How to Become a Pathology Assistant - A Quick Reference Guide to a Fascinating Career

How to Become a Pathology Assistant - A Quick Reference Guide to a Fascinating Career

Does the study of human body during autopsies intrigue you? If so, than have you ever considered starting a career as a Pathology Assistant?

Here's a quick reference guide to help you understand all you need to know to become one.

Duties and Responsibilities

A Pathology Assistant is a highly trained health professional who provides anatomic pathology services under the supervision and guidance of a pathologist. Some of his/her main responsibilities include:

Dealing with families and law enforcement

Preparing and analyzing human tissue surgical specimens

Preparing postmortem examinations

Preparing bodies for being released to the funeral homes

Taking photographs and preparing autopsy reports

Teaching various courses related to his field, such as human anatomy, physiology, histology, gross pathology, microscopic photography, etc

Training newly qualified pathologists

Performing a number of managerial and/or administrative duties, such as filing reports, managing budgets, coding and billing, supervising employees, etc

Conducting on-site examinations for any specimens

Maintaining lab equipment

Training:

In order to qualify for this job, you must first graduate with a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution. Although you also have the option to go for a Master's degree, a bachelor's will also suffice. Apart from these basic qualifications, you will also be expected to write a fellowship exam and seek internship or on-job training in order to become a certified Pathology Assistant.

Usually, most of those who choose this line of work are individuals who are already working in the healthcare field, and are trying to avail a second degree. Most of these people are initially trained as clinical lab technologist, autopsy technicians, histo-technologist or hospital corpsman.

Once you complete your training, you are required to join the American Association of Pathologists' Assistants as a student, an affiliate or a fellow.

Skills Required

Apart from obtaining the right education and training, you must also possess the following skills:

Innovative thinking

The ability to pay attention to details

Excellent problem solving skills

Excellent communication skills (written and oral)

The ability to visualize complex procedures

The ability to work under stress or for long hours

Job Outlook and Salary

Working as a Pathology Assistant, you can easily get a job within a community hospital, public or government hospital, reference laboratories, academic centers or even medical schools.

As far as the remuneration package is concerned, the average salary ranges from $60,000 to $90,000 a year, depending upon your qualification, experience and working conditions.

Moreover, with further education, you can also become a pathologist, a quality control technician, a senior supervisor or a technical medical writer.

Being a Pathology Assistant is definitely a promising career with a lot of potential growth; all it takes is some serious hard work and determination.

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