Dr Samantha Sundercombe is a senior Genetic Pathology registrar in her fifth year of training. Starting out in Obstetrics & Gynaecology (O&G) and describing her journey into genetic pathology as serendipitous, Dr Sundercombe explains why she changed career paths and why she believes Pathology is so unique in comparison to other medical specialties.
“I loved science in high school so when I finished school, I completed a science degree and majored in Molecular Biology and Genetics before starting in Medicine. Despite studying medicine, I hadn’t heard of Genetic Pathology or considered it as a career discipline, probably because we didn’t see pathologists during medical school or during junior medical officer (JMO) years. If you don’t see it, you don’t think you can be it, so it just wasn’t on my radar.
“I am passionate about women’s health, so I wanted to do O&G. I finished medical school, did an honours project in neonatology, and then did graduate diplomas in surgical skills and O&G – it was very focused. However, once I started as a Registrar in this area, I realised it didn’t suit me. Having that level of responsibility on labour ward for making life and death decisions within seconds just wasn’t for me so I knew I needed to change.
“The way I got into Pathology was quite serendipitous. My supervisor at the time was good friends with an Anatomical Pathologist at Prince of Wales (POW) hospital. During a meeting to talk about my options, she told me there was a job available because she had recently lost one of her registrars to obstetrics & gynaecology! When I applied, I also saw the genetics role and knew it was right for me. I feel like I can help those same patients I was helping before, but in a way that suits my personality and my strengths a lot better.
“I really love Genetic Pathology. I like the mix of teamwork and independent work - there aren’t many medical specialties where you get that independent work. I have the opportunity to sit down at my computer and focus on something really complicated and put together something interesting, but I also get to work in a laboratory environment with a team of great scientists and other pathologists. I find that quite rewarding. The work is meaningful and, depending on what the test is and what the result is, you can make a difference for a lot of patients. You don’t get to see the patient yourself, which is a sacrifice, but you do get to help more patients.
“There is a lot of work as a Genetic Pathologist but you’re in control of when you do it – no emergencies in the middle of the night! Typically, I come in around 8am, check my emails, do reporting, and am on call for doctors who have questions on genetic testing. You are there to provide an interface between the laboratory and the clinician. Often for complex cases you have to interpret multiple tests and marry them up to what that means for the patient and what that means for the disease. You work really closely with genetic scientists who are lovely. It’s an excellent team environment and not lonely at all, which I thought it could be.”
Dr Sundercombe recently appeared on the RCPA’s Micro Waves podcast, a spin- off series from the Pathologist’s Cut, which aims to educate and grow awareness of the pathology career. To listen, click here.
