In the clinical practice of hematology, the awareness of team-based medical care has become predominant, and effective coordination with other medical staff members and different departments is essential. The transfusion department where I am employed is now responsible for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in addition to transfusion therapy and, thus, is one of the divisions most closely involved with hematology. The roles of the doctor here range from intra-hospital tasks, such as the management and supervision of transfusion to those outside the hospital, to providing education to medical staffs from other facilities and edification to blood donors. Moreover, owing to the recent rise in the number of patients who require hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and the use of novel cell therapies, such as CAR-T therapy, our role is widening into cell apheresis and cell management. The field of hematology offers several career opportunities; here, I present my own experience of how marriage and childbirth led me to the career path as a hematologist with specialization in transfusion and cell collection.
Keywords: Women doctors career; Work-life balance.