2019 NRMP match data for pathology

[Doormat]

NRMP has posted the 2019 match advance data tables on their website.

Pathology matched 201 US seniors into 601 residency spots (33%). That's down from 220 US applicants in 2018, 216 in 2017, 248 in 2016, and 282 in 2015.

Cellar dwellers!

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[Unty]

Doesn't that mean better job market for US citizens that do Pathology then?

Foreigners have issues getting jobs considering they are on a visa and need an employer to sponsor them which is difficult from what I hear?

 

[Spikebd]

I’m enjoying life in the cellar!

 

[turtle1966]

Doesn't that mean better job market for US citizens that do Pathology then?

Foreigners have issues getting jobs considering they are on a visa and need an employer to sponsor them which is difficult from what I hear?

If applying for a position where cheap wage/earning is not a priority.

 

[pathstudent]

NRMP has posted the 2019 match advance data tables on their website.

Pathology matched 201 US seniors into 601 residency spots (33%). That's down from 220 US applicants in 2018, 216 in 2017, 248 in 2016, and 282 in 2015.

Cellar dwellers!

That is really terrible. That’s less than 2 per medical school. Poor leadership has to be to blame.

 

[potato51]

That is really terrible. That’s less than 2 per medical school. Poor leadership has to be to blame.

Agreed. Main concerns are job market and lack of geographic flexibility. It also doesn't help that histopathology teaching is being minimized in med school curricula.

 

[Unty]

Watch the numbers dwindle down to less than 100 US seniors in the next 5-10 years. I wonder if anything will be done then regarding the number of training programs.

Clinicians all assume pathologists are foreigners. I got the "which country are you from?" at a tumor board from a surgeon a few months back (although I'm a US citizen). Lol

 

[deleted314957]

Watch the numbers dwindle down to less than 100 US seniors in the next 5-10 years. I wonder if anything will be done then regarding the number of training programs.

Clinicians all assume pathologists are foreigners. I got the "which country are you from?" at a tumor board from a surgeon a few months back (although I'm a US citizen). Lol

Upon which I really hope you told him to go s*** in his hat

 

[generic pathologist]

This is alarming and worrying. I have read on here many useful suggestions that can be done to improve the current state of path. I feel like the best solution would be to diversify.

At the end of the day, any specialty that 'controls' the patients, makes the money. Look at surgery (and other surgical specialties), medicine specialties etc. We need more control of the patient in the world of path. To do this, I think we need to do more hands-on procedures (FNAs etc) to bill more and demand higher wages (better lobbying?) for the work we currently do.

 

[Unty]

It's an oversupply problem as has been stated many times over here.

Cut residency spots, things will correct on its own. If that happens, You will see pathology groups advertising like crazy looking for in demand pathologists. Just check pathoutlines which was cited as the #1 source for jobs at USCAP recently. Only a few jobs per state and if you don't meet the particular qualifications for the job, well tough luck, the number of jobs becomes smaller.

Talking about pathoutlines. They charge $1500-$1800 for a job post. Boy I wished I owned that site lol. Sometimes you wonder if some groups won't post on there because of the price when they can easily ask colleagues for someone they'd recommend.

Why do you think dermatology has been such a competitive field? A limited number of spots of course. You can do research up the wazoo and say you want to be an academic and then bail and start off your own derm clinic, become a celebrity and market your own facial cream line making at least 400-1mil.

Pathologists graduate and work in biopsy mills like Quest making 250k....lol

 

[generic pathologist]

Derm is not a lot better regarding numbers of overall positions. 30 PGY, 7 med/derm, 447 PGY 2, 27 R positions = 511. I'd argue their numbers are worst given that path has more IMG. What would be interesting is to see how many path residents have a J1 visa (requiring 2-year return of service). I would suspect its more than the 90 # of resident difference between the 2.

I think derm is similar to path in uniqueness (radiology also and they take more residents). What is different is advocating for better returns and diversifying their field. If we look at the Medscape data for physician income for 2018 the division between 'hands-on' specialties (or ones that have some components of this) and 'non-hands on specialties is nephro (not much more than path). In descending order of hands-on specialties, plastics (501) made the most and OB (300) made the least from the hands-on specialties. Non-hands on were nephro (294) to public health (199). We need to diversify and find new ways to generate money especially with newer tests taking away slide numbers.

In short, I still think pathologist should push for something unique to them that involves some hands-on work (with living patients hence not including forensics). If not hands-on work, better advocacy and policies to reduce the under budgeting of their wages.