Pathologist
Pathologists work in hospitals and laboratories on different areas of prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disease.
What you'll do
Day-to-day tasks
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.
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
What it takes
Skills and knowledge
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
You can get into this job through a university course.
You can take either a medical doctor route or clinical scientist route to become a pathologist.
Medical doctor route
To become a pathologist through the medical doctor route, you'll need to complete:
- a degree in medicine, recognised by the General Medical Council which takes 5 years
- a foundation course of general training which takes 2 years
- a specialist training programme in pathology which can take between 5 to 6 years
There's a lot of competition for places on medical degrees. Most universities will expect you to have done some paid or voluntary work experience in healthcare.
Science degrees
If you already have a first class or 2:1 (upper second class) science degree, you could take the graduate entry route into medicine instead. Some universities will also accept non-science graduates, but you might need to a do a foundation year.
Entry tests
When you apply for a course in medicine, you may be asked to take the University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT).
It tests the skills you'll need on the course, like critical thinking, problem solving, data analysis, communication and scientific knowledge.
Clinical scientist route
To become a pathologist through the clinical scientist route, you'll need to complete:
- a degree or master's in a science subject like biology, chemistry, clinical or biomedical science which takes 3 to 4 years
- the Scientist Training Programme which is work based, takes 3 years and leads to a master's degree
- the pathology speciality of the Higher Specialist Scientist Training Programme which takes 5 years
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
More Information
To become a veterinary pathologist, you'll need to train as a vet.
Registration
- you'll need to register with the General Medical Council
Further information
You can find out more about a career in pathology from the Royal College of Pathologists and Health Careers.
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External links
This page contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.