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Pathology

Pathology is the branch of medicine concerned with the cause, manifestation, diagnosis, and outcome of disease. The pathologist provides the morphologic and laboratory analysis to assist in patient care. Although many pathologists have traditionally practiced both anatomic and clinical pathology, increasingly the trend is to limit one's practice to one or the other area of investigation. An anatomic pathologist's work, often done in a hospital setting, is related to the effects of disease on the human body, for example, the examination of tissues removed from surgical patients and the performance of autopsies. A clinical pathologist specializes in laboratory medicine which includes chemistry, hematology, microbiology, and immunology. The pathologist selects testing methods and equipment, supervises the technical staff, maintains quality control, and confers with clinicians regarding the significance of the tests.

• Number of physicians in specialty - Small, less than 20,000
• Competitiveness of residency - Low
• Years of training required - Three years for a single area - anatomic or clinical; four years for a combined anatomic and clinical pathology residency.
• Subspecialty/Fellowship Training - Special qualification certificates can be attained in more than 20 subspecialties including the following: blood banking/transfusion medicine, chemical pathology, cytopathology, dermatopathology, forensic pathology, hematolopathology, medical microbiology, molecular diagnostics, neuropathology, and pediatric pathology.

Values & Personality Traits of Physicians in Pathology

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