Pathology laboratory director vs surgical pathologist

The differences between pathology laboratory directors and surgical pathologists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a pathology laboratory director and a surgical pathologist. Additionally, a pathology laboratory director has an average salary of $87,066, which is higher than the $53,133 average annual salary of a surgical pathologist.

The top three skills for a pathology laboratory director include anatomic pathology, regulatory agencies and surgical pathology. The most important skills for a surgical pathologist are surgical pathology, laboratory medicine, and clinical pathology.

Pathology laboratory director vs surgical pathologist overview

	Pathology Laboratory Director	Surgical Pathologist
Yearly salary	$87,066	$53,133
Hourly rate	$41.86	$25.54
Growth rate	7%	7%
Number of jobs	43,725	44,179
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Master's Degree, 37%	Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	6	6

Pathology laboratory director vs surgical pathologist salary

Pathology laboratory directors and surgical pathologists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Pathology Laboratory Director	Surgical Pathologist
Average salary	$87,066	$53,133
Salary range	Between $54,000 And $138,000	Between $24,000 And $114,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between pathology laboratory director and surgical pathologist education

There are a few differences between a pathology laboratory director and a surgical pathologist in terms of educational background:

	Pathology Laboratory Director	Surgical Pathologist
Most common degree	Master's Degree, 37%	Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Most common major	Communication Disorders Sciences	Physiology And Anatomy
Most common college	San Diego State University	University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Pathology laboratory director vs surgical pathologist demographics

Here are the differences between pathology laboratory directors' and surgical pathologists' demographics:

	Pathology Laboratory Director	Surgical Pathologist
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 34.9% Female, 65.1%	Male, 30.8% Female, 69.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 5.2% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 9.8% Asian, 18.5% White, 61.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 3.8% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 6.4% Asian, 19.9% White, 65.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	13%	13%

Differences between pathology laboratory director and surgical pathologist duties and responsibilities

Pathology laboratory director example responsibilities.

Manage laboratory team activities v. assist set up and revision of project plans under the guidance of NIH vi.
Supervise USP, JP, and EP harmonize test methods (sterility testing, bioburdens, etc .).
Conduct several investigations, root cause analysis, implement CAPA and monitor effectiveness to strengthen the quality system.
Participate in the development, meetings, and implementation of IEPs for transitional students.
Perform CMV, CMV IgM, CMV IgG, and RPR testing.

Surgical pathologist example 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.
Define embolic material as originating from delivery catheter, not from study device.

Pathology laboratory director vs surgical pathologist skills

Common pathology laboratory director skills

Anatomic Pathology, 26%
Regulatory Agencies, 19%
Surgical Pathology, 16%
LIS, 15%
Speech Language Pathology, 10%
Laboratory Operations, 8%

Common surgical pathologist skills

Surgical Pathology, 36%
Laboratory Medicine, 22%
Clinical Pathology, 14%
Pathology Services, 6%
GYN, 6%
GI, 5%

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Pathology Laboratory Director
Pathology Laboratory Director vs Surgical Pathologist

Updated January 8, 2025

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