successful job interview?

1. Schedule your flight such that there is ample wiggle-room for unforeseen challenges (ie, flight delays, rental car screw-ups/hotel shuttle delays, getting lost on your way there, etc) and take an additional 1-2 days after your interview so that you can check out the city/area…after all, it may be the only chance you’ll have to make sure it’s some place that you and your family would enjoy living for the next 5-50 years! It is also perfectly acceptable to ask them if they will reimburse you for your flight/hotel/rental car – travel reimbursement is common practice in our profession and the worst thing they’ll ever say is that they don’t offer it, so you should definitely inquire about it if they don’t offer it up front (perhaps even convey that travel expenses are currently difficult to come up with currently while in school)!
2. Bring a hard copy of your portfolio and a handful of your CVs/resumes with you – printed on nice, resume-quality paper also goes a long way in showing them professionalism and that you’re proud of your work!
3. Leave early for your interview – it reflects your time management skills and they will notice!
4. Get plenty of sleep the night before – don’t stay up late and don’t let yourself worry about the interview. Again, trust the process and understand that you’re there to see if they are a good fit for you just as much as them seeing if you’re a good fit for their company.  You’ve been well-prepared and are a very capable Pathologists’ Assistant and they would be fortunate to have you!  Don’t forget that (but don’t be arrogant about it either).
5. Wear professional clothes. In fact, buy yourself an “interview outfit” and use it for all your interviews – even if you’ll never wear it again.  Make sure it isn’t super flashy (save your eye-catch neon for your first day on the job, haha), that your skirt is sufficiently long enough to convey your professionalism, that your shoes are comfortable so as not to distract them (perhaps save your 6 inch stilettos for your celebratory date with your husband once you’ve landed the job).  You may also want to inquire in advance about whether or not they’ll be requesting that you demonstrate your grossing skills and if so, whether or not scrubs will be provided for you or if you should bring your own.
6. Be casual but not-too-casual during your dinner with company staff. The whole point of this meal with you is to offer a slightly less formal environment so that they can see if you’re a good fit for their team socially, so don’t be fake or put up unbreakable social walls.  Share an honest (but measured) amount about yourself and your life, but maybe keep your bowel movement schedule and grandma’s concern about the nevus under her breast under wraps during dinner.  😉  It is also a good rule of thumb to not order alcohol during this dinner.    Even if they order alcohol, it’s a good idea to pass.  You’ll want all of your faculties about you to ensure you’re leaving a good impression.  There will be ample opportunity for you to kick back a couple beers with co-workers in the near future after you’ve landed the job.  You can do without for one night!

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Good luck and enjoy!  

(Keep your eyes peeled for red flags and don’t forget to make sure this is some place you’d like to spend your days for the next handful of years!)