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Medical Pathologist Career Requirements
Medical pathology is the study of diseases and how they interact with the body. Using lab tests, computers, and patient records, medical pathologists fight on the front lines of disease control, searching for ways to treat and cure many of the illnesses affecting us today. Given the complexity and sophistication of this career field, the educational requirements can be rather involved. Professional medical pathologists typically have advanced certification and doctoral training. However, you can also become a clinical laboratory technician after completing sufficient associates training in the field.
Specific Medical Pathologist Career Requirements
A medical degree or doctorate training in biological science is usually the minimum requirement for entry into the field as a certified medical pathologist. Your training focuses on infection control, infection processes, epidemiology, biology, chemistry, computer science, and clinical lab work. Occasionally, one can enter with a master's degree in public health (especially for epidemiologists), but the gravity and intensity of this career field often require advanced certification at the doctorate level.
If you'd prefer to work on the clinical side as a technician or technologist, you can usually get by with an associates degree or bachelors degree respectively. The bulk of your education focuses on biological sciences, mathematics, microbiology, chemistry, and statistics. If you want to administer drugs or gene therapy to patients, having a medical scientist or technician's title isn't sufficient. You'll need to be a fully certified physician to perform these job-specific functions.
Additional Medical Pathologist Career Requirements
Although not always required, licensing and retraining is usually handled by the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology. Because diseases and our understanding of them both evolve over time, staying abreast of changes and innovations can play an important role in the battle against infections and epidemics.
The following colleges offer programs that can help you become qualified for a Medical Pathologist career:
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