Careers in Pathology

AN ELDERLY WOMAN IS FOUND unconscious in a supermarket aisle. Unresponsive, she is rushed to the emergency room. Upon regaining consciousness, she complains of a severe pain in her abdomen. There are many possible reasons for the pain, so a pathologist is called in to help solve the mystery. Blood and urine samples are taken and the pathologist examines them under a microscope. What the pathologist sees leads to a conclusive diagnosis. Now that the cause is known, the medical team can begin treatment. Pathologists are like detectives, fascinated by the process of disease and dedicated to finding answers to medical mysteries. They use sophisticated tools and methods of modern laboratory science to identify and diagnose cancer, AIDS, diabetes, and many more diseases and health problems. Pathology literally means the study of disease, and consequently its scope is vast. Thousands of clinical, genetic, and microbiological tests are requested each day. It is the pathologist's job to examine tissue and body fluid samples, and provide expert interpretations of the results in order to facilitate diagnosis and treatment plans. There are two main kinds of medical pathologists: clinical and anatomic. Clinical pathologists spend the majority of their time in the laboratory, examining blood, urine, and other body fluid samples in search of the cause of a disease. They are key members of the medical team, which uses their findings to diagnose and treat patients. Anatomic pathologists also analyze tissue and cell samples in order to determine the diagnosis and cause of diseases. The difference is the anatomic pathologist uses samples removed via surgery, biopsies, or fine needle aspirations. Their services are often needed urgently, while a patient is undergoing surgery. Pathology is a very diverse field offering many different opportunities to practice in specific areas. There are many generalists, but most pathologists choose to focus on a specialty such as genetics, forensics, pediatrics, or molecular pathology. There are 10 such specialties in which a pathologist can obtain certification, and many more that can be practiced without certification. Because the work is conducted primarily in the laboratory, it is ideal for individuals who are keenly interested in medicine, but have little desire for direct patient contact. Pathology labs are found in hospitals, colleges, and private companies that do medical research. Pathologists are employed by government agencies associated with agriculture, public health, law enforcement, and many other fields. Pharmaceutical companies and manufacturers of toxic substances like insecticides also employ pathologists. The most successful pathologists are crack investigators and excellent communicators. They listen carefully as doctors describe symptoms and pay attention to every tiny detail while conducting lab tests. There is nothing routine about this work. Each case presents a new set of variables. The most valuable skill of all is the ability to recognize the common threads among diseases and visualize what is happening in a patient's body. Are you ready to spend years studying and training, and a lifetime keeping up with advances in medicine? Becoming a pathologist entails one of the lengthiest education and training tracks of all physicians. The combination of undergraduate study, medical school, and residency add up to a dozen years or more. Certain sub¬specialties also require an additional year or two in a fellowship program. In return for all the rigorous preparation, pathologists are rewarded with high salaries, excellent working conditions, and one of the only medical careers to feature normal 40-hour workweeks. If you are interested in the science behind medicine, want to work closely with other doctors, enjoy a balanced life, and solve the mysteries behind illness and deaths, pathology could be the career for you.