Hematologist Are Not Afraid of Blood

Hematologist: study, treat, diagnose, and prevent diseases arising from blood. Blood diseases have consequences for affecting blood cells, hemoglobin, blood proteins, mechanisms of coagulation, etc.

These physicians may work directly with patients or spend a majority of their time in the laboratory viewing blood films and bone marrow slides under a microscope.

Quick Facts

Competitiveness: Low

Length of training: 5 years

Number of residency programs: 115

Number of residents in training: 900

Number in U.S. currently board certified in specialty: 4,870

First year median compensation: $173,000

Mean number of hours per week in patient care activities: 51.6

Residency Information

You will complete a 3 year residency in internal medicine followed by a 2 year fellowship in hematology or one combined with oncology.

Why Choose

Many physicians who enter this specialty were influenced by a mentor. Many doctors had considered other subspecialties of internal medicine but found them to be "too narrow" in practice score or cardiology as being too "electronic" oriented.

Typical Schedule

As a physician dealing with blood diseases your schedule will be similar to any of the internal medicine subspecialties with a majority of your patients being seen in an office setting, otherwise at the hospital. Many of your patients will present with malignant diseases and about 25% will have benign conditions.

If You're Interested

You must be well versed in this specialty and oncology if you are planning on a private practice because the two are not mutually exclusive. Your work will be enjoyable if you are fascinated by cell development, cell biology, pathology, genetics, biochemistry and how they relate to patients who have diseases of the blood. Having a genuine desire to help people will take you very far in this specialty.