Pathologist


What is pathology?

Pathology is the study of disease. It is the bridge between science and medicine. It underpins every aspect of patient care, from diagnostic testing and treatment advice to using cutting-edge genetic technologies and preventing disease.


Pathologists play a critical role in research, advancing medicine and devising new treatments to fight viruses, infections and diseases like cancer.

In the last 100 years, we’ve seen significant reductions in illnesses such as polio across the world, as well as major advances in blood transfusion, vaccination and treatment of inherited conditions. This is all thanks to the pioneering work of pathologists.

A pathologist is a doctor who interprets and diagnoses the changes caused by disease in the body's cells and tissues.

A pathology career offers a great range of variety and combines clinical and laboratory work and offers scope for excellent opportunities within research. Whichever branch of pathology that you are interested in, all jobs within pathology will require a very broad and detailed knowledge of medicine.

To become a veterinary pathologist, you'll need to train as a vet. The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons has more information about becoming a vet.

Types of Pathology

The four most common areas of pathology are:

  1. Chemical pathology - you'll combine laboratory and clinical skills, using biochemical tests to diagnose and treat patients. With metabolic medicine, a sub-specialty of chemical pathology, you'll treat patients whose chemical processes don't function properly.

  2. Haematology - you'll diagnose and treat disorders of the blood and bone marrow and provide clinical support for the haematology diagnostic laboratory, which includes the blood bank.

  3. Histopathology - you'll diagnose and study disease by medical interpretation of cells and tissue samples. Your role is integral to cancer management through the staging and grading of tumours. You'll also perform autopsies to determine cause of death.

  4. Medical microbiology and virology - in medical microbiology, you'll diagnose, treat and manage prevention of infection in patients and the community. You'll oversee the medical laboratory and provide a bridge between the lab and clinicians. Medical virology involves the management of blood-borne infections and other emerging viruses.

There are also options to sub-specialise, for example in paediatric pathology or neuropathology.


Is Pathology for you?

https://www.rcpath.org/discover-pathology/careers-in-pathology.html

Qualifications

To become a pathologist you'll need a:

  • five-year degree in medicine, recognised by the General Medical Council

  • two-year general training foundation course

  • five or six-year specialist training programme in pathology

To become a pathologist, you'll need to first complete a degree in medicine recognised by the General Medical Council (GMC). This usually takes five to six years to complete, although if you've already got a degree in a subject other than medicine (usually a 2:1 or above in a science-related subject) you can apply for a four-year accelerated graduate entry medicine programme (also known as a graduate entry programme). For a list of medical schools, see the Medical Schools Council.


Your medical degree is followed by two years of Foundation Training, common to all medical graduates, where you work in a hospital as a junior doctor on a rotational basis in different departments, which may include a pathology specialty. After successful completion of the first year of Foundation Training, you can apply for full registration as a doctor with the GMC. On successful completion of the programme, you'll be awarded a Foundation Programme Certificate of Completion (FPCC). For full details, see the UK Foundation Programme.


You will then undertake further core and specialty medical training (usually a minimum of seven years in total) to qualify in your chosen specialty. For further information, see the Joint Royal Colleges of Physicians Training Board (JRCPTB) and The Royal College of Pathologists.


On successful completion of the specialty training, you'll receive a Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT) and will be eligible for entry onto the GMC Register. It's possible to apply for consultant posts six months prior to your completion date.

For more detaild information :https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/explore-roles/doctors/roles-doctors/pathology


<Taken from prospects 2021>

University

Deadline for Medical application through UCAS is typically MID-OCTOBER.

Choosing a course:

https://www.themedicportal.com/application-guide/choosing-a-medical-school/

You can apply for 4 medical schools and the 5th choice can be used for a different course.

GCSE and A-Levels required for medicine

While ultimately the grades you get at A-levels will be considered first, this does not mean that your GCSEs are not important. Most medical schools tend to look at the overall picture when it comes to assessing prospective students. You stand a much better chance, wherever you are looking to study medicine, of being accepted on to the course if you have a strong academic history overall. So it is obviously very important that you do your best at GCSE level.

In order to study medicine at most universities in the UK you need to, as a standard, have at least five A* or A grade GCSEs in subjects including Maths and English. You also need to have at least a Grade B in a Science subject. Whether it is Chemistry, Physics or Biology is not often particularly important, unless the medical school you are interested in has stipulated this in its entry requirements.

Medical degrees always require at least AAA at A-level and grades have to be achieved in hard science subjects like biology and chemistry with physics or mathematics considered next most useful.

For individual medical schools entry requirements please click here : https://www.themedicportal.com/application-guide/choosing-a-medical-school/what-a-levels-do-you-need-to-be-a-doctor/

For all information on applying for medicine at University click the button below:

Career Videos

Pathology Careers at North Bristol Trust

What is a pathologist?

Forensic Pathologist: Requirements and Career Information

Pathology in the NHS | BDI Resourcing