3 Questions with Kerwin Kolheffer, MS, PA(ASCP)CM

Kerwin Kolheffer, MS, PA(ASCP)^CM, likens his path to a career in the laboratory to a phrase often used by the well-known painter, Bob Ross: a “happy accident.” 

Armed with a degree in biology, he had gravitated toward medicine, but wasn’t sure what his next move would or should be. When he found a position as a laboratory assistant in a histology laboratory, he learned about the role of the Pathologists’ Assistant, and knew he had found his calling. As he was trained on processing biopsies and other select specimens, he found that he enjoyed the hands-on analytical nature of the work, and when he was approached with an opportunity to train as an autopsy assistant, he jumped at the chance. Through his training to become a Pathologists’ Assistant, he found a place where he felt like he belonged in the larger realm of medicine.  

Here, Mr. Kolheffer, Associate Professor and Educational Coordinator for the Pathologists’ Assistant Program at Eastern Virginia Medical School, shares how he became involved in volunteering, the impact he hopes to make on pathology and laboratory medicine, and more.  

What impact do you hope to make through your work in this field?  

Ultimately, I wish to contribute to the care of patients and help reduce their suffering, whether by helping them find a cure, a better quality of life, or (at a minimum) by helping them to have more information about their condition. When I first entered the field, I did this through my work at the bench – grossing surgical specimens, assisting in intraoperative consultations, and performing autopsies. Now, I am very fortunate to have the opportunity to share my knowledge and experience while training Pathologists’ Assistant students. In this way, I feel that I can amplify my impact. As an individual, I am limited in the number of cases I can personally process. However, by training others, my efforts are amplified, and my students are able to care for many more patients than would ever be possible for one person alone.   

Similarly, I feel my efforts as a Career Ambassador and ASCP volunteer allow me to expand the reach of my efforts. It is my hope that some of the students I have interacted with as a Career Ambassador may ultimately choose a career in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine. In my years as an Ambassador, I have likely presented to a few thousand students. If even a very small fraction of these students pursues such a career, then I have made an even greater impact.  

There is one more impact that I wish to make and that is the impact that a career in lab medicine has on my students, their families, and their communities. While I was fortunate to discover this field by a “happy accident,” through my volunteering I can help students learn about these careers in a more intentional way. As an educator, I can help them gain the skills and knowledge needed to be successful.  In this way, their lives may be forever changed for the better as they enter a meaningful and rewarding profession with a good income and potential for growth that will impact not only them but their families and communities.   

How did you first get involved with ASCP? What (or perhaps who) pushed you to become a volunteer?  

I became an ASCP student member while in graduate school, training to become a Pathologists’ Assistant. As a student, I was recognized with an ASCP student award, but I must admit that I was not a very active member for the first few years of my career. It was an ASCP email about becoming a Career Ambassador that first caught my attention and pulled me closer. Many times, I may give an email a cursory review before clicking “delete,” but this email in particular intrigued me.   

As I read more about Career Ambassadors presenting information about careers in pathology and laboratory medicine to high school students I decided to submit an application for two reasons. Firstly, I felt compelled to share my passion for my profession with others, in hopes that perhaps some of the students might find an interest in the lab early on instead of stumbling into it as I did. My second reason for becoming a Career Ambassador was not as altruistic, however. While I had, on certain occasions, given presentations before an audience, I found public speaking to be quite intimidating. I viewed this as an opportunity to become more comfortable with speaking in front of groups. I figured that groups of high school students would be an easy way to ease into it (full disclosure: this was not always the case).   

Fast forward to now and I can see that becoming a Career Ambassador did much more for me than simply allowing me to share my knowledge and experience with students while becoming more comfortable as a public speaker. The skills I developed and the enjoyment I experienced in teaching and presenting gave me the confidence to act on a growing passion for education. Now, as an Associate Professor, I am a professional public speaker of sorts and I have the privilege of helping people find and pursue their professional dreams. I am extremely grateful to the Career Ambassador Program for giving me the self-assurance to chase this dream. 

The Career Ambassador Program was my first foray into volunteering with the ASCP, as it is for many.  I soon found myself being presented with other opportunities to serve.  I have continued to serve as a Career Ambassador, and have also spoken at roundtables, presented at “Building the Laboratory Workforce Day” which has evolved into “NextPo” and led small group discussions.  I also currently serve on the Council of Laboratory Professionals. I honestly believe that becoming a Career Ambassador has changed the course of my life. I also believe that through the work of ASCP and its many volunteers, we change the lives of others – patients, students, and colleagues – for the better. 

What advice would you give to someone considering a career in the laboratory?  

The best advice that I offer to anyone considering any career is to learn as much as possible about the career and get shadowing experience, if at all possible. To achieve success in any field – and particularly for careers in medicine – it requires that person invest their time, effort, and (often) money to gain the necessary training. By taking the time to fully understand all aspects of the career, one can help ensure that this is the best choice for them and that they will enjoy a long and satisfying professional journey. In my experience, shadowing provides the best opportunity to see what individuals are actually doing on a day-to-day basis in a given profession. Shadowing allows someone to see the rewarding elements as well as the negatives of a career whether through conversation with those they are shadowing or by direct observation. 

Once a person has decided on a career path, I believe that finding a good mentor (or mentors) is incredibly important, regardless of if these mentorships and formal or informal. By aligning with someone in your field who has more experience and wisdom, pitfalls may be avoided, and the additional guidance can help instill confidence and comfort when navigating new experiences and opportunities. By learning from others’ experiences, a person can move through their career growth with greater efficiency and perhaps fewer headaches and sleepless nights. In some cases, the person with whom someone shadows may even become a mentor to that person and continue to assist them throughout their career.