Pathologist

Explore This Path

Solve medical mysteries by diagnosing diseases through lab analysis.
Play a crucial role in patient care by identifying health conditions.
Uncover hidden truths in tissues and fluids to advance medical science.

💰 Earn $144K-$239K

📚 Doctoral or Professional Degree

⏱️ 48 MONTH TRAINING

📈 5.5% JOB GROWTH

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What You’ll Do

Diagnose diseases and conduct lab tests using organs, body tissues, and fluids. Includes medical examiners.

Examine microscopic samples to identify diseases or other abnormalities.
Diagnose diseases or study medical conditions, using techniques such as gross pathology, histology, cytology, cytopathology, clinical chemistry, immunology, flow cytometry, or molecular biology.
Write pathology reports summarizing analyses, results, and conclusions.
Communicate pathologic findings to surgeons or other physicians.
Identify the etiology, pathogenesis, morphological change, and clinical significance of diseases.

Scoop

Minimum Education

Doctoral or Professional Degree

Career Prospects

Excellent (Increasing by 5% or more)

Training Time

Over 4 years

Job Openings

400 Annually

Median Earnings

$144,090 in California

$239,200 Nationally

$25K

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Best For You If...

YOU Like 💕

Thinking and problem solving
Working with my hands

You are skilled in 💫

Active Learning
Active Listening
Critical Thinking
Reading Comprehension
Speaking
Writing

You value 🙏

Accomplishing things
Having freedom
Receiving recognition

Deep Dive

Pathologist

Explore career pathways, key skills, and what each role has to offer.

Pathways to this Career

Learn about the education and training paths that can lead to this career — and what to expect from each one.

Bachelor's Degree

A bachelor's degree typically results in increased knowledge about a variety of academic subjects, specialized knowledge in a focused field of study, and is considered the foundational qualification for many careers.

🎓 College

⏱️ FINISH IN 4-5+ years