Haematology (doctor)
Haematologists diagnose and treat patients with blood and bone marrow disorders.
Haematology is an intensive but exciting specialty with both clinical and laboratory practice. It’s a field that is rapidly changing, with great research successes seen in front-line medicine.
Life as a haematologist
You’ll have a dual role as a haematologist and take an active part in every stage of a patient’s care - from their initial clinic visit, to diagnosis through laboratory assessment, and treatment and follow-up. The holistic nature of your role will be a highlight of your work, and you will build relationships with patients of all ages and from diverse backgrounds with a range of haematology presentations and conditions.
During your training you will be expected to do some paediatric haematology. You can then continue your career focused on young teenage adults, or specialise in conditions usually only seen in the elderly. Your work will also be varied through a balance of inpatient and outpatient work and practical aspects including several procedures. You will see patients with malignant conditions such as leukaemias, myelomas and lymphomas as well as patients with anaemia, haemophilia or clotting disorders. You’ll provide clinical support for the haematology diagnostic laboratory, as well as the blood bank through transfusion medicine. Depending where you work, you may care for patients having bone marrow or blood transfusions for specific conditions.Typically, your role will include:
- delivering clinical care, often for life-threatening disease
- formulating chemotherapy protocols and managing their delivery
- managing haematopoietic stem cell transplantation procedures
- providing advice on haematology laboratory results
- sampling the bone marrow through biopsies and interpreting the morphology under a microscope
- performing lumbar punctures and giving intra-thecal chemotherapy
- potential research commitments
Importantly, you’ll be part of a multi-disciplinary team that provides care to patients with haematological conditions. The rest of the team will includes clinical nurse specialists, pharmacists, research nurses, dieticians, and biomedical, and clinical scientists.
You will also provide an advisory and consultancy service to GPs and other hospital specialists, including surgeons and intensive care and emergency doctors. This liaison work, along with assistance in the clinical interpretation of laboratory data, can be very satisfying.
Dr Shivan Pancham
Consultant Haematologist
Read Shivan's storyThe haematology specialty was always an attractive career option since I was at medical school.

How much can I earn?
You’ll first earn a salary when you start your foundation training after medical school. Find out details of current salary ranges for foundation and specialty training, SAS doctors and consultants on the 'Pay for doctors' page.How about the benefits?
- make a difference
- flexible and part-time working
- high income early in your career
- work anywhere in the world
- excellent pension scheme
- good holiday entitlement
- NHS discounts in shops and restaurants
Must-have skills
- excellent communication skills to manage a wide range of relationships with colleagues, patients, and their families
- emotional resilience, a calm temperament, and the ability to work well under pressure
- teamwork and the capacity to lead multidisciplinary teams
- problem-solving and diagnostic skills
- outstanding organisational ability and effective decision-making skills
- first-class time and resource management for the benefit of patients
Entry requirements
Your first step is medical school. Typically, you’ll need excellent GCSEs and three A or A* passes at A level including chemistry for a five-year undergraduate degree in medicine. Many medical schools also ask for biology and others may require maths or physics.
If you already have a degree, you could study for a four-year postgraduate degree in medicine. You will need to pass an interview and admissions test. You will be asked to show how you demonstrate the NHS values such as compassion and respect. Some medical schools look to recruit a mix of students from diverse backgrounds and geographical areas, so your educational and economic background and family circumstances could be considered as part of your application.What are my chances of starting a career as a haematologist?
There are approximately 917 haematologists working in the NHS in England. In 2020, there were 195 applications for 73 specialty training places.How to become a haematologist
After medical school, you’ll join the paid two-year foundation programme where you’ll work in six placements in different settings. After your foundation programme, you can apply for internal medicine training. After two years you can apply for specialty training to become a haematologist, which will take a minimum of five years. You may be able to train part time, for example for health reasons or if you have family or caring responsibilities.Where a career as a haematologist can take you
You will have the opportunity to develop special interests in a wide variety of clinical and laboratory areas. Most haematologists have competences in one or more sub-specialties within the discipline, including:
- haemato-oncology (acute and chronic leukaemia, lymphoma, multiple myeloma)
- haemostasis/thrombosis (congenital and acquired disorders of haemostasis and blood coagulation and management of antithrombotic therapies)
- disorders of blood production and destruction (including bone marrow failure, anaemias, and autoimmune blood diseases)
- transfusion medicine
- paediatric haematology
You’ll also have the chance to teach medical students and trainees and many haematologists also undertake research.
