Jobs / Healthcare / 29-1222.00

Physicians, Pathologists

Diagnose diseases and conduct lab tests using organs, body tissues, and fluids. Includes medical examiners.

US jobs
11,110
Median wage
$312,400 a year
Job family
Healthcare

Can agents do the work of physicians, pathologists?

We read the evidence for the whole job family, Healthcare: Some tasks (no change in 12 months)

Agents complete 20% or more of the tasks (or projects) on a direct benchmark.

Evidence: MedAgentBench, 69.7% of tasks completed.

22% of this occupation's work, by O*NET work activities, is measured by a direct benchmark.

  • 15%Analyze health or medical dataMeasured
  • 14%Confer with healthcare or other professionals about patient careNot measured
  • 11%Analyze biological or chemical substances or related dataNot measured
  • 7%Prepare health or medical documentsMeasured
  • 7%Research biological or ecological phenomenaNot measured
  • 7%Maintain current knowledge in area of expertiseNot measured
  • 6%Train others on health or medical topicsNot measured
  • 5%Diagnose health conditions or disordersNot measured

Benchmarks for this occupation

These benchmarks name this occupation in their job mapping.

Direct evidence

Work benchmarks mapped primary to this family. They set the step when they report how many tasks agents complete.

Benchmarks for the job family

These cover work in healthcare, not always this occupation's tasks.

Direct evidence

Work benchmarks mapped primary to this family. They set the step when they report how many tasks agents complete.

Also relevant

These benchmarks cover part of this family's work, or have no result yet. They do not set its step.

  • OSWorld 2.0by HKU and Snorkel AIProject level · Binary completion rate (full set, 500 steps)
    44.3%Claude Opus 5 (max, batch tool) · 17 Sep 2026
    Emerging
  • SOP-Benchby AmazonTask level · Task success rate
    72.4%Claude 4 Opus (ReAct agent) · 23 Feb 2026
    Strong

Context only

These benchmarks span many occupations, or they test how agents behave. They give context but do not set the step.

  • GDPvalby OpenAIProject level · Wins plus ties against experts
    84.9%GPT-5.5 · Apr 2026
    Strong
  • GDPval-AAby Artificial AnalysisProject level · GDPval-AA Elo
    1846 EloClaude Opus 5.5 (Adaptive Reasoning, Max Effort, Default Fallback) · 23 Sep 2026
    Unrated

Typical tasks

From O*NET 31.0. Core tasks first. Few of these tasks have a benchmark today.

  • Examine microscopic samples to identify diseases or other abnormalities.
  • Diagnose diseases or study medical conditions, using techniques such as gross pathology, histology, cytology, cytopathology, clinical chemistry, immunology, flow cytometry, or molecular biology.
  • Write pathology reports summarizing analyses, results, and conclusions.
  • Communicate pathologic findings to surgeons or other physicians.
  • Identify the etiology, pathogenesis, morphological change, and clinical significance of diseases.
  • Read current literature, talk with colleagues, or participate in professional organizations or conferences to keep abreast of developments in pathology.
  • Consult with physicians about ordering and interpreting tests or providing treatments.
  • Analyze and interpret results from tests, such as microbial or parasite tests, urine analyses, hormonal assays, fine needle aspirations (FNAs), and polymerase chain reactions (PCRs).
  • Review cases by analyzing autopsies, laboratory findings, or case investigation reports.
  • Manage medical laboratories.
  • Develop or adopt new tests or instruments to improve diagnosis of diseases.
  • Educate physicians, students, and other personnel in medical laboratory professions, such as medical technology, cytotechnology, or histotechnology.
Other job titles for this occupation (28)

Anatomic Pathologist · Cytopathologist · Dermatopathologist · Forensic Pathologist · Hematopathologist · Neuropathologist · Oral Pathologist · Pathologist · Surgical Pathologist · Animal Pathologist · Autopsy Pathologist · Chemical Pathologist · Clinical Pathologist · Cytologist · DO Physician (Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine Physician) · Histopathologist · Immunopathologist · Medical Pathologist · Molecular Genetic Pathologist · Molecular Pathologist · Ocular Pathologist · Ophthalmic Pathologist · Pathologist Physician · Pathology Physician · Pediatric Pathologist · Physician · Poultry Pathologist · Veterinary Pathologist