Pathologist vs forensic investigator

The differences between pathologists and forensic investigators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a pathologist, becoming a forensic investigator takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a pathologist has an average salary of $61,808, which is higher than the $52,267 average annual salary of a forensic investigator.

The top three skills for a pathologist include patients, patient care and diagnosis. The most important skills for a forensic investigator are incident response, windows, and FTK.

Pathologist vs forensic investigator overview

	Pathologist	Forensic Investigator
Yearly salary	$61,808	$52,267
Hourly rate	$29.72	$25.13
Growth rate	7%	11%
Number of jobs	20,340	5,032
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 40%	Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Average age	48	38
Years of experience	6	4

What does a pathologist do?

Pathologists are medical healthcare professionals who are responsible for conducting examinations of bodies and body tissues. These pathologists must perform laboratory tests of body fluids and tissues to help primary care doctors make a diagnosis about the health of patients who are with chronic conditions. They specialize in genetic testing that will examine a tissue biopsy to determine whether a tumor is benign or cancerous. Pathologists must also perform autopsies to inform family members of the deceased about the cause of death and help them take preventive action for their own health.

What does a forensic investigator do?

A forensic investigator is responsible for collecting evidence and pieces of a clue to solve a complicated incident. A forensic investigator must have strong critical-thinking and problem-solving skills to handle various cases that would require intensive research and scientific principles application. Forensic investigators usually work closely with law enforcement personnel to identify all possible sources and secure evidence for further examination. They also study the scene where the incident happened, document observations, creating investigation reports, and communicating with several witnesses that would support possible claims.

Pathologist vs forensic investigator salary

Pathologists and forensic investigators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Pathologist	Forensic Investigator
Average salary	$61,808	$52,267
Salary range	Between $25,000 And $148,000	Between $27,000 And $98,000
Highest paying City	Anchorage, AK	-
Highest paying state	Alaska	-
Best paying company	UT Medical Group, Inc.	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between pathologist and forensic investigator education

There are a few differences between a pathologist and a forensic investigator in terms of educational background:

	Pathologist	Forensic Investigator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 40%	Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Most common major	Physiology And Anatomy	Criminal Justice
Most common college	Stanford University	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Pathologist vs forensic investigator demographics

Here are the differences between pathologists' and forensic investigators' demographics:

	Pathologist	Forensic Investigator
Average age	48	38
Gender ratio	Male, 40.7% Female, 59.3%	Male, 65.1% Female, 34.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 5.2% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 9.9% Asian, 20.4% White, 59.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 9.7% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 17.1% Asian, 10.4% White, 56.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%
LGBT Percentage	13%	8%

Differences between pathologist and forensic investigator duties and responsibilities

Pathologist example responsibilities.

Supervise and manage pathology, microbiology and biochemistry laboratory.
Provide consultations to care providers and interpret laboratory findings and diagnosis to patients.
Screen by ELISA & immunoblots.
Result in answering an FDA concern regarding device.
Participate in FDA submissions, plan 510k and PMA submissions.
Perform oncology markers and hormonal assays by Elisa and Delfia system.

Forensic investigator example responsibilities.

Receive multiple letters of commendation for effective investigations that lead to successful prosecutions.
Prepare investigative reports, scientific forensic analysis reports and other documents in support of civil litigation.
Perform in-depth forensic analysis of Macintosh computer hard drives and prepare expert report for use in ongoing litigation.
Prepare affidavits of information and apply for investigative or grand jury subpoenas and other legal orders necessary for a thorough investigation.
Present to schools, community organizations, and local corporations prevention techniques in a PowerPoint format.
Evaluate impressions for AFIS (automate fingerprint identification system) potential.

Pathologist vs forensic investigator skills

Common pathologist skills

Patients, 31%
Patient Care, 11%
Diagnosis, 8%
GI, 4%
GYN, 4%
Frozen Sections, 3%

Common forensic investigator skills

Incident Response, 17%
Windows, 12%
FTK, 11%
Litigation, 8%
Physical Evidence, 6%
Digital Evidence, 5%

Pathologist vs. similar jobs

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Pathologist vs Forensic Investigator

Updated January 8, 2025

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