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Working in Northern Ireland

Autopsy Pathology

Approximately 500 hospital and coroners cases are performed between both hospitals per year. Autopsies take place in a purpose built modern mortuary on the RVH site. There are also close working relationships with Forensic Medicine, also on the RVH site, and they have 1500 autopsies per year. All trainees will undertake a 2 - 4 week attachment within forensic pathology.

Teaching, attachments and ability to carry out autopsies in forensic medicine can be undertaken by mutual consent.

Paediatric Pathology

All trainees are offered training in foetal/perinatal autopsies and paediatric surgical pathology.

Neuropathology

All trainees are offered training in neuropathology autopsies and neuropathology surgical pathology.

Cytology

The Gynaecological cytology unit is on the Belfast City Hospital site. All trainees will be offered training in the cervical screening programme. All other diagnostic cytology cases are reported on both BCH and RVH sites and there will be opportunities to participate in Breast and Head / Neck FNA clinics as well as reporting exfoliative cytology.

Research

The University Department resides in the Royal Victoria Hospital and Professor of Pathology is Professor Peter Hall. There are research opportunities open to all trainees in Histopathology.

Audit

All trainees are required to undertake audit projects. These are presented at local meetings.

Teaching

All medical staff participate in the teaching of medical undergraduates and postgraduates in Histopathology.

Training

There is active structured training in Histopathology with both lecture-based teaching and consultant supervision of trainee's work. There are weekly teaching sessions on both hospital sites together with a postgraduate teaching session on Wednesday afternoons.

General Information

Each site provides a wide range of general pathology. The BCH laboratory handles 21, 500 cases per year and RVH laboratory 26, 000 cases per year. All gynaecological cytology is centred on the BCH site, with other diagnostic cytology covered on both sites. Paediatric Pathology and Neuropathology is on the RVH site.

Each laboratory has a reporting room with use of double-headed microscopes for teaching sessions and computers for accessing the laboratory computer system and Internet. There is also a range of current textbooks available.

A wide range of histochemistry and immunohistocehmistry is available. There is access to electronic microscopy and flowcytomery. Molecular analysis of lymphoma cases is also carried out.

Hospital

Training occurs in the Belfast Link Laboratories and is located in the departments of Histopathology and Cytopathology in both the Belfast City Hospital Trust and Royal Victoria Hospital Belfast Trust. The Hospitals provide care to a population of 500, 000 people in the Belfast area and together have 1600 beds. The management of the laboratories is known as Belfast Link Laboratories and they hold conditional accreditation with CPA Scheme.