|
Becoming a neuropathologist requires an extended amount
of education and training. A person who wants to become a neuropathologist
typically starts out by earning a high school diploma and then goes on to
complete college and attend medical school. After medical school, an aspiring
neuropathologist still has more training ahead of him. He’ll usually go on to
complete not only an internship, but also a few additional years of training
pertinent to his field. Neuropathologists specialize in conditions that involve
the brain and nervous system. They help diagnose conditions such as brain
tumors, studying and evaluating tissue and cell samples to look for signs of
certain conditions. A person in this field also interprets fluid biopsy samples.
When evaluating brain tumor tissue, these doctors seek to discover the cell the
cancer developed from and how rapidly the cancer is growing. While attending
high school, a person who wants to become a neuropathologist may do well to take
science classes, such as biology, anatomy, and chemistry as well as advanced
math, such as algebra and pre-calculus. This may help prepare him for the
complex coursework he’ll have to complete in both college and medical school. A
person who has not earned a high school diploma will not necessarily have a
problem pursuing this career, however. Many colleges do accept applicants who
have General Educational Development (GEDs) diplomas instead of high school
diplomas. As long as the aspiring neuropathologist does well in college and
meets other admissions requirements, he will usually have a good chance of
getting into medical school. Most people spend four years in college, working
toward a bachelor’s degree and then go on to complete four years of medical
school in order to become neuropathologists. After graduating from college, they
generally go on to complete residency training at a hospital. This residency
training is often referred to as an internship. Upon completion of the
internship, a person who wants to become a neuropathologist completes about
three years of laboratory training focused on this field. Once a person has
become a neuropathologist, there are many settings in which he may work. He may
work in a hospital or laboratory, for example. Some in this field work in
clinics, while others go on to work in colleges and research facilities. Though
there are different job settings from which a neuropathologist may choose, most
people in this field opt to work in hospitals or research facilities. Many
choose to teach medical students as well. |
