How To Become An Attending Pathologist: What It Is and Career Path

What is an attending pathologist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

The average attending pathologist salary is $54,105. The most common degree is a bachelor's degree degree with an communication disorders sciences major. It usually takes 4-6 years of experience to become an attending pathologist. Attending pathologists with a Pathology certification earn more money. Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 7% and produce 55,400 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreAttending PathologistUS Average

Salary

4.2

Avg. Salary $54,105

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.9

Growth rate 7%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

1.7

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.16%

Asian 18.57%

Black or African American 5.12%

Hispanic or Latino 9.68%

Unknown 4.46%

White 62.00%

Gender

female 78.80%

male 21.20%

Age - 48

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 48

Stress level

7.9

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

9.7

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

3.6

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an attending pathologist

Explore attending pathologist education requirements

Most common attending pathologist degrees

Bachelor's

61.2 %

Associate

14.9 %

Doctorate

8.3 %

Start to develop specific attending pathologist skills

Skills	Percentages
Dictation	32.16%
Surgical Pathology	17.71%
Pathology Reports	11.02%
Speech Language Pathology	10.16%
Laboratory Equipment	6.14%

Complete relevant attending pathologist training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New attending pathologists learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an attending pathologist based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real attending pathologist resumes.

Research attending pathologist duties and responsibilities

Supervise and manage pathology, microbiology and biochemistry laboratory.
Assist histology and necropsy laboratories attending client's needs by investigating and establishing new techniques and improving current ones.
Provide admissions assessments and administer TB skin tests as required by medical facility.

Prepare your attending pathologist resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your attending pathologist resume.

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Choose from 10+ customizable attending pathologist resume templates

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