Pathology is a unique medical specialty that operates mainly behind the scenes. As a general pathology resident, I train in various laboratory medicine areas, including anatomic pathology, transfusion medicine, biochemistry and medical microbiology. Our main goal is to provide accurate, reliable lab results that help other physicians make confident diagnoses and treatment decisions, reflecting the true disease processes affecting their patients.
During medical school and residency, we acquire the necessary knowledge and skills to conduct patient histories and physical examinations across a wide range of specialties. However, one challenging aspect of training is cultivating a mindset of continuous learning and development — an essential trait for successful physicians. Looking to my peers, it seems that our accomplishments and experiences outside of medicine significantly shape how we approach medicine and develop our improvement mindset.
Throughout my graduate education and residency, I’ve also worked as a professional musician, specifically playing the bagpipes. This hobby provides a refreshing contrast to medical and laboratory work, yet many skills needed for success in residency mirror those of a good musician. In fact, many traits that have helped me thrive in my training were first developed as a bagpiper prior to entering medical school.
Bagpipes can be played solo or in a band, with band playing being the more common choice. Unlike rock bands or orchestras that perform concerts, bagpipe bands compete. Each summer, competitions are held across Canada, with the largest Alberta event held in Canmore. Each band performs for just four to seven minutes before a panel of judges. Within this brief performance, each piper must execute around 4,000 finger movements, and even one or two mistakes among a band of 12-16 pipers can drastically affect rankings. While a judge might overlook a single error, loss of composure can lead to more noticeable mistakes. Consequently, the pressure to perform flawlessly is intense, particularly on the day of competition.
The strategies used by successful bands closely resemble those employed by elite athletes and businesses. For instance, identifying and correcting errors without judgment aligns with the Six Sigma methodology widely used in business and clinical biochemistry. This approach aims to track and reduce errors, striving for a remarkably low error rate of just 3.4 per million. On the performance side, bands structure their practice sessions to resemble competitions, promoting consistency across events and practice to minimize mistakes and nerves. Despite this work, each individual piper needs to come prepared with the music learned and make changes at practice to promote unison across the band, improve musicality and work to improve their own playing. Just as in medicine, unexpected challenges arise and these strategies help everyone stay composed and adaptable to make each performance better than the last.
From my experience as a musician, I’ve learned several valuable lessons that have influenced my approach to residency:
- Learn at home, refine during practice.
- Be adaptable, but use a consistent approach to problems.
- Mistakes happen — stay calm and figure out why.
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Dr. Zachary Dwyer is a pathology resident physician at the University of Calgary.
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