Pathologist Salary in USA

The average Pathologist Salary is calculated by the US Government Bureau of Labor Statistics from a variety of sources.  Pathologists work in a number of settings including hospitals, clinics and medical offices.

Houston: $233,000/-
Los Angeles: $252,811/-
New York: $266,000/-
Seattle: $255,000/-

A Meta-analysis of 2012 MD salary surveys in USA showed that Pathologist salary ranges from $245,000 to $365,000

Probably these figures are gonna surprise you just as they surprised me. But once you begin to understand how the American health insurance system works and that procedures are paid more than physician consults, you will see why the pays are good - besides the fact that pathology residency seats are limited when you compare the numbers with specialties like Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, etc.



Pathology training itself is supposed to be very cool and often calls can be taken from home itself. Lots of sub-specialty options are available for a physician trained in pathology and yeah besides money - life-style is cool and better controlled and a lot of other specialties. Later on, after an established experience and connections, an entrepreneurial pathologist can possibly setup his own lab practice and lifestyle, like a friend's uncle who does work from his own mansion for 4 days a week of work, though most pathologists are still salaried.

How to Become a MD Pathologist in the USA ?

A 4-year Residency in Anatomic-Clinical or either Anatomic or Clinical Pathology alone makes you a licensed Pathologist. It is suggested to have both Anatomic and Clinical Pathology training to be more 'marketable' for jobs. Until 2 years ago, the training was for 5 years !

What Fellowship Options Exist After Residency ?

Plenty ! 1-year Fellowship options after pathology include:

- Blood Banking/Transfusion Medicine
- Chemical Pathology
- Cytopathology
- Forensic Pathology
- Hematology
- Pathology Informatics / Medical Informatics
- Immunopathology
- Medical Microbiology
- Pediatric Pathology
- Selective Pathology

A fellowship in Neuropathology is usually 2 years.

Hmmm...so much for what's good about the academics. On the real world side, the American health insurance is working only for the insurance companies themselves, while failing for the doctors and the patients. Doctors have been watching their incomes reduce and patients have been watching their premiums rise, while we all have been watching the million dollar bonuses that insurance companies executives have been belting up. Little surprise then, that doctors are exploring new options - like this news article about a pathologist who left his practice to indulge in unproven and exotic alternative medicine therapies like magnetic water, testosterone ointments for conditions that author labels "Nothing-Really-Works-Anyway Therapies" (NRWATs) ..LOL

Useful books:
1.Rapid Review Pathology
2.Robbins and Cotran Review of Pathology, 3rd Edition
3.BRS Pathology
4.Robbins and Cotran Atlas of Pathology
5. Sternberg's Diagnostic Surgical Pathology (2-Volume Set)