Job Advice

This advice is offered by various pathologists in a generous spirit to help other pathologists on employment related matters.  It represents their opinions, and not necessarily the opinion of PathologyOutlines.com, LLC.

Article on transitioning (what to do if terminated/laid off) on 9/20/2005: click here

Comments from Dr. Steve Phillips on 3/19/2004:

Yes, I agree that it's always best for "job seekers" to do the seeking.  It seems to me that employers are a tad reticent to contact people out there who post themselves, who hope that such advertisement will yield results.  That implies expecting the easy way out; it might imply that you think so much of yourself and your skills that someone ought to come to you.  The market just doesn't work that way these days. 

I would strongly advise anyone to get a stack of their CV's and just call up people at places where they might want to work, ask to come by, and in as friendly and professional a manner as possible drop off the CV, tell the potential employer in person briefly that they'd really like to be considered for a position, and then leave so as not take up any more of their time unless it were clear the potential employer wanted to chat.

Networking is helpful.  Talking to people at meetings as much as possible is useful.  Doing all this got me some leads and actually is how I found my job.  I looked in mostly competitive places (Oregon and California).  If the "seeker" should maintain any sort of mantra, it's "don't get discouraged....keep looking!"

Comments from Dr. Arthur Copeland on 4/29/2004:

I am a pathologist living in the Houston, TX area.  I have experienced a problem that probably many pathologists has faced over the past few years--finding work. With all the corporate takeovers, downsizings, layoffs -- ( I hear Tenet Healthcare ( HMO) is getting out of the business of healthcare, I hear the CEO of Ameripath recently resigned/retired over failing second quarter profits, and I have a friend in practice in Oklahoma that is seriously considering leaving a practice despite aggressive use of fine needle aspirations in his practice), I have found the following might be useful.  Every individual is different, with different backgrounds, but useful to consider are the following:

www.aacc.org.  This is a website jobfinder run by the American Association of Clinical Chemistry.  It has jobs in clinical pathology, but occasionally Anatomic Pathology, Cytology and Executive (VP, CEO, etc.) in industrial settings (e.g. IMPATH, where anatomic skills in evaluating immunohistochemical stains, development, etc are used). Also for the "academic types", they also list small community college and junior college academic jobs (e.g. teach anatomy or clinical sciences to allied health students, nursing colleges, med tech programs, etc). The latter may not be the same as a tutorial at U. Chicago, but will pay adequate for the work done (e.g. teach three lectures a week, etc.) and there is still student interaction.  Most have campus perks (health club, tennis courts, swimming pools, free lunch/breakfast, faculty lounge, etc) as well.

The following pharmaceutical companies, occasionally can use skills of either anatomic or clinical pathology in many settings: www.merck.com, www.wyeth.com, www.novartis.com, www.genetech.com (or www.gene.com).  As far as remuneration, most will pay at least USD 100,000 per year plus perks and benefits, most have No night call, No weekend work, and No liability hassles.  As such it is worthy of consideration.