They are intensively trained, are in high demand and may bring in starting salaries in the mid-$70,000 range, according to the American Association of Pathologists' Assistants (www.pathologistsassistants.org). Most pathologists' assistants work in community hospitals, while others work in government hospitals, reference laboratories, the medical examiners system, medical schools and university hospitals.

No more on-the-job training. Although many current pathologists' assistants trained on-the-job, that path is no longer allowed by the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Science (NAACLS). Those who wish to enter the field must now earn a Bachelor's degree at Wayne State University in Detroit, MI, or a Master's degree at one of the following institutions: Drexel University in Philadelphia; Duke University in Durham, N.C.; Indiana University in Indianapolis; Ohio State University in Columbus; Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Conn.; Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science in Chicago; or the University of Maryland in Baltimore.

Pathology work is varied, fascinating. Kristin Giesen and Sara Pietz, pathologists' assistants at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis, trained on the job after receiving Bachelor's degrees in medical technology. Giesen wanted to expand her medical training, but didn't want to go to medical school. She loved pathology, and found the career of pathologists' assistant to be the perfect fit. Pietz has found she enjoys the interaction with surgeons and residents and the feeling of being directly involved in patient care. About half their work comes from clinics and half from the OR. Pietz and Giesen also train residents to perform autopsies.

"Some of what we do is looking for a disease that the physicians don't know is going on yet and some of it is proving that what they have diagnosed is really accurate," Giesen says.

Mayo Clinic in Rochester employs nine pathologists' assistants, according to supervisor Carrie Trower, who received her degree from Quinnipiac in 2006. There, pathologists' assistants rotate tasks, including autopsies. A pathologist assigned to each case reviews their reports. "We work pretty independently," Trower says. "And we train residents on gross finding and in the autopsy area."

Attention to detail, accuracy are key. Working with frozen specimens during surgery can be very intense; the pressure for accuracy is high. "The diagnosis is done 85 percent of the time before surgery is over" using the sophisticated equipment at Mayo, Trower says.

Prospective pathologists' assistants should be very detail-oriented and have the ability to multi-task, according to Pietz. They should also be prepared to move to another area of the country. That said, "I think the job market is excellent," adds Trower.