Graduation from a NAACLS-accredited Pathologists’ Assistant program (typically two years in duration) leading to a master’s degree in Health Science or a closely related field is required. Current programs include, but are not limited to, those offered by:
Quinnipiac University (Hamden, CT)
Duke University (Durham, NC)
University of Maryland (Baltimore, MD)
Wayne State University (Detroit, MI)
Drexel University (Philadelphia, PA)
Rosalind Franklin University (Chicago, IL)
University of Western Ontario (London, ON, Canada)
West Virginia University (Morgantown, WV)
Loma Linda University (Loma Linda, CA)
University of Calgary (Calgary, AB, Canada)
University of Toledo (Toledo, OH)
Eastern Virginia Medical School (Norfolk, VA).
Certification by the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) as a Pathologists’ Assistant is required. Candidates who are board-eligible must obtain certification within one year of hire as a condition of continued employment.
For Pathologists’ Assistants who completed their education prior to 2005, eligibility for professional recognition includes successful completion of the American Association of Pathologists’ Assistants (AAPA) fellowship examination, which served as the primary credentialing pathway before the establishment of national certification through the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) in 2005. Applicants with AAPA fellowship status or equivalent recognized credentialing are considered qualified, provided they meet institutional requirements.