Pathologists’ Assistant

Overview

“One thing I wish the general public knew about pathologists’ assistants is that we’re a small profession, with only around 3,000 to 3,500 of us in the country. A lot of people confuse us with physician assistants, but we’re not the same. We’re the ones doing the technical work behind the scenes, like dissecting tissue.”

Imagine working side by side with a pathologist and helping to determine the cause of a person’s death. Working as a pathologists’ assistant (PA) can provide people with a career that is at once interesting and quite lucrative. While this is not the type of career that is right for everyone, the job is one that has quite a bit of potential in terms of pay and career opportunities.

Being a pathologist assistant does require advanced training, specialized skills, and academic achievement, but committing to that training can result in a fulfilling career and many professional opportunities.

An assistant to a pathologist or medical examiner will have several different duties and provide many services to a pathologist. Some of these include preparing and assisting with postmortem exams, dissecting human tissue surgical specimens, and even helping with some of the administrative duties in a pathologist’s office, such as overseeing budgets or other employees. Pathologists’ assistants most often work in laboratories and hospitals, but they can also work in an academic setting or a medical examiner’s office.

The hours for the job can vary. In some cases and in some jobs, weekend work and swing shift work may be a necessity, but those working in a lab environment may find that they have more of a fixed schedule.

Pursuing any career in the forensic sciences requires attention to detail and a willingness to learn, and working in pathology is no different. For individuals who are fascinated by the work of pathology but not interested in spending all the years and tuition necessary to become a medical examiner, the pathologists’ assistant career can be an attractive choice.

Arizona State University Forensic Science - Death Investigations (BS) Visit Site

Arizona State University Human Factors in Forensic Science (Grad Cert) Visit Site

Aaron Fishburn has been a certified pathologists’ assistant for 14 years and has 20 years of lab experience with several years in management. He grew up in Iowa and earned his bachelor of science in microbiology from the University of Iowa.

After undergrad, he went to the Duke University pathologists’ assistant program to acquire his master of health science. He lives and works in Los Angeles at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

What is something you wish the public understood about pathologists’ assistants?

Fishburn:
One thing I wish the general public knew about pathologists’ assistants is that we’re a small profession, with only around 3,000 to 3,500 of us in the country. A lot of people confuse us with physician assistants, but we’re not the same. We’re the ones doing the technical work behind the scenes, like dissecting tissue—tasks that most people don’t realize we’re responsible for.

We play a critical role in healthcare, especially as there’s a shortage of pathologists these days.

What advice would you give to aspiring pathology assistant students?

Fishburn: I think the most important thing as aspiring student can do is shadow a pathologists’ assistant. Sure, a background in science is really important, too, but because we’re a smaller profession, not a lot of people know about us. Shadowing is important because it gives you a real feel for what the day-to-day work is in this field. I know a lot of the programs recommended it prior to applying.

Even if it’s not required to apply, most programs want to see that you have shadowed us.

The career outlook for pathologists’ assistants is burgeoning with opportunities. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS 2025) classifies pathologists’ assistants within the physicians’ assistants category and projects job growth for the entire field to be 20 percent from 2024 to 2034. This growth is much faster than the national average…