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Careers in Pathology
“Is it the work you
see on TV
programmes like
Silent Witness
and CSI?”
“60% of people believe that
pathologists only cut up
dead people.”
“Less than 33% know that pathologists
diagnose diseases of living people.”
What is pathology?
Pathology is the study of disease
Histopathologists
• Look at tissues and cells removed from patients
• Use microscopes and a trained eye to discover disease
• Tell the patient’s doctor what is wrong
Histopathologists
• Diagnose cancers and other serious illnesses...
...but they also often have good news
• Carry out post mortem examinations to find out why
someone has died
• Good attention to detail
• Able to work well under
pressure
• Good communication
skills
• Able to work as part of a
team
Skills required
Haematologists
• Study and treat diseases of the blood cells and bone marrow
• Diagnose and treat blood clotting abnormalities
• Are responsible for ensuring that blood transfusions are safe
Haematologists
• Care for people with anaemia, leukaemias, thrombosis and
bleeding problems such as haemophilia
• Work in labs diagnosing disease, as well as caring for patients
• Inter-personal skills
• Being able to
empathise with
patients
• Interpretative skills
• Good communication
skills
Skills required
Medical Microbiologists
•
Used to mainly work in labs but are now out on the wards
seeing patients
•
Give advice about many infection control issues
•
Give advice on the correct treatment of infections
Medical Microbiologists
• Collaborate with colleagues and deal directly with patients,
as well as work in the lab
• Make new and unexpected discoveries impacting on
patients’ health
• Patience
• Curiosity
• Team player
• Persistent
• Good communicator
Skills required
Clinical Biochemists
• Diagnose diseases where the body’s chemistry goes wrong
• Test body fluids such as blood, urine, saliva and spinal fluid
• Work in the lab as well as directly with patients
Clinical Biochemists
• Spend time looking at patients’ test results to see what is normal
and what is abnormal
• Abnormal results will be discussed with patient’s doctor
• Communication skills
•
An eye for detail
• Leadership skills
• Organisational skills
Skills required
Immunologists
• Deal with a wide range of clinical problems, including genetic
and acquired immune deficiencies
• Work in many different areas of biomedical research, as well as
in healthcare
Immunologists
• Investigate why the immune system can attack the body's
own tissues
• Develop vaccines to combat diseases like HIV
• Study the causes of allergies
• Investigate ways to stop the body rejecting transplants
• Communication skills
• Management skills
• Excellent ability in
biology
• Problem solving
• Able to work
independently
Skills required
UK pathologists
Toxicology
19 different specialties
Pathology – the essential service
400 million biochemistry tests
120 million haematology tests
30 million microbiology requests
.
13 million histopathology slides
Pathology is involved in over
70% of diagnoses...
...that’s 14 tests for every person
in the country each year
Pathology Services in England & Wales (2002/03)
Source: Audit Commission