Whai is it About?
MD Pathology is a postgraduate degree in medicine and diagnostics/ the study of disease. The eligibility for this course is MBBS Degree from an institution recognized by the Medical Council of India (MCI) with minimum aggregate marks as required by the institute.

• This specialty addresses the main 3 components of disease – cause, mechanism of development or origin, consequences of changes.
• The branch deals with diagnostic, testing and treatment methods using genetic technologies, thus underpinning the concept of patient care and prevention of diseases. Physicians practicing pathology are called pathologists.
• They generally work with other doctors, scientists, and health professionals in hospitals and clinics to diagnose, treat and prevent diseases.
• The process of pathology is quite simple, mapping the overall response of the body to any foreign influence, i.e. antigen or disease. Subsequently, this knowledge is used to diagnose and treat illnesses.
• Pathologists compare the normal structure and function (cell count, blood) of a human body to the abnormal structure and function observed when a person is not well.

Why Study MD Pathology? 
MD Pathology aims to train students for performing high-quality diagnoses in any specified clinical situation using appropriate and relevant samples of tissue, blood, body fluid, etc., and suggest treatment options based on the diagnosis.

• Students are enabled to pursue clinical and laboratory-based research, thereby proving helpful in research-based studies on cancer or other terminal diseases.
• Pathology is the division of medical science, which focuses on effects, development, processes, and causes of diseases. Subjects studied under this degree are Pathology, Microbiology, Immunology, Medical Genetics, and Neuroscience.
• MD Pathology course also helps students to develop in students the competence to diagnose important pathological conditions in various fields such as histopathology, cytopathology, hematology, and immunopathology.

MD Pathology Eligibility
Typically, to pursue an MD degree, candidates need to satisfy the eligibility criteria mentioned below:

• Candidates should have obtained an MBBS Degree from an institution recognized by the Medical Council of India (MCI).
• Candidates should have completed a 1- year compulsory rotating internship after passing the final professional examination which is MBBS before 30th April of the academic year.
• Candidates in possession of an MBBS degree or Provisional MBBS Pass Certificate recognized by the Indian Medical Council Act 1956, besides a permanent or provisional registration certificate of MBBS qualification issued by the Medical Council of India or State Medical Council and having completed 1 year of internship.
• They are likely to complete the internship on or before 31st March or 31st April of the relevant year, and may apply for NEET-PG through the online application system.

MD Pathology Scope

1. Career opportunities in the field of pathology abound since there are multiple specialties in pathology, and a postgraduate can choose to specialize in any of the areas such as histopathology, cytopathology, clinical pathology, and immunohistochemical techniques, and work under the supervision of some of the best pathologists.
2. They may even set up their own private clinics known as diagnostic laboratories. Pathologists are lucratively recruited in the private/ corporate sectors/ hospitals and are paid in the range of INR 60 to 80,000 per month.
3. Typically, pathologists function in 3 broad areas- as diagnosticians in hospitals; investigators or researchers in medical laboratories, and as teachers in colleges and universities.
4. Successful postgraduates of the discipline work as Specialists in any of the sub-branches of pathology such as surgical pathology, clinical pathology, anatomical pathology, veterinary pathology, molecular pathology, plant pathology, and forensic pathology.
5. They may also choose to work as consultants to doctors or medical examiners. Employment opportunities for experienced professionals in this field are also open in universities, laboratories, and hospitals.
6. They are employed in areas of public health, law enforcement, government agencies, among other fields. Additionally, they may even step into research and pursue a Ph. D in any specialized branch of pathology.
7. As a fresh postgraduate, pathologists earn about INR 8000 to Rs.12000 monthly. With experience, the salary increases to INR15,000 to 22,000 monthly. In private hospitals, they may earn about INR 3,00,000 to 3,50,000 yearly in the beginning.