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The enthusiasm and encouragement of Dr Bernie l’Ons is leading more young doctors to choose careers in pathology disciplines that are experiencing a significant shortage in Australia and across the world.
Dr I’ons is a rare and highly-regarded Specialist Forensic Pathologist and Anatomical Pathologist at our Forensic Medicine Wollongong service.
He spearheaded a 10-week program that lets young doctors work in these critical pathology disciplines before deciding their specialist careers.
This year, two graduates of his program joined us as Anatomical Pathology trainees, including Dr Erwinpreet Kaur who credits the ‘Bernie factor’ for her choice.
Dr I’Ons said he had the privilege of working with some amazing young doctors in the program, several of whom made major career shifts as a result, with one switching from Psychiatry to Forensic Pathology.
In NSW there are currently four Forensic Pathology registrars, and three of them came through the Wollongong program, including Dr Michael Chang who joined us last year and is a Forensic Pathology registrar at our Forensic Medicine Newcastle service (Michael’s brother, Dr Will Chang joined us this year as an Anatomical Pathology registrar at Wagga Wagga).
“I think they see the challenge, the value and the joy of pathology. In their term here they see that pathology is intriguing whether it’s Forensic or Anatomical,” Dr I’Ons said.
“They see disease with their eyes, touch it with their hands, smell it with their nostrils! They learn how to read CT scans, interpret a lot of data, understand disease epidemiology, examine and understand all sorts of pathology, including brain pathology.
“They see the wonderful variety of diseases and can begin to map out their role in this somewhat hidden and vastly underrated treasure chest of medicine.”