From the President’s Desk
November 2024—There’s a shortage of physicians in the U.S.—across specialty areas and including pathology—and the reaction has been rather predictable: nonphysicians are pushing hard to fill those voids. Scope of practice is a major issue facing physicians today, and pathologists are no exception. In other specialties, we’ve seen nurse practitioners and physician assistants step up to take on more and more responsibilities that were once reserved for physicians. For certain tasks and under the supervision of a physician, this is not only appropriate but welcome. In pathology we have pathologist assistants performing valuable tasks in support of pathologists with a real impact on patient care. All of these nonphysicians are important for patient care and for easing the burden on physicians who are stretched too thin.