Physicians, Pathologists
Health ScienceO*NET 29-1222.00United States
Diagnose diseases and conduct lab tests using organs, body tissues, and fluids. Includes medical examiners.
- Median annual earnings
- $301,735
- Projected change
- +7.9%
- Typical education
- Doctoral degree or more
- Employment
- 15.54K jobs
50th percentile, United States
2025 to 2035
91.3% of the workforce
Growing to 16.77K by 2035
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The work
What physicians, pathologists do
Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.
- Examine microscopic samples to identify diseases or other abnormalities.
- Diagnose diseases or study medical conditions, using techniques such as gross pathology, histology, cytology, cytopathology, clinical chemistry, immunology, flow cytometry, or molecular biology.
- Write pathology reports summarizing analyses, results, and conclusions.
- Identify the etiology, pathogenesis, morphological change, and clinical significance of diseases.
- Communicate pathologic findings to surgeons or other physicians.
- Read current literature, talk with colleagues, or participate in professional organizations or conferences to keep abreast of developments in pathology.
- Consult with physicians about ordering and interpreting tests or providing treatments.
- Analyze and interpret results from tests, such as microbial or parasite tests, urine analyses, hormonal assays, fine needle aspirations (FNAs), and polymerase chain reactions (PCRs).
- Review cases by analyzing autopsies, laboratory findings, or case investigation reports.
- Manage medical laboratories.
- Develop or adopt new tests or instruments to improve diagnosis of diseases.
- Educate physicians, students, and other personnel in medical laboratory professions, such as medical technology, cytotechnology, or histotechnology.
- Plan and supervise the work of the pathology staff, residents, or visiting pathologists.
- Perform autopsies to determine causes of deaths.
Pay and outlook
What the job pays and where it is heading
Annual earnings range
Reported earnings by percentile, United States
- 10th percentile
- $85,093
- 25th percentile
- $174,569
- 50th percentile
- $301,735
- 75th percentile
- $374,843
- 90th percentile
- $475,945
The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $301,735 and half earn less.
Employment outlook
2025 to 2035 projection
+7.9%faster than average
202515,541 jobs
2035 projected16,767 jobs
1,226 more positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.
Preparation
Education levels
What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.
- Doctoral degree or more
- 91.3%
- Master's or Professional degree
- 8.7%
Skills
Skills employers ask for
Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.
How the work gets done
Core competencies
Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.
- 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 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.
- 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.
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Speaking
- Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Monitoring
- Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Instructing
- Teaching others how to do something.
- Time Management
- Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Learning Strategies
- Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
- Management of Personnel Resources
- Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
- Social Perceptiveness
- Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Systems Analysis
- Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
- Systems Evaluation
- Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
- Coordination
- Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Mathematics
- Using mathematics to solve problems.
- Persuasion
- Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
In the market
Job titles and employers
Recent job postings in United StatesCommon job titles
- 01Pathology Physicians1,827 postings
- 02Locums Tenens688 postings
- 03Pathologists687 postings
- 04Locum Tenens Radiologists245 postings
- 05Surgical Pathologists240 postings
- 06Clinical Pathologists199 postings
- 07Hematopathologists178 postings
- 08Locum Tenens Physicians176 postings
- 09Anesthesiologists161 postings
- 10Pathologist Physicians139 postings
- 11Anatomic Pathology Managers110 postings
- 12Anatomic Pathologists92 postings
- 13Dermatopathology Physicians92 postings
- 14Directors of Pathology86 postings
- 15Locum Tenens Radiology Physicians81 postings
- 16Cytopathologists80 postings
- 17Locum Tenens Pulmonology Physicians78 postings
- 18Dermatopathologists74 postings
- 19Radiation Oncologists60 postings
- 20DO Physicians59 postings
Top employers
- 01CompHealth971 postings
- 02Weatherby Healthcare804 postings
- 03First Choice Llc267 postings
- 04AMN Healthcare230 postings
- 05HCA Healthcare153 postings
- 06Sonic Healthcare USA132 postings
- 07Medicus Healthcare Solutions130 postings
- 08Hayman Daugherty Associates120 postings
- 09LocumTenens.com115 postings
- 10Staff Icons98 postings
- 11United States Department of Veterans Affairs90 postings
- 12Global Medical Staffing87 postings
- 13VISTA Staffing Solutions75 postings
- 14Britt Medical Search72 postings
- 15All Star HealthCare71 postings
- 16Surgical Information Systems69 postings
- 17Jackson And Coker57 postings
- 18Neogenomics Laboratories54 postings
- 19Merck & Co.52 postings
- 20Quest Diagnostics50 postings
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