Modern pathologists works as a member of a health care team in collaboration with the physicians who provide direct patient care. They contribute to medical diagnosis and patient management as well as research. Although Pathology is a medical specialty, and many pathologists have specific areas of expertise, all pathologists must have a thorough knowledge of all aspects of medicine, and this cuts across traditional specialty lines. Thus the pathologist is both a generalist and a specialist. Although opportunities for direct patient interaction are limited, they do exist.
Some examples are transfusion medicine and fine needle aspiration.
The pathologist may also be a consultant on a variety of hematologic problems, including bleeding disorders. In addition to the analysis of living patients, many pathologists also perform autopsies. Even in this day of modern molecular biology and advanced imaging studies, the autopsy can provide insight into both the natural history of disease and the ways in which drugs and other forms of therapy modify that natural history. This information may be of use in the care of other patients. At the New Jersey Medical School, the Department of Pathology has both a basic research mission and a clinical mission, and an attempt is made to integrate these two pathways.