Question for Great Pumpkin

[Global Disrobal]

Hi GP,
Just had a quick question for you...
While rotating through surgery I've been asked as to my field of preference for residency. As soon as I have said Pathology, Ihave gotten various replies including: "Thats not a real doctor" and the usual non-sense. I've attributed most comments to their ego and somewhat ignorant nature. However the same re-occuring theme out of them is that there are no jobs for pathologists and the market isnearly saturated. So my question for you is:

What do you hear in your neck of the woods about the job market? Is there a trend that the attendings have noticed? Are the seniors having a hard time getting into a good practice?

Thanks for the help. I guess I could've just asked the question but I figured you've been removed from the surgery rotation a couple of years now and that you'd enjoy a flashback!

Regards,
GD in the Ever Lovely Haven known as Baltimore!

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[GreatPumpkin]

Typical meatheads.

The only thing bad they can come up with is the "supposed job market problems". You should ask them how many unemployed pathologists they know. And, when was the last time they looked for a job in pathology. Hehe.

The job market in the 80s and early 90s was not good for path. There was a big consolidation of practices to make up for lost profits with changes in reimbursement. This is where everyone gets the idea that the job market is so bad. From what I have heard and seen this is not the case now. All the residents who have left my program over the last few years have had no problems finding jobs. All of the residents and fellows who are leaving in July of 2003 have either taken job offers or have offers on the table that they are looking over. Most have had them with very little searching on thier part. The only people that seem to have any trouble what so ever are the ones that say "I have to live in city X and I will not look anywhere else". Pathology is not like that there are usually only a couple of groups in any one area so if they are not looking for someone you need the flexability to move on to the next place.

There has been around 80 to 100 jobs at any one time offered on the CAP website. And, you can pretty much figure that this is not even a quarter of the jobs that are available nationwide. Most practices do not advertise thier spots. They find folks by calling up thier pathology buds in other places and by calling the people they know at residency programs.

By the way I don't know any unemployed pathologists. My chairman didn't know any either.

 

[Global Disrobal]

Thanks for the info!

By the way, these are the same "meatheads" that didn't know Laboratories fell under the department of Pathology...

Anyhow, have a good one.

GD