When an organization least bothered by a bad job market (these organization make money on a global basis by QA/QC stuff so membership fees are of secondary importance), grudgingly acknowledges the bad situation, the wise ones understand the situation is ten times worse (of course idiots will keeping on ranting otherwise for some reason that I fail to fathom). I predict if the job survey is not "photoshopped" , it will show a grave disapointment amongst JULY 2010 AND 2011 candidates
From CAP Today (May 2011)
"The graduate medical education committees of the CAP and the Association of Pathology Chairs have formed a work group on matters of mutual interest, including workforce demand for new graduates. Michael Talbert, MD, professor and chairman of the Department of Pathology at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center and CAP GMEC chair, presented to a joint session of the CAP House of Delegates and Residents Forum the results of a recent survey the work group conducted. One hundred percent of survey respondents who self-identified as first-time job seekers between July 2008 and June 2010 had received at least one job offer and accepted a position, though not always in their preferred location. Those entering the market since July 2009 were more likely to report difficulty finding a job, and 94 percent of all those experiencing difficulty felt there were not enough opportunities available, but 85 percent of all job seekers were satisfied or very satisfied with the positions they had accepted. The work group plans to repeat the survey next month".
Even the best t--d polishing fails when the situation is as bad as now. The meat is bolded, italicized in red and underlined. All the satisfaction stuff is BS because satisfaction is a function of expectation. Since expectations are at an abysmal low, anything short of blatant exploitation/slavery will be "satisfactory". Anyway when do you use satisfactory? when you think the situation is "just bearable" not when it is good. When it is good you use "excellent" and when excellent you use "awesome".
In the vein of conspiracy theories, I really think that the ASCP survey of the job market was so horrid for the last few years, that they just decided not to publish it (after all how much can you polish a t--d).
Learn to read between the lines. This is a really really bad job market. No otherway to look at it (spindoctors will try to add a positive BS spin, beware and use intelligence to see through BS).
Also remember traditionally pathology has one of the weakest job markets amongst specialities, add to it the current dire situation and what you have is enough to make you nauseous and ready to puke repeatedly (if you have ,at least, half a brain).
