ALUMNI
Dominic Fernandez
As part of the Master of Laboratory Medicine, Dominic Fernandez completed a work placement at the Royal Children’s Hospital where he now works as a medical scientist.
Dominic Fernandez completed a Master of Laboratory Medicine at RMIT University.
Medical Scientist at The Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne
India
My time at RMIT helped me accomplish all the basic skills required to be a medical scientist, but what I consider more valuable, was the lesson that every little triumph and failure is an opportunity for growth.
I’m a medical scientist within the cell therapy and flow cytometry lab at the Royal Children’s Hospital.
A typical day can include anything from diagnosing illness to performing a stem cell transplant. Some of my responsibilities include maintaining the laboratory’s quality management system which means ensuring samples are kept at the required temperature and procedures are closely followed for the preparation and storage of all pathology.
I was always interested in the way things worked and my parents thought that I would end up being an engineer. However, in Year 12 I decided that biology was the path for me. The design and mechanics of the human body combined with its intricate inner workings still trumps any known machine.
I chose to complete my postgraduate studies at RMIT because of the professional placement component included in the master program. The opportunity to receive real-world field experience before graduating and job hunting was certainly very appealing.
I undertook my placement at the Royal Children’s Hospital where I worked as a medical scientist trainee assistant to the operations manager of pathology.
Here I got an insightful look at the bigger picture and learned how important it is for all the departments in an organisation to work together to reach a common goal.
My time at RMIT helped me accomplish all the basic skills required to be a medical scientist, but what I consider more valuable, was the lesson that every little triumph and failure is an opportunity for growth.
Graduates of the Master of Laboratory Technology typically find work as medical scientists in hospitals or private pathology, although I do know a few who have found roles in the pharmaceutical industry.
If you are passionate about science and medicine and you’re keen to make difference to people’s lives, then Laboratory Medicine might also be for you.