Pathology

What is Pathology? In short, Pathology is the study of diseases and injuries, meaning that pathologists specify in the studies of various illnesses and diseases. This would compose of researching and progressing with new medicines and treatments for diseases as serious as cancer. While they examine and research various substances, they focus on analyzing organ, tissue, blood, or bodily fluids. How to become a pathologist: As most medical fields require, you must get a bachelor’s degree from a college. You can major in whatever degree you want, but you must make sure you have taken all the pre-medical courses, such as biology, physics, English, and social sciences. Before going onto the next step, it being med school, you must take the MCAT while you are in college. Medical schools will look at your MCAT scores as one of the main factors in terms determining whether you are given admission or not. You can think of it like the SAT of college, but on different topics! Once you get into medical school, you have another 4 years of school at your respective school. The first two years consist of simply studying, but the next two years consist of more hands-on experiences at hospitals/clinics, rotating between different fields of medicine. After getting your MD (the degree for a doctor of medicine) or DO (the degree for a doctor of osteopathic medicine), which simply depends on which med school you went to, you are now ready to begin residency! Before doing so, you must get a medical license, which requires either a test called the USMLE for people with MDs, or the COMLEX for people with DOs. Now, here comes residency! The residency would consist of 3 years, and you would have to choose from anatomical pathology or clinical pathology. The major difference between the two is the type of samples they study. Anatomic pathologists look at samples from organs and tissues that are usually brought in from surgery, whereas clinical pathologists look at fluids, including blood and saliva. Another option is a 4 year residency studying both. Once you complete your residency, you are so close to getting your board certification! Now you must take a test, which will be written and practical. Once you do so, and pass, you will get your board certification from the ABP (American Board of Pathology). While this is a lot, remember, you can do it if you set your mind to it!! Be passionate and fight on! Subspecialties for Anatomical Pathologists: Cytopathology: looking and studying diseases by focusing on the actual cells and molecules Forensic Pathology: studying and researching natural and unnatural deaths, and determining causes and reasonings Neuropathology: studying diseases related to the brain and nerve tissues Pediatric Pathology: focuses on diseases that are found in children, infants, or even during fetal development Surgical Pathology: specifies on the tissue that has been removed from patients while they were in surgery, and is considered one of the most time consuming areas in terms of pathology Subspecialties for Clinical Pathologists: Blood banking and transfusion medicine: ensures that blood is being stored correctly, overlooks blood donations to patients Chemical pathology: the biochemical aspect of bodily fluids, studying how these fluids have changed in the bodies, helping determine what the disease is doing Clinical microbiology: perform tests in labs on parts of different specimens, to help determine the disease, and treatment plan Cytogenetics: the study of chromosomes, to determine and research genetic disorders Hematopathology: study of diseases in blood cells and organs and tissues involved in hematopoiesis ​ Sources: https://www.rcpath.org/discover-pathology/what-is-pathology.html https://www.verywellhealth.com/how-to-become-a-pathologist-1736292#:~:text=Pathologists%20require%20extensive%20education%20and,fellowship%20in%20a%20pathology%20subspecialty.