Pathologist
What the work is
Identifies the cause and processes of disease and illness by examining changes in body tissue and in blood and other body fluids, and conducts tests on samples of tissues, blood and body secretions.
Would you enjoy the work?
These are the main tasks in the official description. Mark how each one sounds to you.
- Analyses specimens of tissues, blood and other body fluids to diagnose diseases and conditions, and advises on treatment options
- Collaborates with other Health Professionals to interpret test results and develop treatment plans, and monitors patient progress
- Performs autopsies to determine the cause of death and provide information for legal and medical purposes
- Advises clinicians on appropriate tests for the investigation of clinical problems, and provides clinical guidance to other Health Professionals
Try it
A simulation and a case study from this kind of work, set in a hospital imaging department that supports the emergency department, wards and local GPs. They are fictional.
The kind of days you could have
Good days
- A scan that looked ordinary gives a clear answer, and a patient gets the right care sooner
- A trainee finally sees what you have been pointing at on the screen
- A referring doctor rings back to say your report changed their plan
Hard days
- A queue of urgent scans grows while a worried family waits in the corridor for news
- You spot something nobody was looking for and have to decide how to raise it
- Long hours alone in a dim room with a screen, a phone and a pager that never stops
Written by Career Calling as a general guide. Real roles vary by employer and place.
Work a mission
Step into a simulated workplace in this field, with a brief from your manager.
Description and tasks: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Occupation Standard Classification for Australia, 2024, Version 1.0 (opens another site), occupation 264935, used under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. The skill guide above is our plain English summary.