Some of the rhetoric on this board is a little disturbing and not productive. It seems like every time there is an attempt at honest discussion anything that isn't unequivocal "the job market sucks get out now" is shouted down as being naive. If you guys are pissed about being pathologists, then get the F out. Don't discourage future excellent pathologists - obviously reality checks are important but there are plenty of jobs for good graduates. I know of a few people who have had trouble finding jobs - but they have issues (major issues in some cases). Communication. Poor work ethic. Bad diagnostic skills. Coincidentally, these residents often blame everyone but themselves for their difficulty. Then they become attendings in ****ty jobs and continue to blame everyone else.
I have been out of training about 2 years. I got a good job (private). I had several competing offers. One was a pod lab I think, but I didn't really pursue that. I did not look at reference lab jobs. My job started >250k first year, with promised increases until equalizing with partner salary after a few years. Partnership has no buy in. I was recruited for a couple of positions. Others I used contacts I had to contact department heads, with varying success. Some weren't hiring the year I was looking, some wanted someone with other specialty interests. There are good jobs out there. They are not always advertised via traditional methods. They are not always in the specific area you want to be in. For those who say that is an indication of poor job market, that may be part of it, but if you take a good look at where people in other specialties get their jobs, a lot of those jobs aren't advertised either. Job ads are not for the better candidates (unless you're an academic). Other specialties also have the same problems of people being denied partnership or being treated like crap when they start.
I know full well I got lucky in part with my job, but I also wasn't seriously worried about finding one.
An important thing to remember which no one ever seems to mention is that comparing pathology with other specialties may be helpful, but it can also be misleading. There are many hundreds more radiology graduates every year than path graduates. There are more practicing radiologists. Same is true for anesthesia, ER, most other fields. Use a little perspective.
Now, all that being said, there are a lot of mediocre pathology graduates out there. I agree there are too many programs. If you ask me whether a certain amount of unemployment is "OK" in terms of pathology graduates, I say yes.
I have been out of training about 2 years. I got a good job (private). I had several competing offers. One was a pod lab I think, but I didn't really pursue that. I did not look at reference lab jobs. My job started >250k first year, with promised increases until equalizing with partner salary after a few years. Partnership has no buy in. I was recruited for a couple of positions. Others I used contacts I had to contact department heads, with varying success. Some weren't hiring the year I was looking, some wanted someone with other specialty interests. There are good jobs out there. They are not always advertised via traditional methods. They are not always in the specific area you want to be in. For those who say that is an indication of poor job market, that may be part of it, but if you take a good look at where people in other specialties get their jobs, a lot of those jobs aren't advertised either. Job ads are not for the better candidates (unless you're an academic). Other specialties also have the same problems of people being denied partnership or being treated like crap when they start.
I know full well I got lucky in part with my job, but I also wasn't seriously worried about finding one.
An important thing to remember which no one ever seems to mention is that comparing pathology with other specialties may be helpful, but it can also be misleading. There are many hundreds more radiology graduates every year than path graduates. There are more practicing radiologists. Same is true for anesthesia, ER, most other fields. Use a little perspective.
Now, all that being said, there are a lot of mediocre pathology graduates out there. I agree there are too many programs. If you ask me whether a certain amount of unemployment is "OK" in terms of pathology graduates, I say yes.