tiffanychang said:
Well,
There is a problem with salary survey in pathology: Many pathologists are unemployed after resedency/fellowship and are not included in the survey. AND the ones who reply are mostly in academic departments dishing out good salary.
Net result: Big salary on survey but lot of misery in reality.
Huh? Couple questions - what survery are you referring to, and how do you justify this claim that many unemployed pathologists are not included in it?
Also, academic pathologists definitely do not make more than people in private practice. I had one prominent academic pathologist tell me that academic pathology is better because it is more intelectually stimulating, you can do research, teach, etc. But, you have to be prepared to drive a Chevy instead of a Lexus.
People leave academics for private practice to make more money all the time.
At the time of the latest ASCP survey on pathology resident employment, 84% had found jobs after residency. You can read the total breakdown here:
http://www.ascp.org/member/resident/surveys/job-survey-04.asp
A.D.O.R. said:
2) I thought path was no longer overcrowded. In other words, I thought there were enough jobs for pathologists.
I agree, but you can find varying opinions on the subject. Here's a quote from the ASCP survey I referenced above:
"Importantly, though, of those applying for jobs, 84% received at least one job offer. This is a 11% decreased from the preceding year (95%), but is not reflected in the number of job offers per respondent due to an increase in the number of respondents who had more than one job offer (60% vs 57% in 2002). This could indicate a tighter more competitive market when compared to 2002. In general, thought, when compared to years preceding 2002, the job market continues to be favorable. Since 1998, there has been a general upward trend in the job market when comparing the ASCP annual job market surveys. Between 1998 to 2002, the number of job offers per respondent increased from 1.3 to 2.0, marking a 50% rise. The results from this survey indicate that the market may be trending downward slightly, but continues to be positive for exiting residents looking for jobs."
You'll also find widely varying opinions on salaries. I'd take most of it with a grain of salt. Talk to as many actual pathologists as possible.