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Anatomical Pathology : The Process

Along with Chief Pathologist, divisional secretary and manager, the members of the Anatomical Pathology healthcare team include the paramedical team:

Pathologists' Assistants
Morgue Attendants
Medical Laboratory Technologists
Cytotechnologists
Technicians

These highly skilled individuals, supported by excellent office staff, assist the Pathologists by practicing and promoting high quality standards in the processing of specimens.

Roles and Responsibilities

Pathologists' assistants, morgue attendants, medical laboratory technologists, cytotechnologists and technicians, process tissue (part or whole organs) and cells from patients or from a post-mortem examination (i.e. autopsy) so that it can be viewed by the pathologist under a standard microscope. Some specimens may be further processed and viewed under an electron microscope.

There are routine stains - Papanicolaou (PAP) stain (Cytology) - Hematoxylin and Eosin (H&E) stain (Histology), numerous special stains, and many cell markers - Immunohistochemistry and Immunofluorescence, to help identify specific types of cells or tissue.