Pathology is the branch of medicine involved in understanding
causes and processes of disease. Pathology encompasses the
following disciplines; anatomical pathology, chemical pathology,
haematology, immunology, laboratory genetics, and microbiology/
virology. Investigations are made by performing tests on
various tissues including blood and other body fluids, and samples
taken during surgery or as part of a medical examination.
Pathologists interpret the results of these tests, which may show
the cause or severity of illness or may be used to monitor
treatment once diagnosis has been made.
There are 28 pathology trainees in the various Auckland training
schemes, distributed between the specialties listed below.
Training takes place at Auckland City Hospital for some
specialties, while in others, registrars are rotated between
Auckland City Hospital, Middlemore Hospital, North Shore Hospital
and Diagnostic Medlab, to take advantage of the different learning
opportunities and wealth of consultant experience in the different
centres. This also satisfies the college requirements
limiting the training time that can be accredited at any one
institution.