View of the young pathologist: a wavering future

What will be the fate of future generations of hospital-based pathologists? In the next few years, the author of this article foresees a new breed of MD emerging from the laboratory. This up-and-coming pathologist must be a skilled practitioner of medicine, yet one who wears many hats. He must have earned the respect of his clinical colleagues, kept abreast of the rapidly changing technology at his disposal, and discovered a balance for the role pathology must play for the patient and society.