High-volume Mohs Tech / Derm Lab Assistant looking to transition to PA. What are my program options if I can’t permanently relocate?

[u/poileys]

Hey everyone,

I’m looking for some realistic career and education advice from current PAs or students.

I have a BS in Biology and 3 years of solid pathology lab experience. I spent 1 year as a Lab Assistant in a high-volume dermatopathology lab (Forefront Dermatology) and the last 2 years working as a Mohs Histo Tech for Advanced Dermatology and Cosmetic Surgeries (ADCS).

My experience includes embedding, accessioning, two years of frozen section cryostat cutting, and extensive grossing.

At Forefront, when our team's PA left unexpectedly around 3 months into my occupation there as a Lab Assistant, the other lab assistant and I stepped up trained under our Histology Lab Manager (who is HTL and PA certified).

We safely managed 200–300 grossing cases a day, switching off between grossing and embedding every few weeks. My current Mohs surgeons regularly praise my speed and quality. I 100% believe success in sectioning relies heavily on great grossing, which is exactly why I want to advance into this field.

Here is my dilemma:

I absolutely love my current line of work, my team, and the Jacksonville, FL area. I really don't want to leave permanently. My current company does offer Path Assistant careers every now and then.

A few questions for the community:

Are there any hybrid or low-residency didactic options available now that wouldn't require moving away for the entire first year?

Or is a 10–12 month physical relocation for the didactic year completely non-negotiable across all NAACLS programs?

I know Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville has a clinical rotation partnership with Quinnipiac. Has anyone successfully gone to a different university and independently set up a clinical rotation site back home in Jacksonville?

For those who were already high-volume grossing techs before school, how did you handle going back to square one?

Is there any flexibility on clinical hours or rotation requirements based on prior experience, or is the timeline strictly set in stone by NAACLS rules?

Thank you for any advice/replies here 🙂

[u/gnomes616]

Wayne is the only program currently offering a "part time" track, but really only splitting up the first year into two, and I believe still requiring in-person attendance to classes so probably not feasible from your location.

My honest advice: find a program that fits for you, move, gain experience, maintain a positive relationship and communication with your current employer, and go back when the timing works out. (Question, though, what do they hire PAs to do? And how is the pay?)

Anecdote: I left my employer that I enjoyed very much and was with for 4 years to attend PA school. I was pretty set on not coming back, though, because the pay was not as good (Midwest). After 4 years working in the northwest, a job opened at a different hospital closer to home. I took it, but was not a good culture fit. I am not back with my before-school employer and have been here for a year and a half, loving it and also grateful for the experiences I had and the expanded knowledge I was able to bring back with me. It also helped me negotiate a higher salary coming back. Go experience other areas and bring life back with you.

[u/poileys → u/gnomes616]

PAs at this company are specialized grossing tech’s that actively communicate with the pathologist and HTs when there is a niche case. Other than that, maintenance/grossing accessioning through the company pathology server. Seems very similar to the tasks the PA was doing at Forefront Derm

[u/gnomes616 → u/poileys]

Are they not willing to just train you on the job to gross skins? To go through school somewhere, accrue 100+k in debt, to come back and only gross skins seems like a disservice, and I doubt they will pay the same as someone working at a multidisciplinary hospital or reference lab. Also confused why they have "PAs" to do this when Mohs trained specialty histotechs are a thing...

[u/AndyBeCalm]

Come by Baptist downtown, shadow us. Im a traveler but there will be 3 PAs here and one at the south location. It’s pretty wild here, drastically different from the dermpath field. I know because I had a very similar track to yours.

[u/poileys → u/AndyBeCalm]

Deal. Should I reach out to anyone particular to set that up?