A Guide to Careers in Veterinary Pathology in the UK
© 2007
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Clinical Pathology
Assessment of the health of an animal by the sampling of bodily fluids and cytology of other in vivo samples is the basis of the practice of clinical pathology. Assessment is made in three main areas:
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Haematology of blood and bone marrow.
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Biochemistry including endocrinology of blood, serum, plasma and urine.
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Cytology of body fluids, bone marrow and various organs by fine needle techniques.
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Specialist techniques including immunophenotyping for neoplasia and various immunology techniques are also available.
There is an important technological component to the analysis of the samples obtained because much of haematology, biochemistry and endocrinology uses specialised machinery. Cytology requires microscopy expertise. The interpretation of the results requires both expertise and experience.
Just as anatomic pathology cannot be considered in isolation, clinical pathology findings must also be correlated with the results of other investigations (e.g. radiography and ultrasound) as well as the clinical history and findings from physical examination. A background in clinical practice, therefore, is essential.
Specialisation in clinical pathology is considered necessary for most aspects of veterinary pathology and there are career opportunities in all areas of employment.
Specialist post-graduate qualifications are now available from the Royal College of Pathologists, and the European College of Veterinary Clinical Pathology (ECVCP). In the USA and Canada the American College of Veterinary Pathology (ACVP) also has a specialist qualification in clinical pathology.
