The branch of medicine education that imparts lessons on diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of blood diseases and involves treatment of the diseases affecting blood production and blood production components like blood cells, hemoglobin, blood proteins, bone marrow, platelets, blood vessels, spleen and coagulation mechanism is generally termed as Hematology.
A hematologist works with the patients and consults them in order to understand their problems like sickle cell anemia, thrombosis, leukemia, and other gene-related problems like hemophilia only by carrying out blood tests in laboratories. Sometimes they perform surgeries depending on the need.
Hematologists perform blood tests like blood film, coagulation tests, bone marrow aspirate, complete blood count, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, hemoglobin A1c, sickle cell screen and manual white blood cell differential to detect diseases related to blood like malaria, thalassemia, leukemia, clotting disorders, and anemia. While blood being the important fluid in a human body, a hematologist is that’s why one of the most important medical practitioner. In India, a formal post-graduate course in Hematology was approved by the Medical Council of India in 1999 for the very first time. Even today, Hematology remains one of the mainstream course choices for students.
Career Prospect of Hematologists
The career path of hematologists is bright and secured one in India and it is only because of the increase in the number of patients with blood diseases are increasing day by day. Reputed and top-notch hospitals like AIIMS, MAX, Fortis, hire hematologists. Also, being a hematologist, they have the option of starting their own clinic. Many hematologists also join a medical college as professors and researchers.
Depending on the expertise and experience of a hematologist, government hospitals pay a lucrative salary between INR 50k and INR 60k at the beginning of the hematologist’s career. On top of that, hematologists get added benefits and allowances like free accommodation, medical coverage, pension, paid vacation, sick days, many holidays and of course flexible work hours. Hematologists who are working in the corporate sector receive a lucrative salary between INR 80k and INR 1 lakh per month.
The fields where hematologists are qualified to work are research institutions, polyclinics, biotechnology, and pharma companies, nursing homes, NGOs, medical trusts and foundations, laboratories, medical colleges, health centers, and biomedical companies. They are also qualified to work as publishers to convey the latest progress in the field of Clinical Hematology.
Some other positions in which hematologists can work are Chief Medical Officer – Where they lead a team of staff and medical and nursing programmes. They can also work as an oncologist and provide treatment on severe blood diseases like cancer.
Eligibility to Study Hematology
Since Hematology is an MD degree, therefore if you want to study Hematology you will need to obtain an MBBS degree from a medical college/university recognized by the Medical Council of India (MCI). After that, you will be required to complete a one-year mandatory internship. Upon completing your internship tenure, you can sit for national level entrance examination – NEET PG. If you secure the cut-off required in NEET-PG examination, you will become eligible to pursue the course.
