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Chemical pathology doctors combine laboratory and clinical skills, using biochemical laboratory tests to diagnose disease and manage patients.
You'll follow a set pattern of training which usually starts with a five year first degree in medicine and two years of foundation training. You will then undertake five years of specialist training (ST1-5). This period of training will include completing your royal college exams. Length of training can vary according to your circumstances.Doctors may work up to 48 hours a week. The working hours may sometimes extend beyond the normal working day to include early mornings, evenings and weekends. You’ll first earn a salary when you start your foundation training after medical school. The basic salary ranges from £29,384 to £34,012. Once you start your specialty training as a doctor in chemical pathology employed by the NHS, you can expect to earn a salary of at least £40,257, which can increase to between £84,559 and £114,003 as a consultant.You'll need excellent communication skills to manage a wide range of relationships with colleagues, and patients and their families. You'll be emotionally resilient, have excellent problem-solving and diagnostic skills and work well in teams and under pressure. You'll also be very organised for the benefit of patients.In 2021, there were 104 chemical pathology consultants working in the NHS in England. In addition, there were 16 applications for 11 specialty training places. You could specialise or conduct research in areas such as metabolic bone disease or inherited metabolic disease (IMD), teach medical students or postgraduate students in training or get involved in research at universities, the NHS or private sector. -
Health records and patient administration staff collate, store and retrieve records used in the diagnosis and treatment of patients.
It is possible to start in an entry-level post without formal qualifications, but GCSEs or equivalent qualifications are an advantage. Apprenticeships in health informatics are also available. For more senior roles, a degree or equivalent experience might be needed. Some roles may also need an industry qualification such as the Institute of Health Records and Information Management (IHRIM) certificate or diploma. The NHS Graduate Management Training Scheme also has a health informatics strand for graduates with relevant degrees.Most education and training jobs in the NHS are covered by Agenda for Change (AfC) pay scales. This pay system covers all staff except doctors, dentists and the most senior managers. ICT staff in the NHS will usually work standard hours of 37.5 per week. Terms and conditions for non-NHS employers and contractors will vary.Good communication and team working skills are needed for all roles within health records and patient administration roles. Many roles will also require attention to detail as well as good presentation, IT and organisational skills. You’ll also need to have strong influencing skills and show political awareness and sensitivity, as health is a complex system. You’ll need to be enthusiastic, and be able to work under pressure on your own initiative.There are opportunities to progress your career into senior management roles. Most NHS organisations will now have chief information officers who lead the delivery of knowledge management systems locally. The NHS has also developed training and courses to support you through your career. Many of these will count towards your continuing professional development and may lead to a formal professional qualification.