About Pathology
Pathology is often referred to as the bridge between science and medicine. This discipline involves looking at medicine through analytical eyes and rarely involves direct patient interaction. Those who work in the field of pathology form the critical link that establishes just how a patient is treated for whatever disease they have developed.
What is Pathology?
Pathology is a medical specialty that encompasses the study and diagnosis of diseases through examination of tissues, body fluids, organs and autopsies.
The field of pathology is divided into two main parts:
- Anatomical pathology
- Clinical pathology
The great majority of cancers are diagnosed by pathologists through the examination of tissues extracted from the patient and sent to the pathologist. Pathologists are doctors trained in the area of pathology. Pathologists use many tools to determine what disease is occurring in a patient or what caused a patient to die.
Pathology is unique because it touches every area of medicine; without pathologists, most diagnosis could not be made. Statistics show that 70% of all decisions made related to patient care and treatment rest on pathology reports.
Could Pathology be a Field for you?
The area of pathology requires some specific interests and qualities in a person to make sure it is a good fit for a career. These include:
- A strong interest in anatomy and physiology. Knowing the body, what it does and why it does it is a natural curiosity that those in the pathology field say they have had since they were children.
- Working in a laboratory setting interests you more than working and interacting with patients all day in your career.
- You have a natural desire to get to find the answers to questions, solve mysteries and determining why or how something is happening.
- Your interests in the medical field are more geared to the analytical, scientific and technical side of things.
What Jobs are Available in the field of Pathology?
Although this field of medicine is highly specialized, someone with a degree in pathology can enter several sub-specialties. These include:
- Diagnostician
- Researcher
- Forensic pathologist (medical examiner)
- Immunologist
- Hematologist
- Neuropathologist
- Radiologist