Physicians, pathologists
Diagnose diseases and conduct lab tests using organs, body tissues, and fluids. Includes medical examiners.
Physicians, pathologists diagnose diseases and conduct lab tests using organs, body tissues, and fluids. Includes medical examiners. The role is projected to grow 4% over the next decade (about as fast as average). Entry typically requires a Doctoral or professional degree, and shows moderate AI exposure (0.48 on a 0-1 scale) — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. The most in-demand skills for the role include Reading Comprehension, Writing, Critical Thinking, Active Learning, Complex Problem Solving.
Pay in the UK
UK: median £92,847 a year for Specialist medical practitioners (ONS ASHE 2025, full-time)
Middle half of full-time jobs: £67,335 to £136,100 a year
UK jobs are grouped differently; this is the closest UK occupation group (ONS SOC 2020 2212). ONS rates this estimate precise. 2025 provisional figures; ONS revises them a year later. Source: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (Open Government Licence)
Pay in India (occupation group)
Average monthly earnings of salaried employees in the occupation group “Professionals” in India, from the Government of India's Periodic Labour Force Survey (January–December 2025). It covers everyone in this group, not only Physicians, pathologists, and it is not US pay converted to rupees.
Source: MoSPI (Government of India), Periodic Labour Force Survey Annual Report 2025, Table 51 — average wage/salary earnings of regular wage/salaried employees, NCO-2015 division 2. Official India data gives one average per occupation group: there are no official India figures for single careers, experience levels or cities. Read the report
How to get here in India
The usual route into this career in India. Each step links to the official page it comes from.
- 1 · Entrance exam NEET-UG for admission to MBBS[1][2]
- 2 · Qualification MBBS degree from an NMC-listed medical college[3]
- 3 · Registration Registration as a medical practitioner on the National Medical Register / with a State Medical Council[3][4]
- 4 · Qualification NEET-PG for a postgraduate seat, then MD in Pathology[5][6]
Rules change: check the exam body's and regulator's current notice before you apply.
- NEET (UG) — National Testing Agency (read on 2026-09-27)
- MCC UG Medical Counselling — Medical Counselling Committee, MoHFW (read on 2026-09-27)
- National Medical Commission — home (read on 2026-09-27)
- NMC — Ethics & Medical Registration Board (read on 2026-09-27)
- MCC PG Medical Counselling — Medical Counselling Committee, MoHFW (read on 2026-09-27)
- NMC — PG Curriculum (competency-based PG programmes) (read on 2026-09-27)
Entrance exams on this route — Dates, eligibility and cut-offs for the exams on the way to this career:
Top skills
Knowledge you'll build
- Medicine and Dentistry
- Biology
- English Language
- Education and Training
- Customer and Personal Service
- Chemistry
- Administration and Management
- Computers and Electronics
What you'd actually do
- Examine microscopic samples to identify diseases or other abnormalities.
- Diagnose diseases or study medical conditions, using techniques such as gross pathology, histology, cytology, cytopathology, clinical chemistry, immunology, flow cytometry, or molecular biology.
- Write pathology reports summarizing analyses, results, and conclusions.
- Communicate pathologic findings to surgeons or other physicians.
- Identify the etiology, pathogenesis, morphological change, and clinical significance of diseases.
- Read current literature, talk with colleagues, or participate in professional organizations or conferences to keep abreast of developments in pathology.
Tools & technology you'd use
Frequently asked questions
What does Physicians, pathologists do?
Diagnose diseases and conduct lab tests using organs, body tissues, and fluids. Includes medical examiners.
What is the job outlook for Physicians, pathologists?
The role is projected to grow 4% over the next decade (about as fast as average). Current US employment is approximately 12,600 workers.
How do I become physicians, pathologists?
The typical entry education is a Doctoral or professional degree. Building a foundation in the top skills below will strengthen your application.
What skills does Physicians, pathologists need?
The most in-demand skills for this role include Reading Comprehension, Writing, Critical Thinking, Active Learning, Complex Problem Solving, Active Listening. These are the skills O*NET identifies as most important for competent performance.
Will AI replace Physicians, pathologists?
Our AI-durability model gives Physicians, pathologists a score of 0.48 on a 0-1 scale (higher = more exposure). That places it at moderate AI exposure — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. Learning to work with AI tools rather than against them is the path forward.
How hard is it to enter this field?
Physicians, pathologists has very high barrier to entry — very highly gated — extended graduate education, licensure, or years of specialised training are required.