How to Become a Pathologists' Assistant

How to Become a Pathologist's Assistant

1. Earn a Bachelor's Degree (4 Years)

The National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS) has given its approval to 10 pathologists’ assistant programs. All of these programs, with the exception of one, requires a bachelor’s degree in a science field.

Required undergraduate courses usually include:
Biological sciences, with human anatomy and physiology preferred
General chemistry
Organic or biochemistry
Microbiology
Mathematics, with statistics strongly recommended
English composition

It would be best to consider a premedical program at your university. A typical 4 year course load could look like the following:

Section	Section Breakdown
Biological & Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems	59 multiple-choice questions 95 minutes Tests biology, organic chemistry, inorganic chemistry, and biochemistry
Chemical & Physical Foundations of Biological Systems	59 multiple-choice questions 95 minutes Tests biochemistry, biology, general chemistry, organic chemistry, and physics
Psychological, Social, & Biological Foundations of Behavior	59 multiple-choice questions 95 minutes Tests introductory psychology, sociology, and biology
Critical Analysis & Reasoning Skills	52 multiple-choice questions 90 minutes Tess reading comprehension, humanities, and social sciences

You can find study materials, MCAT registration, and your test scores on the MCAT website. If you are unsatisfied with your score on any of the aforementioned exams, you are free to retake them. Depending on the school, some will average your scores and others will simply take your most recent.

2. Complete a Pathologists' Assistant Program (2 Years)

A pathologists’ assistant program takes approximately two years to complete. This includes intensive training and culminates in a master’s degree. One of the accredited programs currently offers a bachelor’s degree as well.

The first year of training consists of classroom and lecture settings. The second year requires clinical/clerkship rotations for hands-on experience in a hospital or laboratory.

Typical program curriculum can look like the following:

Year	Example Courses
1st - Spring (16 hrs)	Human Anatomy for Path. Asst. - 6 hours Anatomical Pathology Techniques - 4 hours Introduction to Disease Mechanisms - 4 hours Histology - 3 hours Educational Methodologies - 1 hour
1st - Spring (10 hrs)	Mechanisms of Disease - 8 hours ClinicalPathology Seminar - 2 hours
1st - Fall (17 hrs)	Fundamentals of Physiology - 5 hours Microbiology - 5 hours Medical Laboratory Management - 2 hours Advanced Microanatomy - 2 hours Autopsy and Surgical Procedures - 3 hours
2nd - Spring (11 hrs)	Path Assistant Practicum I - 9 hours Pathology Review I - 2 hours
2nd - Spring (9 hrs)	Path Assistance Practicum II - 9 hours
2nd - Spring (9 hrs)	Path Assistant Practicum III - 7 hours Pathology Review II - 2 hours

3. Earn the Required Certification

National Certification for Pathologists’ Assistants was achieved in 2004 through the efforts of the American Association of Pathologists’ Assistants (AAPA) and the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP).

In order to earn a PA or ASCP designation, graduation from a pathologists’ assistant program that is accredited by the NAACLS is now required.

The graduate must then successfully complete the examination for ASCP board certification.

4. Maintain Certification Through Continuing Education

As a certified pathologists’ assistant, you will be required to demonstrate sufficient continuing medical education to maintain your certification.

You must complete continuing education and re-certify every 3 years. ASCP requires 45 Continuing Education credits for every three-year period of certification.

Those must include at least one credit in safety and twenty credits in anatomic pathology. An ASCP renewal form must be sent to ASCP two months before the end of your 3 year period.