Pediatric pathology

[pathstudent]

I think there are only like 24 acgme path pellowships in the us and there are at least that many current jobs available I should know as I am on the mailing list for the peds path society. If you want a for sure job in pathology it is a good way to go.

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[pathalot]

Can someone describe what exactly a pediatric pathologist does? I assume they do a lot of surgical path and autopsy. What about lab medicine, molecular, cytogenetics, etc? Is interest in research expected? I honestly have no idea as a med student. I'm not even sure if there is a pediatric pathologist at our hospital. Thanks in advance.

 

[pathstudent]

Can someone describe what exactly a pediatric pathologist does? I assume they do a lot of surgical path and autopsy. What about lab medicine, molecular, cytogenetics, etc? Is interest in research expected? I honestly have no idea as a med student. I'm not even sure if there is a pediatric pathologist at our hospital. Thanks in advance.

The answer to your questions I yes yes and yes. It is whatever you want it to be

 

[coming august]

I am really interested in pediatric pathology fellowship. However, it seems that many jobs are in academia. Is it possible to find a private practice position?

 

[pathstudent]

I am really interested in pediatric pathology fellowship. However, it seems that many jobs are in academia. Is it possible to find a private practice position?

Yes large community hospitals with a kids hospital would want one. Plus huge mega groups would hire one. Then places like Kaiser would probably have one for a huge region like Norther Ca. But just watch out because you might get suckered into signing out all the placentas.

 

[Brian Pavlovitz]

I am really interested in pediatric pathology fellowship. However, it seems that many jobs are in academia. Is it possible to find a private practice position?

As someone with an interest in pediatric and perinatal pathology (I am a SPP member and looked into doing a fellowship), it is true that most of the jobs you see are in academia. Having said that, there are certainly opportunities in private/community hospital practice. For jobs in academia, board certification in pediatric pathology is typically required. In a community setting, however, it isn't usually a requirement per se. Many places would be happy to have someone at least interested in those types of specimens. As an example, I attended a weekend placental path course at MGH this past September. There were quite a few seasoned pathologists there, in many cases because they were losing a senior member, and they were the only ones who read out placentas and perinatal specimens. So, you attend a course, and everyone thinks your an expert! (At least, that's what happened to me--I get questions from residents a lot now, and I don't claim to be any expert).

So, I guess it all depends on your ultimate goal. Pediatric pathology is definitely a niche subspecialty, but it does give you a skill set that can set you apart. I think the SPP website can help out a lot. Also, try and email current fellows. I did, and they are usually quite happy to tell you about what they do in more detail.