How To Become A Pathologist Assistant: What It Is and Career Path

What is a pathologist assistant and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

A pathology assistant is a medical professional who supports a pathologist in a lab. Pathology is a branch of forensic science and requires intensive laboratory skills, excellent education achievement, and attention to detail. You may need to perform postmortem exams, dissect human tissue, and help determine the cause of death.

As a pathologist assistant, you will work in a sterile laboratory where you will be exposed to many different biological contaminants. You must know safety and procedural guidelines to stay safe and reduce the chances of accidents. You will spend most of your working hours standing and working with lab equipment.

The salary of a pathology assistant depends on experience, expertise, education level, and where the assistant pathologist works. You will need a bachelor's degree in forensic science, biology, microbiology, chemistry, or in other areas related to medicine, graduate from a pathologist assistant program, and have a professional certification. You can expect a salary from $75,000 to $90,000 for a start.

ScorePathologist AssistantUS Average

Salary

3.9

Avg. Salary $50,079

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.9

Growth rate 16%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

4.3

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.82%

Asian 9.67%

Black or African American 9.71%

Hispanic or Latino 22.60%

Unknown 4.73%

White 52.47%

Gender

female 60.60%

male 39.40%

Age - 35

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 - 35

Stress level

7.9

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

6.4

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance

8.6

Work life balance is excellent

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a pathologist assistant

Explore pathologist assistant education requirements

Most common pathologist assistant degrees

Bachelor's

66.1 %

Master's

12.7 %

Associate

10.5 %

Start to develop specific pathologist assistant skills

Skills	Percentages
ASCP	13.77%
Patients	11.14%
PA	10.87%
Dictation	6.77%
Frozen Sections	6.68%

Complete relevant pathologist assistant training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New pathologist assistants 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 a pathologist assistant based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real pathologist assistant resumes.

Research pathologist assistant duties and responsibilities

Recognize & investigate instrument malfunctions, perform calibrations, manage QC, and maintain comprehensive written records of tests & procedures.
Assist and perform frozen sections, teach pathology residents and pa's.
Assist doctor when seeing patients, and document all patient information in paper chart and EMR.
Perform blood draws, record vital signs, maintain medical records, DNA collection, EKG's, medical office duties.

Prepare your pathologist assistant resume

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

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a pathologist assistant resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable pathologist assistant resume templates

Build a professional pathologist assistant resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your pathologist assistant resume.