So you want to be a Hematologist
Some people faint at the very sight of it, others find it just bearable- wherever you may stand, blood is an integral component of the human body. So you want to dedicate your career to the study of such liquid vitality that flows through your veins? Look no further than this week’s blog brought to you by the OYMS.
What is a hematologist?
A hematologist specializes in hematology, or study of blood, organs that form blood and diseases related to blood. In this branch of internal medicine, a hematologist is concerned with the treatment of blood disorders such as hemophilia, lymphoma, sickle-cell anemia and leukemia. Hematology must also consider various aspects of blood-related disorders like the physiology, diagnosis, treatment prognosis, prevention, etiology, pathology and physiology.
A typical annual salary earned by a hematology/oncology physician is $272 985. The largest reported income is around $422 596 while the lowest 10% of incomes fall below $169 058.
Education and Training
After completing an undergraduate post-secondary program, hematologist-hopefuls need to spend 4 years in medical school. Following this is 3 years in residency. During this period, they will be trained to specialize in this area and learn various details of patient care. Next comes 2 to 4 years of fellowship so as to experience more training in a certain subspecialty. Among others, this might be pediatric hematology/oncology, adult hematology, coagulation or pathology.
About the author: April Sui is a first-year student in Medical Sciences at Western University in London Ontario. She’s currently working with Hashtag Health Podcast (based at UWO) and the International Predental Student Alliance. Bookworm, origami fanatic and French tutor, you can find her on Instagram @_april.showers or on Facebook.
