CAP Today

A group of medical students, residents, and attending physicians with a shared interest in pathology got together to discuss the obstacles that stood in their paths, their colleagues’ impressions of the discipline, and what can be done to encourage future students to consider pathology.

More recent analyses of the pathologist job market conclude that in general, pathology trainees can find satisfying jobs in reasonable amounts of time. In a recent survey of first-time job seekers during 2012 through 2016, most respondents reported they found a job within 1 year of searching. Nearly one-third of those respondents received multiple job offers, and there was a high level of satisfaction with the job that they chose. Unpublished results from 2017 show similar, if not better, job search experiences. 

Medical students are often unsure about the viability of a career as a physician in pathology. In particular, they are concerned that pathologists may not have a gratifying lifestyle or be well compensated. These worries may cause angst among medical students considering pathology and among junior pathology residents wondering if they made the correct career choice.