How to Become a Pathologist
A pathologist is a doctor who studies all of the different facets of disease. This includes the origination, spread, symptoms, cure, and the cause of all types of diseases. This is done through studying and examining samples from the infected patient, such as tissue, urine, or blood. They do not have direct contact with the patient, but they do give the doctor a diagnosis of what has caused the patient ailment. Using this information, doctors can come up with a treatment plan. In addition to examining samples for doctors, they also perform autopsies on dead bodies. During these autopsies, pathologists determine what exactly caused the patient to die, in addition to how the patient responded to the treatment and how diseased the person was.
Pathologists are doctors, and have to go through similar steps as other types of doctors do when they get their medical degrees; except, pathologists must study within their specialization.
1) Undergraduate Degree
Pathologists must have an undergraduate degree in a science field, such as chemistry or biology, or be premed. This degree builds an educational foundation that the student will need for medical school.
2) Medical School
After obtaining an undergraduate degree, the student must attend an accredited 4-year university for medical school, studying pathology.
3) Residency
Once medical school is complete, the student must complete a residency program for pathology. It is at this time when they choose with type of pathology that they want to specialize in. There are several different types, such as cytopathology, gynecologic pathology, and pediatric pathology.
4) Licensure
All states require that any person who practices pathology must obtain a license. After residency is complete, then the future pathologist must take an exam that will enable them to have their license.
5) Work
Finding a job is the last thing that is involved in becoming a pathologist. Oftentimes, the facility where the medical student has completed his residency will be where he has a job when the residency is over. Due to this fact, a lot of students choose their residency facility wisely and in a location where they will be happy living.