Is Pathology DO friendly?

[CjOz]

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Hey all,

I'll be entering a well-respected DO school in a couple months and I have a pretty strong interest in pathology. Are pathology residencies friendly toward DO's? I'm fully aware of the "doom and gloom" job market that pathology is in but maybe it could improve in the next 7 years. That said, if the market were the same as it is today, would it be even more difficult for me to find a job considering I would be a DO?

Thanks!

 

[MetroPath]

Yes

 

[Tissue issue]

Hey all,

I'll be entering a well-respected DO school in a couple months and I have a pretty strong interest in pathology. Are pathology residencies friendly toward DO's? I'm fully aware of the "doom and gloom" job market that pathology is in but maybe it could improve in the next 7 years. That said, if the market were the same as it is today, would it be even more difficult for me to find a job considering I would be a DO?

Thanks!

Your question is more complicated than perhaps you realize. You can see from old threads the range of opinions on our job market. Honestly, you're better off talking to both academic and community pathologists as well as pathology residents in your area. And as has been said before here many times, you need to be very flexible geographically for the pathology job search. Maybe that will change in the future but it has been that way for the past 20 years.

 

[KCShaw]

Once done with residency I don't think it matters much at all. Getting into residency it might matter at some places I suppose.. but pathology is so different from other specialties that really no-one is above or below the curve by being an MD vs DO (vs MBBS, or whatever else). Everyone sucks more or less equally, because almost all medical schools suck (and don't much care that they suck) at teaching the real-world practice of pathology. You're probably better off paying attention to what the DO folks want, where you can/can't get licensure, etc.

 

[tspath84]

Yes, Pathology is DO friendly specialty. As a DO myself and a 1st year path resident now, I had the same sort of questions you had early on. My best advice is when it comes time to apply for residency, look for programs that have/had DOs in their programs. My program this year has several 🙂 And like comment above, you also need to be aware of the DO requirements for state licensure (FL, OK, MI, PA) but you can always do the Resolution 42 waiver (unless by the time you graduate in 4 years, things change, which may well happen. Read more on the AOA website).

 

[zao275]

I know several DO pathologists in various subspecialties. They are all great, and they all have jobs.

 

[CrazyEBV]

Pathology Specialty is DO friendly.
But not all Pathology Residency Programs are DO friendly.
I haven't seen a DO resident in my program in past several years, in spite of interviewing well qualified candidates.

 

[Thrombus]

Pathology residency programs are friendly to both MD's and DO's. They are both fresh meat.

 

[jp123ok]

Are Pathology Residency Programs DO friendly?
Having sat through numerous ranking meetings during residency I can tell you that DOs & FMGs are considered undesirable and are ranked accordingly. Despite this, pathology residency is attainable for DOs and FMGs providing that they have USMLE (or COMLEX) scores around the mean (or higher), no failures on the boards, and no obvious personality disorders (ie that they are not obnoxious or at least can hide their personality flaws well enough to get through their interview day without leaving a bad impression).

As a DO will you have more trouble finding a job than a US grad?
- The job market is not as bad as many people on this forum would have you believe. Yes, you will probably have to move to find a job. However, your background as a DO will not prevent you from finding a job. Where you went to medical school becomes less and less significant as you advance from medical student to resident to fellow and beyond.
- One of my former colleagues from residency training (mid-level East Coast program) is a DO and after finishing a fellowship in blood banking last year he got a highly lucrative job (and rejected several other job offers). In my own case, I am an FMG about to start a dermpath fellowship and I have already received a formal private practice job offer for next year. Therefore, don't let the horror stories on this forum scare you away from pathology. Some of the people posting are trolls. Others have all sorts of constraints affecting their ability to find a job. I don't know anyone from my former residency program who was unable to find a job and the fellows at the program where I will be starting fellowship (top East Coast program) are almost giddy about their job prospects (in dermpath).

 

[tigers2007]

Lol - "not obnoxious"... Are D.O.'s truly the savages of medicine?

 

[dermpathdoc]

I know several DO pathologists in various subspecialties. They are all great, and they all have jobs.

amd i know more....and some that are getting ready to retire...do the allopathic route...aoa certification is limited and doesnt look like we will add subspeciality in cytopath or hempath soon