Dr. Rachael Smith

Name: Dr. Rachael Smith

Career stage: Registrar

Location: Hobart

Position: Registrar in Anatomical Pathology

Medical Specialty: Pathology

What training program are you in?

I’m a fourth year registrar in Anatomical Pathology.

What attracted you to this training program?

I think Pathologists are the ultimate generalists – even though you are specialising you still need to know something about every medical area, which makes for a broad and varied career. Pathology is never boring; you get to see a fascinating range of horrible medical conditions, without having to tell patients the bad news.

What do you enjoy most about this training program?

People talk about Anatomical Pathology being a good lifestyle choice, and it is … no nights, no weekends and no on-call while you’re training (although you need most of that spare time to study!). But more importantly, it’s a good workstyle choice. It’s nice to have a greater degree of control over your work day; you are not at the mercy of the pager.

What are some of the challenges of being in your training program?

There are a lot of exams, more than any other specialty I believe.

It can be annoying when people assume you’ve chosen pathology because you don’t like patients or people. One of the best parts of the job is the close interaction we have with our laboratory and clinical colleagues.

What are some of the things that you did to help you decide and plan your career to get into this training program?

After four years surgical training I realised a career in surgery was not for me, but the background has been invaluable. Doing a broad range of medical and surgical terms is part of the best preparation you can have for a career in Pathology.

And if, like me, you start off on the wrong track, the time is not wasted – the College will assess your previous experience and may offer some cross-credits.

What advice do you have for students interested in your training program?

It’s hard to get exposure to Pathology as there are few, if any, resident terms available. Talk to as many people as you can, and keep an open mind. Being happy in medicine is all about finding your niche. Even within Pathology there are many specialties, such as Haematology, Microbiology, Genetics and Chemical Pathology.

Check out the College website www.rcpa.edu.au which has lots of information for Trainees.

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»Visit the Pathology specialty page