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Registrar Doctor in Haematology
Chlesea, SW3 6JJ
- Salary :
- £61825.00 to £70425.00
- Type :
- Fixed-Term
- Employer :
- The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust
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Consultant Haematologist
Sutton In Ashfield, NG17 4JL
- Salary :
- £105504.00 to £139882.00
- Type :
- Permanent
- Employer :
- Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
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Consultant Haematologist
Llantrisant, CF72 8XR
- Salary :
- £110240.00 to £160951.00
- Type :
- Permanent
- Employer :
- Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board
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Consultant Haematologist
Bristol, BS10 5NB
- Salary :
- £105504.00 to £139882.00
- Type :
- Permanent
- Employer :
- North Bristol NHS Trust
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Consultant Haematologist
Doncaster, DN2 5LT
- Salary :
- £109725.00 to £145478.00
- Type :
- Permanent
- Employer :
- Doncaster & Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals NHS FT
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Consultant Haematologist
Sunderland, SR47TP
- Salary :
- £105504.00 to £139882.00
- Type :
- Permanent
- Employer :
- South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust
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Consultant Haematologist
Wirral, CH49 5PE
- Salary :
- £105504.00 to £139882.00
- Type :
- Permanent
- Employer :
- Wirral University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
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Consultant Haematologist
King's Lynn, PE30 4ET
- Salary :
- £109725.00 to £145478.00
- Type :
- Permanent
- Employer :
- The Queen Elizabeth Hospital King's Lynn NHSFT
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Consultant Haematologist
Canterbury, CT1 3NG
- Salary :
- £105504.00 to £139882.00
- Type :
- Permanent
- Employer :
- East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust
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Locum Consultant Haematologist
Bournemouth, BH7 7DW
- Salary :
- £109725.00 to £145478.00
- Type :
- Locum
- Employer :
- University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust
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Locum Consultant Haematologist
London, SE18 4QH
- Salary :
- £105504.00 to £139882.00
- Type :
- Fixed-Term
- Employer :
- Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust
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Consultant Paediatric Haematologist
Sutton, SM2 5PT
- Salary :
- £105504.00 to £139882.00
- Type :
- Permanent
- Employer :
- The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust
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Locum Consultant Haematologist
Birmingham, B15 2TH
- Salary :
- £109725.00 to £145478.00
- Type :
- Fixed-Term
- Employer :
- University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust
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NHS Locum Consultant Haematologist
King's Lynn, PE30 4ET
- Salary :
- £105504.00 to £139882.00
- Type :
- Fixed-Term
- Employer :
- The Queen Elizabeth Hospital King's Lynn NHSFT
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Locum Clinical Haematologist Consultant
Carlisle, CA2 7HY
- Salary :
- Negotiable
- Type :
- Fixed-Term
- Employer :
- North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust
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Consultant Haematologist in Myeloma
Liverpool, L7 8YA
- Salary :
- £109725.00 to £145478.00
- Type :
- Permanent
- Employer :
- The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre NHSFT
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Haematology Consultant
Crewe,, CW1 4QJ
- Salary :
- £109724.00 to £145478.00
- Type :
- Permanent
- Employer :
- The Christie NHS FT
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Locum Haematology Consultant
Basildon, SS16 5NL
- Salary :
- £105504.00
- Type :
- Fixed-Term
- Employer :
- Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust
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Consultant in Haematology
Rotherham, S60 2UD
- Salary :
- £109725.00 to £145478.00
- Type :
- Permanent
- Employer :
- The Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust
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Consultant Haematologist with interest in Haemostasis
Dorchester, DT1 2JY
- Salary :
- £105504.00 to £139882.00
- Type :
- Permanent
- Employer :
- Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
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Consultant Haematologist, Biochemistry/ Metabolic Diseases Interests
London, SE5 9RS
- Salary :
