Pathology Job Market
Assessment
Sharon Bihlmeyer, MD, FCAP
Michael S. Brown, MD, FCAP
We Set out to Gain Initial Insight
into the Following…
1. Is it difficult to find a job following residency or
fellowship?
2. If it is difficult, why is it difficult – and how
difficult is it?
3. Are residents finding it necessary to do multiple
fellowships to be competitive in today’s market
place?
CAP Survey Overview
We surveyed a CAP Member Research
Panel (258 CAP Fellows who have been in
practice for 1-5 years.)
Results were at a 90% confidence level
with a +/- 5% margin of error.
CAP Fellow Age Statistics
• 4018 CAP Fellow members are 55 and older.
– This accounts for 36% of total Fellow members
– Ages 55 through 65 account for 78% of the 55+
group
• What does this mean?
– High percentage “soon to retire” which could
significantly open up the job market
*Based on March 2009 CAP data
U.S. Age Statistics
• The older population (65+) numbered 37.9 million in
2007 which is an increase of 11.2% since 1997.
• U.S. population age 65+ is expected to double in size
within the next 25 years.
• Persons reaching age 65 have an average life
expectancy of an additional 19 years.
• The age group 85+ is now the fastest growing
segment.
*based off date taken from the US Census Bureau and Dept. Health and Human Services
What does this mean?
• The need for Pathologists will increase
due to the aging population.
– Additional tests required
– Higher likelihood of chronic conditions
• As Pathologists retire there will be a
significant increase in available
positions.
Survey Questions/Results
How many have completed or are
currently in a fellowship?
88%
How many fellowships did you
complete?
One 67%
Two 30%
Three+ 3%
Why did you do a fellowship?
Interest in the Specialty 90%
To be more competitive for jobs 82%
Need for additional skill training 81%
The job I wanted was not available 7%
How many jobs did
you apply for?
One 22%
Two 16%
Three 17%
Four 9%
Five+ 36%
Did you receive a job offer?
Yes 97%
No 3%
How many offers did you get?
One 44%
Two 29%
Three 19%
Four+ 8%
Were you offered a position in your
preferred geographic location?
City 40%
State 17%
Region of US 30%
No 13%
Were you able to get a job in your
preferred practice setting?
Yes 90%
No 10%
Did the interviewers care about the
number of publications you
authored?
Yes 33%
No 47%
Don’t Know 20%
How important was networking and
personal contacts in finding leads
for jobs?
Extremely/Very Important
84%
How difficult was it to find a job?
Mostly Easy 44%
Neutral 33%
Mostly Difficult 22%
How happy are/were you in your
first job?
Mostly Happy 62%
Neutral 23%
Less Happy 15%
What was the biggest barrier to
overcome in finding the first job?
Positions in geographic preferred area 55%
Shortage of positions in general 32%
(yet 97% got jobs!)
Positions in preferred practice setting 31%
What CAP career resources did
you find valuable in your job
search?
Open positions on the Online Career Ctr 48%
Networking at the annual meeting 16%
Posting my resume online via OCC 14%
Use of the CAP online membership directory 11%
During residency or fellowship
training, what opportunities did you
find most helpful in your job
search?
Working with pathologists in my training program 70%
Being introduced to Colleagues by well-known
pathologists who trained me 58%
Attending local state society meetings 25%
Summary
Good News!
• Job market is competitive but not
overly saturated.
• 97% got offers with the average
applicant getting two offers.
• 88% did a fellowship with the
majority doing one.
Summary
• Positions in desired cities,
states or regions are more
difficult to locate.
• The majority found it relatively
easy to find a job – with only 1
in 5 having difficulty.
Summary
Good News!
• A significant majority (62%) were
happy in their first job.
• Demographics of the specialty
and of the US population indicate
a dramatic growth in the demand
for Pathologists.