The Pathologists' Assistant is an allied health professional who is a mid-level healthcare provider much like a Physicians' Assistant or a Nurse Practitioner. A Pathologists' Assistant is a professional who provides services in anatomic pathology under the medical supervision of a clinical pathologist.
These clinicians serve as extensions and as assistants to pathologists by providing expertise in the examination, dissection and processing of human tissues as well as working on deceased patients in autopsy dissection. These clinicians are employed in a variety of settings: hospitals, university medical centers, private pathology laboratories and medical examiner offices. Pathologists' Assistants must demonstrate confidentiality of patient records and/or diagnoses.
The Pathologists' Assistant performs surgical specimen dissection by identifying the anatomical structures within the specimen and assessing the nature and extent of the pathological process. The Pathologists' Assistant also assures appropriate specimen accessioning, obtains and assesses pertinent clinical information and ancillary studies, describes the gross anatomic pathology and selects tissue to be submitted for further histologic processing and microscopic examination by the pathologist. The Pathologists' Assistant also submits specimens for additional analytic procedures such as immunohistochemical staining, flow cytometry, image analysis, microbiological cultures, genetic analysis, chemical analysis and toxicology, and assists in the photography of pathological specimens as indicated or requested.
The Pathologists' Assistant may be involved in the performance of autopsy. This includes the assessment of death certificates, obtains proper legal authorization for autopsy, and reviewing of the patient's medical record and pertinent clinical data. The Pathologists' Assistant may perform eviscerations as well as organ block dissection and triage autopsy specimens for special procedures and techniques as required. The Pathologists' Assistant may further select tissue for histologic processing and special studies, obtain specimens for biological and toxicologic analysis, assist in photography of gross specimens, and communicate with clinicians regarding the autopsy findings.