- £109725.00 to £145478.00
- Type :
- Permanent
- Employer :
- King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
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Deputy Ward Manager Haematology
Wirral Merseyside, CH49 5PE
- Salary :
- £37338.00 to £44962.00
- Type :
- Permanent
- Employer :
- Wirral University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
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Advanced Clinical Practitioner - Haematology
Bradford, BD9 6RJ
- Salary :
- £55690.00 to £62682.00
- Type :
- Permanent
- Employer :
- Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
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Oncology/Haematology - SACT Scheduler
London, SW17 0QT
- Salary :
- £30546.00 to £32207.00
- Type :
- Permanent
- Employer :
- St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
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Senior Pharmacist - Haematology/Oncology
London, WC1N 3JH
- Salary :
- £56276.00 to £63176.00
- Type :
- Permanent
- Employer :
- Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust
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Consultant Haematologist with special interest in Myeloma
Dorchester, DT1 2JY
- Salary :
- Negotiable
- Type :
- Permanent
- Employer :
- Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
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Consultant Haematologist with an Interest in Haemoglobinopathies
Coventry, CV2 2DX
- Salary :
- £109725.00 to £145478.00
- Type :
- Permanent
- Employer :
- University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust
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Specialist Pharmacist - Haematology and Oncology
City of London, W1G 6BW
- Salary :
- Negotiable
- Type :
- Fixed-Term
- Employer :
- The London Clinic
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Gibraltar - Clinical Pharmacist - Oncology & Haematology
Gibraltar, AA1 1AA
- Salary :
- Negotiable
- Type :
- Fixed-Term
- Employer :
- Gibraltar Health Authority
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Specialist Clinical Pharmacist Haematology/Oncology
Nottingham, NG5 1PB
- Salary :
- £55690.00 to £62682.00
- Type :
- Permanent
- Employer :
- Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trusts
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Haematology Consultant Specialising in Myeloma
Carmarthen, SA31 2AF
- Salary :
- £110240.00 to £160951.00
- Type :
- Permanent
- Employer :
- Hywel Dda University Health Board
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Specialty Occupational Therapist – Oncology & Haematology
Headington, Oxford, OX3 7LE
- Salary :
- £38682.00 to £46580.00
- Type :
- Permanent
- Employer :
- Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
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Haematology Consultant Specialising in Lymphoma
Haverfordwest, SA61 2PZ
- Salary :
- £110240.00 to £160951.00
- Type :
- Permanent
- Employer :
- Hywel Dda University Health Board
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Dermatology Doctor
Swindon, SN3 3RB
- Salary :
- £550.00
- Type :
- Bank
- Employer :
- CHEC
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Dermatology Doctor
Wandsworth, SW18 4WW
- Salary :
- £550.00
- Type :
- Bank
- Employer :
- CHEC
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Specialty Doctor
Leeds, LS12 3QE
- Salary :
- £70901.00 to £99216.00
- Type :
- Fixed-Term
- Employer :
- Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
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ENT Doctor
Worthing, BN11 3BN
- Salary :
- Negotiable
- Type :
- Bank
- Employer :
- CHEC
-
Dermatology Doctor
London, SE14 6BL
- Salary :
- £550.00
- Type :
- Bank
- Employer :
- CHEC
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Specialty Doctor
London, W6 8NF
- Salary :
- £59175.00 to £95400.00
- Type :
- Permanent
- Employer :
- West London NHS Trust
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Hospice Doctor
SCARBOROUGH, YO12 5RE
- Salary :
- Negotiable
- Type :
- Permanent
- Employer :
- Saint Catherine’s Hospice
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ENT Doctor
Canterbury, CT1 1BN
- Salary :
- Negotiable
- Type :
- Bank
- Employer :
- CHEC
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Dermatology Doctor
Slough, SL1 2EJ
- Salary :
- £550.00
- Type :
- Bank
- Employer :
- CHEC
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These organisations have further information about being a haematologist, particularly as your career progresses. Take a look.
British Society for Haematology
Joint Royal Colleges of Physicians Training Board
The Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland
And hear from Dr Tim Littlewood who already works as a haematologist.