Joanna Glengarry
Dr Joanna Glengarry enjoys her Registrar position at Auckland Hospital and she shares with us her experiences and decisions which led her to this exciting Pathology career...
After deciding a surgical career wasn't where I wanted my future
to be, I followed a passion picked up during my university studies
and headed into Pathology. I enjoy that Pathology allows you work
with all the different specialties in the hospital, meaning the
work is always diverse and varied and this keeps everything
interesting and stimulating. I also enjoy the more "cerebral"
nature of the job. Pathology is concerned with the diagnosis
of disease based on the gross, microscopic, immunologic and
molecular examination of organs, tissue and whole bodies. It
is the study of disease and provides the scientific basis for
clinical medicine. Finding out what is causing a person pain
and sickness, to allow them to get the treatment required to make
them better, is a very rewarding part of working in this
service. Simply put, how a patient will be treated and what
the outcome may be depends on the pathologist's diagnosis, which is
pretty humbling.
There are several specialties in pathology, and the one I aim to
pursue is Forensic Pathology. Forensics is challenging but
very rewarding as it allows grieving families to understand why
their loved one has died to help them find closure, it is how we as
doctors increase knowledge of disease; it helps keep society safe
and assists justice to be served. Although working in
pathology is always busy, the hours are reasonably stable and
flexible which allows me to structure my days.
Having worked in the pathology departments, in all three of the
Auckland Region's District Health Boards, I have found the
differing focus of each lab means you get a broad experience and
range of exposures to disease entities, systems and people. The
pathologists that I work with in each of the hospitals are superb
and have expertise in different sub-specialties, which gives me a
good look into all the different areas available in
pathology. The training in Auckland really is first
class.
Pathology is renowned for having difficult exams in its training
scheme. So you need to enjoy study! However, the study is
complementary to your day-to-day work and the consultants provide
excellent support. The training consists of 5 years as a registrar
with three main exams, a practical autopsy exam and a portfolio of
the work, papers, posters and presentations compiled during your
training time.
Outside of work, while I am not studying, I enjoy a variety of
sports including running, tennis, rugby and the gym. I also take
pleasure in reading, music, friends, family and wine.
Anyone interested in heading along the pathology road should
definitely go for it if they are passionate about it. I happen to
think it is one of the best jobs around! I look forward to going to
work every day. The best way to find out more is to come and visit
us in the Lab and talk to us about any queries you may have.