Pathologists' Assistant
Impact: Patient outcomes, diagnostic accuracy
Examine and dissect surgical specimens and perform postmortem examinations under the supervision of a pathologist. This role involves comprehensive macroscopic examination, prosection, and preparing tissue samples for microscopic analysis, contributing to accurate patient diagnoses.
What the day looks like
- People interaction
- Moderate
- Team vs solo
- 60% Team / 40% Solo
- Client facing
- Rarely
- Impact visibility
- High
- Travel
- Minimal
- Schedule flexibility
- Structured
- Remote work
- On-site Only
- Typical work hours
- 40-50 hours/week
- Stress level
- High
At a glance
- Median salary
- $105,000
- Entry-level
- $95,000 - $99,999
- Senior
- $120,000+
- Growth by 2033
- 28% (much faster than average)
- Demand
- Growing Fast
- Freelance potential
- Low
- Salary growth potential
- High to 25-30% growth from entry to senior
- Typical student debt
- $70,000 - $100,000
Skills you'll use
Hard skills
- Gross Dissection
- Specimen Photography
- Autopsy Prosection
- Histologic Sampling
- Medical Terminology
- Anatomy
- Pathology
Soft skills
- Attention to Detail
- Critical Thinking
- Problem Solving
- Communication
- Manual Dexterity
- Organization
Technical complexity: High
How to get there
- Minimum education
- Master's Degree
- Licensing
- Yes
- Years to mid-career
- 3-5 years
- Years to senior
- 8-10 years
- Career switching
- Hard
Where this career leads
How people arrive here
Where you can go from here
Typical progression
- Pathologists' Assistant
- Senior Pathologists' Assistant
- Lead Pathologists' Assistant / Supervisor
Future outlook
- Automation probability
- 15% to low risk due to complex manual tasks and judgment required
- AI disruption risk
- Low
- Demand trend
- Growing Fast
How people feel about it
- Overall satisfaction
- 3.5/10
- Meaning
- 4/10
- Work-life balance
- 3/10
- Prestige
- 7.5/10
- Social perception
- High