Careers in Pathology

Answer 1

Pathology is the study of diseases and how they affect organisms. A person who studies pathology is a pathologist. Pathologists play an important role in the diagnosis and treatment of disease. He or she plays an important role in the treatment of patients by accurately identifying the exact physiological issue. There are many fields of pathology, including general pathology, forensic pathology, and molecular pathology, to name just a few.

Pathologists must go through medical school and be licensed in the same way that doctors are. They usually obtain an undergraduate degree in chemistry, Biology, or another pre-med degree plan, and then attend medial school. After time as a medical intern and resident, they can begin private practice or work as a fully licensed pathologist.

Pathologists are distinct in that they usually do not interact with patients directly, instead consulting with the patient's physician who will go to the pathologist for their expertise in diagnosing. This can be anything from answering questions for the doctor to performing full-scale blood and urine tests to determine the exact disease. In this way, many pathologists work from the lab on a variety of cases at once from several doctors. It is relatively rare for a pathologist to meet with individual patients, though one may choose to do so if he or she wishes to examine the symptoms directly. Considering that many pathologists do not visit patients directly, it is important for doctors to relay symptoms accurately.

Forensic pathologists work in a different role. Many work in a hospital like other pathologists, but instead of diagnosing patients they aid the coroner and medical examiner in identifying bodies, the cause of death, and other issues related to criminal or civil cases. Pathologists often testify in court with any evidence they may have regarding the murder of an individual. Some police departments are large enough to hire their own full time pathologists. In smaller cities forensic pathologists may double as a general pathologists as well, handling diagnosing cases most of the time and assisting with murder investigations as the cases arise.