Pathology Specialty Profile

Pathology

Dr. Jo Duflou, Forensic Pathologist

Pathologists are experts in the nature, causes and processes of diseases. They may choose to practice in the area of general pathology or to subspecialise (e.g. as anatomical, chemical or forensic pathologists, haematologists, immunopathologists or microbiologists). Pathologists are the specialists who diagnose cancers and infectious diseases; they play an important role in diagnosing and monitoring diseases such as diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis, play an integral role in blood transfusion services and more recently they are to be found at the cutting edge of using genetics in diagnosing disease.

Pathologists enjoy the challenge of difficult cases. Solving clinical puzzles with tests on various tissues including blood, body secretions and tissue samples in order to understand what is causing an illness or disease process, or what caused a person to die is the basis of their expertise.

Far more than just critical thinkers and analysers, pathologists must be excellent communicators, whether in person, on the telephone or through a written report, and they play an important role in health promotion, patient treatment and disease prevention. More than 70% of all diagnoses involve pathology tests of some kind. Add to that the important role pathology plays in monitoring disease and it is clear why this medical specialty is so important.

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Pathology Training Program

Training Program

The Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia (RCPA) accredits laboratories for pathology training, approves supervised training undertaken in an accredited laboratory and conducts examinations leading to certification as a qualified pathologist and Fellow of the College (FRCPA). The RCPA training... more

Application process

The college accepts applications from registered medical practitioners with a minimum of one year's postgraduate experience. Before applying for training, the prospective trainee must be employed in a training position in an accredited laboratory. Trainees will not be accredited with... more

Length of Training

Pathology training takes a minimum of five years to complete.... more

Cost of Training

Initial registration plus pro rata annual training fee Training commenced between: 1 January – 31 March: $770 1 April – 30 June: $605 1 July – 30 September: $440 1 October – 31 December: $275 Annual training fee: $660 Late... more

Flexibility of training

Training is normally full time. A minimum of five full time equivalent years of certified training in accredited laboratories must be completed. For joint training with the RACP, one year is retrospectively accredited for physician training. Part-time training may be... more

Pathology Case Study

Dr. Rachael Smith

Dr. Rachael Smith

Name: Dr. Rachael Smith

Career stage: Registrar

Location: Hobart

Medical Specialty: Pathology

What training program are you in?

I’m a fourth year registrar in Anatomical Pathology....

What attracted you to this training program?

I think Pathologists are the ultimate generalists – even though you are specialising you still need to know something about every medical area, which makes for a broad and varied career. Pathology is never boring; you get to see a fascinating range of horrible medical conditions, without having to tell patients the bad news....

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Pathology Workplace

The workplace

Pathologists predominantly work in laboratories in large metropolitan public or private practices, or in public and private hospitals. They have regular exposure to both adult and paediatric medicine and most medical and surgical specialties through referrals although they may not... more

The doctor-patient relationship

Pathologists are often seen as behind-the-scenes doctors with many never meeting, talking to or examining the patients belonging to the specimens they are analysing. Considered the backroom specialty of medicine, pathologists are rarely directly seen by patients and rarely acknowledged... more

Intellectual content

These specialists are rarely starved for intellectual stimulation with research and teaching an important component of their work, and with disease processes at ever-increasing levels of complexity, there is always more to learn and discover. Pathologists must keep up-to-date by... more

Lifestyle and Practice Options

Pathology trainees have many options for subspecialty training. All pathology specialties share a common basic training pathway and approach to education. The College conducts training and examinations for the following sub-disciplines of pathology: Anatomical Pathology Chemical Pathology Clinical Pathology Forensic... more

Medical indemnity

Medico-legal issues, as with all aspects with medical practice, are becoming increasingly significant. Use our risk category tool to assess this specialty.... more

News Archive

 

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