Pathologist
Pathologists work in hospitals and laboratories on different areas of prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disease.
- Starter salary£54,000 a year
- Experienced£115,000 a year
- Typical hours37 to 40 a week
What you'll do
Depending on your area, as a pathologist you could:
- examine, explain and advice on the results of blood tests, smear tests and tissue removal
- research and develop new tests and treatments
- treat diseases and develop vaccines against diseases and conditions
- organise work in laboratories and supervise staff
- discuss the treatment of individual patients with other health professionals
You can find out more about what you'll do as a pathologist from the Royal College of Pathologists.
Working environment
You could work in an NHS or private hospital or in a laboratory.
Your working environment may be emotionally demanding.
You may need to wear protective clothing.
Skills and knowledge you'll need
You'll need:
- knowledge of medicine
- analytical thinking skills
- the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
- knowledge of biology
- thinking and reasoning skills
- to be thorough and pay attention to detail
- excellent verbal communication skills
- complex problem-solving skills
- to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently
How to become a pathologist
You can get into this job through a university course.
University
You can take either a medical doctor route or clinical scientist route to become a pathologist.
Entry requirements
You'll usually need:
- 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English, maths and science
- 3 A levels, or equivalent, including biology and chemistry
Other routes
To become a veterinary pathologist, you'll need to train as a vet .
Career path and progression
With experience you could:
- lead a team or manage a department
- apply for senior or consultant roles if you're on the General Medical Council's Specialist Register
- move into teaching and training students, trainee doctors and other healthcare professionals
Registration
- you'll need to register with the General Medical Council
Guides for this industry
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Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0