How to hire a surgical pathologist

How to hire a surgical pathologist, step by step

Here's a step-by-step surgical pathologist hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a surgical pathologist job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new surgical pathologist
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your surgical pathologist job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a surgical pathologist for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a surgical pathologist to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a surgical pathologist that fits the bill.

   The following list breaks down different types of surgical pathologists and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Surgical Pathologist	Description	Hourly rate
   Surgical Pathologist	Physicians and surgeons diagnose and treat injuries or illnesses. Physicians examine patients; take medical histories; prescribe medications; and order, perform, and interpret diagnostic tests... Show more	$11-54
   Pathologist	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... Show more	$12-71

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Surgical Pathology
   • Laboratory Medicine
   • Clinical Pathology
   • Pathology Services
   • GYN
   • GI
   • Diagnosis
   • Medical Student
   • Laboratory Services
   • Pathology Residents
   • Frozen Sections
   • Sectioning
   • Laboratory Process

   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.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your surgical pathologist job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A surgical pathologist can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, surgical pathologists' average salary in wyoming is 51% less than in rhode island.
   • Seniority. Entry-level surgical pathologists 79% less than senior-level surgical pathologists.
   • Certifications. A surgical pathologist with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a surgical pathologist's salary.

   Average surgical pathologist salary

   $53,133yearly

   $25.54 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level surgical pathologist salary

   $24,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 19, 2025

4. Writing a surgical pathologist job description

   A good surgical pathologist job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a surgical pathologist job description:

   Surgical pathologist job description example

   Are you motivated to participate in a dynamic, multi-tasking environment? Do you want to join a company that invests in its employees? Are you seeking a position where you can use your skills while continuing to be challenged and learn? Then we encourage you to dive deeper into this opportunity.
   
   We believe in career development and empowering our employees. Not only do we provide career coaches internally, but we offer many training opportunities to expand your knowledge base! We have highly competitive benefits with a variety HMO and PPO options. We have company 401k match along with an Employee Stock Purchase Program. We have tuition reimbursement, leadership development, and even start employees off with 16 days of paid time off plus holidays. We offer wellness courses and have highly engaged employee resource groups. Come join the Neo team and be part of our amazing World Class Culture!
   
   NeoGenomics is looking for a Surgical Pathologist for our Aliso Viejo location who wants to continue to learn in order to allow our company to grow.
   
   Now that you know what we're looking for in talent, let us tell you why you'd want to work at NeoGenomics:
   
   As an employer, we promise to provide you with a purpose driven mission in which you have the opportunity to save lives by improving patient care through the exceptional work you perform. Together, we will become the world's leading cancer reference laboratory.
   
   The Senior Surgical Pathologist will be responsible for providing safe and efficient Pathology and laboratory services to NeoGenomics and will provide advice on pathology and laboratory matters and professional pathology and laboratory standards of practice. This is a staff level position within the Medical Dept.
   Responsibilities: * Participates in several functions involved in day-to-day operations, including case consultation sign out responsibilities and may interact with our clients for Pre-Analytical, Analytical, and Post-Analytical questions. * Performs diagnostic interpretation of biopsy and/or cytology material to include gross and microscopic evaluation, dictation and electronic release of reviewed cases. * Reads and interprets laboratory data. * Performs quality control and assurance procedures and participates in departmental activities. * Works closely with clinical and administrative staff to insure the highest standards of TAT, quality, and customer service are maintained. * Provides expertise and assistance to technologists and technicians to resolve case issues. * Establishes effective relationships with referring physicians and ensures excellent client follow-up. * Provides input in the decision-making process regarding utilization of state-of-the-art technologies, as well as innovative diagnostic or therapeutic testing in Surgical Pathology. * Assists in developing new testing services based on medical/scientific advances and patient/client needs. * Participate in presentations at national scientific meetings, and in preparing publications for submission to peer-reviewed journals * Other responsibilities as assigned by the Director of Surgical Pathology, Medical Director and/or Chief Medical Officer Education: M.D. or D.O degree, and board certification in Anatomic Pathology or Anatomic and Clinical Pathology, and fellowship trained in Surgical Pathology are required. Board Certification in a subspecialty area within Anatomic Pathology is preferred, but is not required. Experience: At least five years of attending level, post-fellowship experience in an inpatient and/or outpatient laboratory or reference laboratory setting. Qualification Requirements: * Proven track record as a productive member of a multi-disciplinary team, including a demonstrated ability to work collaboratively with peers in senior management * A proven record of acquiring required information related to identifying needs and potential solutions, analyzing or improvising the most appropriate solution, and determining and detailing the most important course of action. * Proven experience using an automated laboratory information system (LIS) which features on-line transcription and reporting, and electronic signature. * Outstanding communication, collaboration, business and clinical judgment, emphasis on turnaround time, and organizational development skills are critical for success. * Ability to handle a large volume of work in a fast paced, dynamic environment toward serving customers. Certificate Compliance Requirements: * Medical Doctor or Doctor of Osteopathy, Board certification in Anatomic Pathology or Anatomic and Clinical Pathology, * Active, or eligibility for, unrestricted Medical License to practice in the state of CA * Additional state medical licensure in NY and TX is a plus. * Ability to fulfill CLIA '88 if required.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right surgical pathologist for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with surgical pathologists they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit surgical pathologists who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your surgical pathologist job on Zippia to find and attract quality surgical pathologist candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as healthcarejobsite, health jobs nationwide, hospitalcareers, medreps.com.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit surgical pathologists, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new surgical pathologist

   Once you've found the surgical pathologist candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   To prepare for the new surgical pathologist first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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