How many people snail mail hand-written thank you notes these days? And more to the point, how many people send thank you notes to pathologists? So I was as shocked as a dog going through an invisible fence when I received two thank you notes today, for two entirely different sets of circumstances.

The first note was the result of a telephone consultation from last week. A call was transferred to me from Mr. M, inquiring about a particular patient’s molecular microbiology laboratory result.

After determining that the caller was the patient’s brother and not the patient’s physician, I explained that HIPAA regulations prohibited me from answering questions without the patient’s consent.

“OK, forget about my sister, can you just review some lab procedures to me?” Mr. M asked.

“Sure,” I said.

Following that, we discussed how molecular microbiology worked. I explained why some tests such as qPCR detected certain organisms, while other tests, including the technique known as next-generation sequencing, could detect a far greater number of bugs. I could hear the light bulb go off in Mr. M’s brain as he applied this knowledge to the facts of his sister’s case.

Mr. M’s thank you note revealed he was a retired radiologist. He let me know how grateful he was for the few minutes I spent speaking with him. From his spindly handwriting, I surmise that it has been quite a while since he has been actively practicing. I was glad to bring him up to date on a modality that probably didn’t exist back when he last reviewed a patient’s chest x-ray.

The other thank you note also came from someone whose knowledge wasn’t quite what they needed it to be. She was a rep for a software company, and she turned up in my office unannounced and badly uninformed.

She was brand new in this particular sales position and clearly had no understanding of how various lab systems worked–she really didn’t understand what she was selling.

Along with my associate, I spent half an hour in my office with this struggling sales rep. We talked about how a lab operated, we defined some important terms, and we explained to her what her product could, and just as importantly could not, provide to a lab. She took copious notes as we gave her the basics that her employer had somehow neglected to provide to her.

In her note, she thanked us for taking the time to provide her with some guidance. I hope we provided her with enough to save her career.

It’s a pleasure to receive notes like these two. Something that I will miss when I soon close my office door for the last time!

Like what you read here? Add your name to our subscription list below. No spam, I promise!
___

———————————–

How many people snail mail hand-written thank you notes these days? And more to the point, how many people send thank you notes to pathologists? So I was as shocked as a dog going through an invisible fence when I received two thank you notes today, for two entirely different sets of circumstances.

The first note was the result of a telephone consultation from last week. A call was transferred to me from Mr. M, inquiring about a particular patient’s molecular microbiology laboratory result.

After determining that the caller was the patient’s brother and not the patient’s physician, I explained that HIPAA regulations prohibited me from answering questions without the patient’s consent.

“OK, forget about my sister, can you just review some lab procedures to me?” Mr. M asked.

“Sure,” I said.

Following that, we discussed how molecular microbiology worked. I explained why some tests such as qPCR detected certain organisms, while other tests, including the technique known as next-generation sequencing, could detect a far greater number of bugs. I could hear the light bulb go off in Mr. M’s brain as he applied this knowledge to the facts of his sister’s case.

Mr. M’s thank you note revealed he was a retired radiologist. He let me know how grateful he was for the few minutes I spent speaking with him. From his spindly handwriting, I surmise that it has been quite a while since he has been actively practicing. I was glad to bring him up to date on a modality that probably didn’t exist back when he last reviewed a patient’s chest x-ray.

The other thank you note also came from someone whose knowledge wasn’t quite what they needed it to be. She was a rep for a software company, and she turned up in my office unannounced and badly uninformed.

She was brand new in this particular sales position and clearly had no understanding of how various lab systems worked–she really didn’t understand what she was selling.

Along with my associate, I spent half an hour in my office with this struggling sales rep. We talked about how a lab operated, we defined some important terms, and we explained to her what her product could, and just as importantly could not, provide to a lab. She took copious notes as we gave her the basics that her employer had somehow neglected to provide to her.

In her note, she thanked us for taking the time to provide her with some guidance. I hope we provided her with enough to save her career.

It’s a pleasure to receive notes like these two. Something that I will miss when I soon close my office door for the last time!

Like what you read here? Add your name to our subscription list below. No spam, I promise!
___

———————————–

CHARLESTON — Trying to stop the run last season was a chore for Eastern Illinois.

