After Pathology School working as a Pathologist Assistant is an extremely rewarding career with a nice medical salary. It is not a position for everyone, but for those who have the ability to work in this demanding area the benefits to humanity far outweigh any challenges that may be associated with the position. A Pathology Career can be a solid choice that will sustain you for a lifetime.
An Assistant Pathologist is not the same as a Pathologist. A Pathologist is a medical doctor who has medical training like any other doctor. A Pathologist Assistant does not have to take the same level or years of medical training, but does much of the same type of work as he or she assists the Pathologist.
A Pathologist Assistant can work for Federal Agencies like the Center for Disease Control (CDC) or the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) or local government agencies like police or sheriff’s departments. In shows like CSI and NCIS the guys who dissect the bodies that are discovered. The person who gives the diagnosis is the Pathologist. The diagnosis is the only part of the job that a Pathology Assistant cannot do. There are many duties within the Assistant Pathologist realm, preparing bodies for funeral homes, autopsy/dissection, prepare preliminary medical records, take medical histories, even teaching courses on pathology at colleges (which can be very fun).
To be an Assistant Pathologist one has to have at least a Bachelor’s degree in a science field of some type like biology, nursing or something else that can be linked back to pathology. Many P A programs are Master’s levels so one would have to get a Master’s degree to get a degree in Pathology. If one wants to be an Assistant he or she has to be licensed in the state they are working in. The certification exam is given by the American Society of Clinical Pathology. To pass the test you have to have incredible observational skills and be very detail oriented. These skills will also be needed to work in this profession.
The average Pathologist Assistant Salary is between $60 and $90 thousand dollars per year. Working conditions can be solitary or in teams depending on where you secure employment. One may be working in a lab or like facility, a morgue, or even a school. Wherever the Assistant ends up working it is common that the work area is very clean, sterile, and well ventilated because of all the chemicals and other hazardous substances that the Assistant Pathologist may be handling. Rarely, however is the Assistant Pathologist in any danger from the work that he is doing, unless they are working with diseases on a regular basis. There is also the fact that they have to deal with potential noxious chemicals in the processing of tissue and other samples.
Being a Pathologist Assistant is a very interesting position to hold, is well worth the training and testing to get this position, and can easily save the lives of many if the information that is found from the dead is found useful for preventing further problems, whether it be capturing a criminal or a getting a disease outbreak under control.
What you need to do is find the right schooling so that you will be sought after when you graduate. There are a number of colleges that you can choose from but check every single one as this will be not only your first step but also likely your biggest as well. This one choice will impact your income for the rest of your life.