Pathologists Assistant Essay

Health care is a term that describes a broad range of services. Members of a health care team range from family members to neurosurgeons, but each member of a patient’s health care team plays a critical role in optimizing patient care. Therefore, it is important to recognize and appreciate all the players in the medical field and their contributions to health care. I was drawn to the medical field because of my love of science and endless curiosity. However, it was not until high school that I narrowed my science passion down to human science. I have a deep fascination and respect for the human body and have enjoyed learning about its intricate functions and components throughout my education thus far. My interest in the human body, detail-oriented

Pathologists tend to be the face of this field, as they are the primary physicians involved in formally diagnosing patients and kick-starting their plans of care. Pathologists’ assistants are allied health professionals that work closely with pathologists and other medical professionals, playing a critical role in health care. To become a pathologists’ assistant, one must obtain a bachelor’s degree, attend and graduate from an accredited program, and earn and maintain the proper certification. The American Association of Pathologists’ Assistants, AAPA, is the national organization of pathologists assistants. “It was founded in 1972 as a not-for-profit volunteer organization of allied health practitioners dedicated to the advocacy and advancement of the pathologists’ assistant profession” (The American Association of Pathologists’ Assistants). The two main branches of pathology in which a pathologists’ assistant may work are surgical pathology and autopsy pathology. Within surgical pathology, a pathologists’

Luckily, pathologists are physicians so they follow an educational path during undergraduate and medical school where they have an opportunity to learn about the field of pathology. Pathologists’ assistants, however, have a unique career and thus a unique educational path that many people do not even know exists. The lack of awareness of the pathologists’ assistant occupation and the lack of educational opportunities that are needed to achieve the certification of a pathologists’ assistant are the two biggest challenges facing the profession because they are responsible for the low number of participants in the field. The option of becoming a pathologists’ assistant is rarely presented in readings or discussions that young students engage in. As a result, many people, including myself at one time, feel as though they have such clear interests and passions but do not know of an aligning career path. This can spark feelings of frustration and discouragement which are dangerous to the future of health care because pathologists’ assistants are vital contributors to the medical field. This lack of awareness goes hand-in-hand with the lack of representation. Since many people do not know the pathologists’ assistant profession exists, there is little to no demand for pathologists’ assistants to educate the youth and adolescents on the profession by serving as guest