What do they do?

Diagnose diseases and conduct lab tests using organs, body tissues, and fluids. Includes medical examiners.

Also known as:

Anatomic Pathologist, Cytopathologist, Dermatopathologist, Forensic Pathologist, Hematopathologist, Neuropathologist, Oral Pathologist, Pathologist, Surgical Pathologist

Typical Wages

Projected Growth Rate

Employment of Physicians, Pathologists is projected to grow 5 percent from 2022 to 2032, about as fast as average compared to all occupations.

Projected Employment For All United States

No Data Available
  • 5.3%

    Change

    Select a state to see its job growth rate ranking
    400

    Job Openings

    Select a state to see its net job growth ranking

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Education Level

Percent of workers in this field with these degrees:

  • Doctorate or Professional Degree  (100%)
  • Master's degree  (<1%)
  • Bachelor's degree  (<1%)
  • Associate's degree  (<1%)
  • Some college, no degree  (<1%)
  • High school diploma equivalent  (<1%)
  • Less than high school diploma  (<1%)

Typical College Majors

Most Popular Majors that prepare Physicians, Pathologists

Select Type of Degree:

  • #1
    • Degrees Granted

      20,842
    • Female Students

      10,687
    • Male Students

      10,155
    • Median Starting Salary

      $38,300

People in this career often have these skills:

  • Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
  • Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
  • Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
  • Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
  • Science - Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.
  • Active Learning - Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
  • Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
  • Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
  • Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
  • Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

People in this career often know a lot about:

  • Medicine and Dentistry - Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
  • Biology - Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
  • English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
  • Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
  • Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

People in this career often have talent in:

  • Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
  • Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
  • Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
  • Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
  • Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
  • Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
  • Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
  • Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
  • Information Ordering - The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
  • Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
  • Category Flexibility - The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
  • Flexibility of Closure - The ability to identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material.
  • Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.

People in this career often do these activities:

  • Analyze laboratory specimens to detect abnormalities or other problems.
  • Diagnose medical conditions.
  • Operate laboratory equipment to analyze medical samples.
  • Prepare reports summarizing patient diagnostic or care activities.
  • Communicate test or assessment results to medical professionals.
  • Research microbiological or chemical processes or structures.
  • Maintain medical or professional knowledge.
  • Collaborate with healthcare professionals to plan or provide treatment.
  • Analyze test data or images to inform diagnosis or treatment.
  • Analyze medical data to determine cause of death.
  • Manage healthcare operations.
  • Test biological specimens to gather information about patient conditions.
  • Collect biological specimens from patients.
  • Develop health assessment methods or programs.
  • Train medical providers.
  • Supervise technical medical personnel.
  • Conduct research to increase knowledge about medical issues.
  • Present medical research reports.
  • Testify at legal or legislative proceedings.

This page includes data from:

O*NET OnLine Career data: O*NET 28.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (“USDOL/ETA”). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Logo Occupation statistics: USDOL U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment Statistics

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