Hematology
Haematology is a hugely enjoyable and rewarding specialty. You should consider a career in haematology if you want to work in an area that is moving forwards at a fast rate and want to treat a wide range of conditions. You don’t need to be a genius, but you do need to have an inquiring mind and the ability to work hard and communicate well with patients. Haematology’s position at the interface between the laboratory and the patient is a unique aspect to this fascinating specialty.
A career in haematology
Haematology is particularly attractive for those interested in an academic career. Knowledge of the aetiology of haematological conditions and the development of new treatments is moving at a phenomenal rate, and the United Kingdom is leading the way in a number of areas. Participation in research is actively encouraged and many trainees choose to do a higher degree, usually a doctorate of philosophy (PhD).
Haematologists have an enviable role that incorporates laboratory medicine with cutting edge clinical medicine in both the outpatient and the inpatient settings. The integration of clinical and laboratory knowledge makes haematology an almost unique specialty. The opportunity to see a patient in the clinical setting, perform diagnostic tests, interpret the results to make a diagnosis, and start treatment is hugely satisfying.
Clinical haematology
Advantages
- Treat a wide range of diseases
- Opportunities to develop long term relationships with patients and their relatives
- Outstanding academic opportunities
- Use specialised techniques like polymerase chain reaction and flow cytometry
- Integration of laboratory skills and knowledge in the care of patients
- Non-resident on-call
Disadvantages
- Need to develop extensive skill and knowledge base
- Difficult end of life issues
- Can be difficult to balance clinical and laboratory commitments
- More exams
Research opportunities
- Haematology is particularly attractive for those interested in an academic career. Knowledge of the aetiology of haematological conditions and the development of new treatments is moving at a phenomenal rate, and the United Kingdom is leading the way in a number of areas. Participation in research is actively encouraged and many trainees choose to do a higher degree, usually a doctorate of philosophy (PhD).
- Even if you do not do formal research, haematology remains an academic specialty. With improvements in genetic techniques there is now a much greater understanding of an individual patient’s disease and with it the ability to tailor treatment. An interest in basic science and the willingness to keep up to date with new developments are, therefore, vital to a career in haematology
Read additional stories
Nancy Berliner
American Society of Hematology President - 2009 Chief, Division of Hematology, Brigham and Women's Hospital Professor of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School Boston, MA
My decision to become a hematologist evolved over my first year of training in medicine. I found that I loved taking care of patients with hematologic diseases, because they had illnesses that were complex and challenging, and because caring for them required a broad base of knowledge of general medicine. my most revered mentors were hematologists who inspired me with their clinical skill and their grasp of the basic biology of the diseases they treated.
Lawrence A. Solberg Jr.
Professor of Medicine, Department of Hematology/Oncology Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL
Being able to treat patients with these challenging diseases was critically important not only to the patients but also to medicine at large. The great hematologists I encountered, for example Bob Kyle and Walter Bowie, were another major influence. Finally, the ease of access to materials for experimentation: blood and marrow. These seemed much easier to obtain than small parts of biopsies from deeper organs.
James N. George
American Society of Hematology President - 2005 George Lynn Cross Professor of Medicine, Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK
The ability to examine living blood and marrow cells led to remarkable observations, such as Bertha Bouroncle's description of hairy cell leukemia, among many other clinical syndromes. I was fascinated by the ability to interpret aspects of disease from microscopic observation of living cells...
Barry Coller
American Society of Hematology President - 1998 Vice President for Medical Affairs and Physician-in-Chief, David Rockefeller Professor of Medicine, Head of Allen and Frances Adler Laboratory of Blood and Vascular Biology The Rockefeller University, New York, NY
When I was a fourth year medical student at N.Y.U. I cared for a patient with severe aphasia due to a thromboembolic stroke from an artificial valve. A recent study suggested that platelets may contribute to the process and so I wrote to Dr. Richard Gorlin, the senior author, about the drug used in the study, dipyridamole. He kindly wrote back that we needed to learn more about how platelets adhere and aggregate, and that led me to a research elective with Dr. Marjorie Zucker, one of the great platelet physiologists. That's when I got hooked!
Edward Benz Jr
American Society of Hematology President - 2000 President and CEO, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Director of Dana-Farber Harvard Cancer Center, CEO, Dana-Farber/Partner CancerCare Richard and Susan Smith Professor of Medicine, Professor of Pediatrics, Professor of Pathology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
I became interested in hematology because of a presentation by David Nathan (a past president of the American Society of Hematology). I realized hematology was the only field that would allow me to use MB research to study human disease. It was virtually impossible in other areas, except in hematology because you can work directly with patient blood cells.
Ginna Laport
Associate Professor of Medicine Division of Blood and Marrow Transplantation Stanford University Medical Center, Stanford, CA
Hematology is a dynamic field with exciting breakthroughs in diagnosis and treatment occurring on a regular basis. Clinical research interested me because I wanted a career that finds better ways to diagnose and treat blood diseases and, at the same time, be able to maintain direct patient contact.
George R. Buchanan
Professor of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Children's Cancer Fund Distinguished Chair in Pediatric Oncology and Hematology Director, Barrett Family Center for Pediatric Oncology University of Texas Southwestern, Dallas, TX
I was fortunate to have an outstanding teacher who had been in the field for over three decades and shared with me her continued excitement about practicing in this field and the challenges faced during attempts to improve the diagnosis and therapy of blood disorders.[...]Half way through my residency I was "hooked" on hematology and have never regretted it for a moment. Having played a very small role in improving the lives of children with sickle cell anemia and leukemia - as well as many other conditions - has been a source of great satisfaction and joy
Mary Cushman
Professor of Medicine Division of Hematology/Oncology University of Vermont College of Medicine Burlington, VT
I accepted an invitation to be a fellow on an NIH training grant in hemostasis and thrombosis. Over the course of that two-year research fellowship it became clear to me that I had found a home and a passion for research in vascular disease and thrombosis. I made a hard decision not to finish my oncology training. Twenty years later, I am a benign hematologist and loving every day of it!
Gary Schiller
Professor of Medicine Division of Hematology/Oncology University of California - Los Angeles School of Medicine Los Angeles, CA
The prospect of developing pathophysiologic models for blood diseases was energizing to me and promised life-long learning. A career in hematology, no doubt, has given as much or more in return for the level of my service. Remembering our patients - the ones we helped as well as the ones we couldn't - is the abiding strength of the field.