Entry of Graduates of US Pathology Residency Programs Into the Workforce: Cohort Data Between 2008 and 2016 Remain Positive and Stable

Abstract

The pathologist workforce in the United States is a topic of interest to the health-care community as a whole and to institutions responsible for the training of new pathologists in particular. Although a pathologist shortage has been projected, there has been a pervasive belief by medical students and their advisors that there are “no jobs in pathology.” In 2013 and again in 2017, the Program Directors Section of the Association of Pathology Chairs conducted surveys asking pathology residency directors to report the employment status of each of their residents graduating in the previous 5 years. The 2013 Program Directors Section survey indicated that 92% of those graduating in 2010 had obtained employment within 3 years, and 94% of residents graduating in 2008 obtained employment within 5 years. The 2017 survey indicated that 96% of those graduating in 2014 had obtained employment in 3 years, and 97% of residents graduating in 2012 obtained positions within 5 years. These findings are consistent with residents doing 1 or 2 years of fellowship before obtaining employment. Stratification of the data by regions of the country or by the size of the residency programs does not show large differences. The data also indicate a high percentage of employment for graduates of pathology residency programs and a stable job market over the years covered by the surveys.