What is a Pathologists’ Assistant?
A pathologists’ assistant is a highly trained allied health professional.
A Pathologists’ Assistant is a highly trained, certified allied healthcare professional who is qualified by academic and practical training to provide various services in anatomic pathology under the direction and supervision of a licensed, Board Certified or Board Eligible Anatomic Pathologist. Pathologists’ Assistants are academically and practically trained to provide accurate and timely processing of a variety of laboratory specimens, including comprehensive macroscopic examination and evaluation of all surgical pathological specimens. Pathologists’ Assistants also perform postmortem examinations including prosection, assisting the Pathologist with rendering the provisional anatomic diagnosis, composing the clinical history, recording the macroscopic anatomic findings, and submitting tissue sections for microscopic examination. Pathologists’ Assistants play a critical role in the delivery of healthcare services in both surgical pathology and autopsy pathology. They are key partners in assisting the Pathologist to arrive at a pathologic diagnosis, but it is the sole responsibility of the Pathologist to render a diagnosis.
Pathologists’ Assistants often are responsible for the organization and operational management of the surgical pathology suite and the anatomic pathology service. This may comprise personnel management including supervising accessioners, lab aides, grossing technicians, and transcriptionists in the surgical pathology suite and autopsy technicians/morgue assistants in the autopsy room; writing and reviewing surgical pathology and autopsy procedures; inventory control; laboratory operations such as quality assurance, quality control, accreditation inspection preparation, and budgeting; and in the academic setting, supervision of learners (e.g., Pathologists’ Assistant students, medical students, post-sophomore fellows, and residents) and providing shadowing experiences to prospective Pathologists’ Assistant students, and college or high school students interested in healthcare.
A Pathologists’ Assistant need not provide all the services listed in the Scope of Practice in the performance of their duties; however, it is expected that the Pathologists’ Assistant will have received appropriate academic and practical training to provide these services.
Pathologists’ Assistants currently prepare for their roles as advanced practitioners in anatomic pathology by successfully completing a NAACLS accredited Pathologists’ Assistant training program and by attaining certification as a Pathologists’ Assistant from the American Society for Clinical Pathology Board of Certification (ASCP BOC). Prior to 2010, Pathologists’ Assistants who had received on-the-job training (via a 3-year supervised internship) and had successfully attained certification as a Pathologists’ Assistant from the American Society for Clinical Pathology Board of Certification have the same qualifications as NAACLS program-trained individuals and are capable as advanced practitioners in anatomic pathology.
Both NAACLS program-trained and grandfathered on-the-job trained Pathologists’ Assistants who pass the ASCP BOC Pathologists’ Assistant Certification Examination use the credentials PA(ASCP) and are qualified as competent advanced practitioners in anatomic pathology. To maintain a level of expertise and awareness of changes and advances in practice and maintain certification, the Pathologists’ Assistant must complete approved Credential Maintenance Program (CMP) requirements in three-year cycles, as defined by the American Society for Clinical Pathology Board of Certification. Following completion of the CMP program, the CM superscript designation is appropriate; PA(ASCP) CM.