Study Hematology

What is Hematology?

Hematology is the branch of medicine concerned with the cause, prevention , diagnosis, nd treatment of blood-related diseases.  

Blood conditions and cancers that hematologists commonly diagnose are bleeding disorders such as hemophilia, blood clots, anemia, and blood cancers such as  lymphoma, leukemia, and myeloma. Hematologists meet with patients to discuss their symptoms and perform tests and they also work in labs to find the cause. The results of complex testing will form part of the treatment plan the hematologist will implement.

Hematologists may prescribe medications or advise the patient to make dietary changes, for example, if a patient has anemia. They treat patients who have blood-clotting disorders.patients by dispensing blood products. In the case of patients with blood cancers they prescribe chemotherapy treatments. Hematologists are not heavily involved in primary health care and perform a more consultancy role. Conversely, hematology nurses work with closely with patients throughout their treatment.

Careers in Hematology

To become a hematologist you’ll need to take a three-year premed or science course or an undergraduate course that has modules in biology, chemistry, physics, and calculus. On completion, you’ll need to pass the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) to get into med school.  Maintaining an undergraduate GPA score average of 3.7 or higher is important as med school is extremely competitive. In med school, you’ll take general medical courses and rotations including hematology. You’ll then need to take a residency in internal medicine that is at least three years. Finally, you’ll need to take an additional hematology fellowship which is a minimum of two years.  

If you want to become a hematology nurse you’ll need to complete a four-year nursing degree and become an RGN. After gaining clinical experience in both general,  oncology, and hematology nursing you can proceed to become credentialed. The examinations that you can take are Certified Pediatric Hematology Oncology Nurse (CPHON) and Oncology Certified Nurse (OCN).

Hematology nurses deliver specialized nursing care to patients with blood diseases or disorders. Patients that hematology nurses care for may have Hodgkin's Disease, leukemia, sickle cell anemia, lymphoma, and hemophilia. Hematology nursing is closely associated with oncology nursing, and as such may also help cancer patients with pain management.

Pay for those in hematology is extremely competitive - hematologists earn in excess of $275,000 and the median salary of a hematology nurse is in excess of $72,000. If you think you have what it takes to enter hematology then take a little time to visit The American Society of Hematology or The International Society of Hematology. You can also take a moment to watch this short video from The American Society of Hematology.  

Learning Hematology

Studying hematology involves learning a huge amount of medical and scientific knowledge, whether you’re studying to be a doctor or a nurse. Hematology students will learn to hone analytical and laboratory skills in class but they need to rely on key knowledge.

Brainscape is the educational tool that is making the difference for thousands of medical students. The Brainscape learning system will allow you to solidify key medical knowledge so you can retrieve information easily when you need it in professional practice.

Hematology in Brainscape

You’ll find thousands of flashcards written by top hematology students and professors. Hematologists need to devise solutions based on knowledge from a broad spectrum and during the course of your studies you’ll cover many areas. You might find these pages in Brainscape useful: Genetics, Immunology, Oncology, Pathology, Radiology, Surgery, Obstetrics, Pediatrics, Nephrology, and Biochemistry.

For med school students check out the USMLE Step 1 Hematology Study Guide prepared in partnership with MDVersity to give you the edge you need. The study guide,  supplemented by top medical professors, tutors, and exam writers is THE most comprehensive, convenient, well-organized guide available.

You also have the option of becoming a Brainscape contributor and making your own flashcards. If you’d like to create your own interactive learning catalog it’s super easy and free. Authoring your flashcards will also strengthen your neurons and improve your memory trace.

Learn faster with Brainscape

Brainscape’s unique learning tool known as Confidence-Based Repetition or CBR is exciting news for learners. The intelligent system is delivering awesome results, in fact, students learn twice as fast and remember longer.

The Brainscape system includes three learning methods: Active Recall, Metacognition, and Spaced Repetition making it the most powerful learning engine available on the market today.

The first method used in the CBR system is active recall, a process of retrieving information. In Brainscape you’ll need to retrieve answers and this process strengthens the neurons and your memory trace. As a result, the next time you attempt to recall the same information, the memory trace will be strong and thus retrieval will be easier and more successful.   

The CBR’s second learning technique is spaced repetition which you will recognize in the flashcard format delivery. Spaced repetition was a method trialed by scientists almost a century ago. The method is particularly successful and involves giving learners bite-sized pieces of information at intervals just like in the flashcard format used by Brainscape.   

Whilst these two methods are popular facets to other computer-aided learning tools, Brainscape is different in its use of the learner’s individual metacognitive response to each flashcard to fuel the algorithm. The result is perfectly sequenced flashcards and learners never waste a second of study time. In practice, the learning experience is seamless, after each flashcard you review, you record a rating from 1-5 which corresponds to your understanding of that flashcard. With that information, the algorithm perfectly places the card back in the deck. If you recorded a “1” the flashcard will be shown again soon and flashcards that you rated a “5” will be shown only as a recap, therefore giving you the time you need to focus on weaker areas. Traditional learning and other computer-aided learning tools cannot deliver this optimal learning experience and outstanding results

Brainscape is the tool that smart medical students use to succeed.

How to get started

Getting started learning Hematology with Brainscape is easy. Simply browse the decks below and you’ll see topics from Hematopoiesis, Pathologies of Anemia, Iron and Heme, Clinical Labs, Folate Metabolism, and Malaria, so try it out now, it’s free!

If you’d like to use Brainscape to study your own coursework then just click on “make flashcards” at the top of the page and start today.  Author your own flashcards, import data, keep your interactive learning catalog private or share with the Brainscape community, the choice is yours.  

Brainscape is excited to deliver educational tools that are making a real difference in people’s lives. The Brainscape team wishes you all the best in your Hematology studies and career.