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Anyone have insight on what the job market looks like for Pathologists Assistants?
Way better than it is for pathologists...
We don't do any of our own grossing, we have PAs and grossing techs for that. But we're hospital based and split the PA/tech cost w/ the hospital since they get the TC. Maybe we'd gross our own bigs if we got the TC, but as it is we would pay far less per hour for the PAs to do it than it would cost for us to do it. About 1/5 the cost.My understanding is based on having spoke with PA students at my former institution (large academic center) who rotated through there, as well as another histotech who left histology to enter PA school. The consensus after talking with them is, the market is strong once they graduate. There are not that many PA programs in the country, so they keep their supply low and the demand high i.e. the inverse for pathology residency programs.
From working with pathologists over a wide age range, my observation is the older generation of pathologists in general don't seem to mind doing their own grossing to reduce costs/maximize profits vs the younger gen. who would prefer the lifestyle (not calling you an old-timer, Webb 😉). Who wants to be throwing colon polyps in a little bag until they're 65 y.o.? Like you said, you don't need a PA to do that, heck I could train a 7th grader off the street to do biopsies. As more and more smaller hospital labs are dying off and volume is getting centralized at core hospitals/labs, volume is going up at the latter. But there's usually a tradeoff as a pathologist, if you don't have to gross, then the more glass you have to push...
Same. Our volume necessitates having several PAs...unless we started working 12 hr days and weekends and cut our vaca in half, it makes more financial sense to pay some PAs versus hire another pathologist. And since the hospital owns all the equipment and employs the technicians, we wouldn't be collecting any technical even if we grossed.We don't do any of our own grossing, we have PAs and grossing techs for that. But we're hospital based and split the PA/tech cost w/ the hospital since they get the TC. Maybe we'd gross our own bigs if we got the TC, but as it is we would pay far less per hour for the PAs to do it than it would cost for us to do it. About 1/5 the cost.
Let me guess..old timers?I was in a group that refused to hire a PA or even use a tech to gross small bxs.
Why would you increase the number of pathologists if you had hired PA? Assuming your volume is the same and you get a PA, that should cut down the number of pathologists you would need?The group would have gone to 3 from 4 with a PA. Man that really costs ya.
This pretty much sums it up. Lower volume, private practice, would not be cost effective to hire a PA, since most pathologists don't want to sacrifice $100K (or so, including benefits). Higher volume practices, it makes sense to have a PA.A larger practice would benefit more from a true PA.
Our grossing techs go for $40K. Our PA's are more like $95K. For us PA means fully trained Pathology Assistant that went to Pathology Assistant school. The BS grads right out of college are our grossing techs that do small biopsies, gallbladders, appendices. They can't touch the bigs.They need to leave and go rural. No reason to work as a freaking PA just so you can live in the big town.
You can hire a PA for like 40 thousand. They are called out of work B.S. biology majors or even histotechs/med techs who have a BS degree in something. No need to spend 100 thousand.
☝️This☝️Our grossing techs go for $40K. Our PA's are more like $95K. For us PA means fully trained Pathology Assistant that went to Pathology Assistant school. The BS grads right out of college are our grossing techs that do small biopsies, gallbladders, appendices. They can't touch the bigs.
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Good luck trying to hire a full-time PA for $40K. Their job market is too strong to be low-balled like pathologists, some of whom will accept $100K just to live in the big cities/coasts.
most of the PAs I know make low 100s, some well into mid 100s with benefits. Physician assistants and NPs make well into the low 100s as well...it's fairly standard. That's kind of the going rate for midlevels. Funny how that works with supply & demand.☝️This☝️
Good luck trying to hire a full-time PA for $40K. Their job market is too strong to be low-balled like pathologists, some of whom will accept $100K just to live in the big cities/coasts.
This is my experience too.most of the PAs I know make low 100s, some well into mid 100s with benefits. Physician assistants and NPs make well into the low 100s as well...it's fairly standard. That's kind of the going rate for midlevels. Funny how that works with supply & demand.
Sorry I mean going down from 4 to 3 pathologistsLet me guess..old timers?
Why would you increase the number of pathologists if you had hired PA? Assuming your volume is the same and you get a PA, that should cut down the number of pathologists you would need?
This pretty much sums it up. Lower volume, private practice, would not be cost effective to hire a PA, since most pathologists don't want to sacrifice $100K (or so, including benefits). Higher volume practices, it makes sense to have a PA.