Which course to pursue after Class 12 to become a Pathologist

You have completed your 12th class with Physics, Chemistry and Biology as your subject. You can go for B.Sc Pathology course after completing your 12th class. The seats will be given based on the percentage of marks you have obtained in your 12th class. Once you complete your B.Sc, you will become a pathologist and you will learn the clinical testing and you will have many opportunities to start your career. you will have career chances in various fields that include Agriculture, Public Health, Drug Manufacturing, Biotechnology and clinical testing. If you are interested you can also go for PG courses which will give you higher positions and if you are interested you can also go for a teaching job.

Alternatively, you can do MBBS and in this course, you can opt for pathology specialisation. A person who completed his 12th standard with PCB as the group and obtained minimum 60% marks is eligible to apply for this course and there will be an entrance test and based on you have obtained the seat will be allotted. Once you complete your MBBS you will be eligible to become a Pathology specialist and you will get appointments in all the hospitals. You can go for MD also in the same field.

Pathology is a very interesting branch of medical field and there are good career options in it. In layman's terms it deals with the study of change in the population of certain cells and other markers in the diseased body and correlating them with the suspected aliments. A student will have to learn microbiology, haematology, immunology and clinical pathology to complete a bachelor degree course of Pathology. Pathology is such an important area that the doctors do not prescribe any medicine till some required pathological tests are carried out to identify the probable ailment in the human body.

After completing class 12 you can go for B.Sc. in Pathology or full fledged MBBS course choosing the pathology as your main area. For getting admission in B.Sc. your performance in class 12 will be assessed for the merit for admission while for MBBS you will have to appear in the competitive exam called NEET. If you want to become a qualified Pathologist, a B.Sc. degree will suffice for the purpose but if your aspirations are to become a doctor cum Pathologist then you will have to go through the longer route of MBBS.

Pathology is a branch of Medical Sciences and it is understood that it requires a lot of hard work and efforts to understand and practice this subject in the career. Those who have a liking for this field should only take this career stream for becoming a successful Pathologist.

After completing B.Sc. in Pathology one can pursue career in various areas like Pathologist in a hospital, Data Analyst in medical institutes, Research Analyst in Medical colleges or research institutions, Lab Technician in hospitals, Drug manufacturing and public health, Biochemist in pharmaceutical industries and Research Scientist in Medical institutions.

There are number of Medical colleges in Gujarat which are offering Pathology course with MBBS stream but I could not locate any good college which is giving a B.Sc. degree in Pathology. So, you may have to opt for the colleges in other states which are offering this course. Some of such top colleges/ institutions for B.Sc. in Pathology are - Magadh University, Gaya, Bihar; Rama Medical College, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh; Rama University, Hapur, Uttar Pradesh.

Considering the ways, how you can be a pathologist, there are two options the first one being is undertaking a diploma course consisting of one and half year where you will be given training of the entire pathological tests or still the better option would be to take a B.Sc degree along with the pathology paper in addition to additional papers prescribed for the B.Sc pass course. This needs to clear the entrance test for being admitted and hence you need to prepare thoroughly so as to get admission.
Apart from the routes as indicated above, you can also undertake MBBS course of any recognised university where Pathology is the part of cirriculam and upon completion of this course, you can start your own practice or alternatively you can join any reputed speciality or a government - hospital.

Pathology is a good career option seeing the large number of medical institutions in the country. Whether it is a hospital or medical college or research organisation, everywhere a pathologist is required for pathological investigation or as a diagnosis support person or as an research associate.

The simplest way to become a pathologist is to seek admission in B.Sc. in Pathology which is generally available based on the merit of class 12 marks. After doing this degree one can apply against the post of Pathologist or clinical research assistant or research associate etc in a hospital or medical college or medical institution. There is also a large demand of Pathologists in the private medical labs and dispensaries which are present in good numbers in all the towns and cities. Another way to become a Pathologist is through the MBBS route in which one has to qualify in the combined exam NEET. This mode has the advantage of becoming a full fledged doctor having specialisation in Pathology. Only thing is one has to spend 4-5 years in this course.