Seven different times during a 1-10 season, the Panthers gave up at least 150 yards on the ground and ranked last in the Ohio Valley Conference by allowing 180.6 yards. On four occasions, they gave up at least 200 yards.

“You lose a little bit of motivation,” junior defensive end Tim Varga of Elk Grove High School said of the team’s struggles against opposing run games. “The confidence is not there, and football is all about confidence.”

With two weeks to go before their season opener at Northern Illinois on Sept. 1, the Panthers are determined not to repeat their 2021 performance.

“That has been a big focus for us,” first-year head coach Chris Wilkerson said after Saturday’s practice at O’Brien Field. “We believe if you control the line of scrimmage, you’ll at least have a chance (to win).”

Varga is one of three returning starters for EIU, including fellow defensive end Jordan Miles and interior lineman Cameron Leach, a 295-pound junior. Three players who were listed as backups in the 2021 season finale also return.

“The nice thing is that all of these guys are back,” second-year defensive line coach Adam Morris said. “We have a lot of experience.”

Morris’ unit – which Wilkerson called one of the deepest on the team – also has several new faces.

The Panthers added three junior college defensive linemen along with 6-foot-4, 275-pound transfer Tre’jon Lewis from Texas Tech. Three of the four additions weigh at least 275 pounds.

“In an ideal world, we want to have as many guys that you trust going into a football game as possible,” Morris said. “When you have more bodies, you can cycle guys through. We have more guys who are going to be game ready. We had guys playing 60, 65, 70 snaps at times. I’d love to keep that number closer to 40.”

Wilkerson said having more available players on game day also gives the team flexibility to match opposing offenses. He said against some run-heavy opponents, Eastern could play with five defensive linemen or, in some cases, with five of its biggest bodies.

Junior Braylon Willis, a 6-4, 245-pound transfer from East Los Angeles College, said he has seen plenty of evidence that the Panthers have turned a corner.

“Leadership. Everybody taking accountability,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of guys who really want to get after it. I see this defense really jelling together. Nobody wants a repeat of last year. That doesn’t look good.”

CHARLESTON — Trying to stop the run last season was a chore for Eastern Illinois.

Seven different times during a 1-10 season, the Panthers gave up at least 150 yards on the ground and ranked last in the Ohio Valley Conference by allowing 180.6 yards. On four occasions, they gave up at least 200 yards.

“You lose a little bit of motivation,” junior defensive end Tim Varga of Elk Grove High School said of the team’s struggles against opposing run games. “The confidence is not there, and football is all about confidence.”

With two weeks to go before their season opener at Northern Illinois on Sept. 1, the Panthers are determined not to repeat their 2021 performance.

“That has been a big focus for us,” first-year head coach Chris Wilkerson said after Saturday’s practice at O’Brien Field. “We believe if you control the line of scrimmage, you’ll at least have a chance (to win).”

Varga is one of three returning starters for EIU, including fellow defensive end Jordan Miles and interior lineman Cameron Leach, a 295-pound junior. Three players who were listed as backups in the 2021 season finale also return.

“The nice thing is that all of these guys are back,” second-year defensive line coach Adam Morris said. “We have a lot of experience.”

Morris’ unit – which Wilkerson called one of the deepest on the team – also has several new faces.

The Panthers added three junior college defensive linemen along with 6-foot-4, 275-pound transfer Tre’jon Lewis from Texas Tech. Three of the four additions weigh at least 275 pounds.

“In an ideal world, we want to have as many guys that you trust going into a football game as possible,” Morris said. “When you have more bodies, you can cycle guys through. We have more guys who are going to be game ready. We had guys playing 60, 65, 70 snaps at times. I’d love to keep that number closer to 40.”

Wilkerson said having more available players on game day also gives the team flexibility to match opposing offenses. He said against some run-heavy opponents, Eastern could play with five defensive linemen or, in some cases, with five of its biggest bodies.

Junior Braylon Willis, a 6-4, 245-pound transfer from East Los Angeles College, said he has seen plenty of evidence that the Panthers have turned a corner.

“Leadership. Everybody taking accountability,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of guys who really want to get after it. I see this defense really jelling together. Nobody wants a repeat of last year. That doesn’t look good.”