Advanced Trainee

Westmead Hospital is a key facility of one of Australia’s largest major health and medical research precincts and is the principal referral hospital for Western Sydney Local Health District providing district level health services to Parramatta, Holroyd and The Hills Shire LGAs including tertiary and quaternary services to greater Western Sydney, greater metropolitan Sydney, rural NSW and other states. The Westmead Health Precinct currently under development is envisaged to be the largest hospital building project undertaken in Western Sydney and will transform the iconic but ageing Westmead Hospital into an innovative, contemporary, and integrated centre that will continue to deliver high quality healthcare and expand the education, health, and research capability of the area.

Westmead Hospital is a leading centre of research, training and specialisation in all fields of Medicine and Dentistry, providing services in Cardiology, Cardiothoracic Surgery, Neurology, Neurosurgery, Kidney and Pancreas transplantation, Cancer Care, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Neonatal Intensive Care, Trauma, Bone Marrow Transplantation, Critical Care, Aged Care and Rehabilitation, Adult Acute Psychiatry (networked with the co-located Cumberland Hospital) as well as other specialised medical and surgical services.

Westmead Hospital is also the principal referral centre for other metropolitan hospitals within the district including Auburn Hospital, Blacktown and Mount Druitt Hospital.

The purpose of the clinical AT position is to ensure the provision of optimal care for admitted and ambulatory patients within the Department of Clinical Immunology & Allergy including all aspects of the management of patients with serious chronic disease; to supervise junior medical staff, to liaise appropriately with other health care providers and to contribute to service planning, quality assurance, teaching and research in the field.

The immunopathology department is one of the six major specialities in Pathology, reflected in the structure of ICPMR/Pathology West. It is the major centre for immunology testing within Pathology West and services at least one quarter of the public pathology in NSW. It has a busy Autoimmune serology service, an Immunochemistry department, and shares the Flow Cytometry Unit with the Haematology department. There is some input into Molecular immunology, particularly in mutation detection in immunodeficiencies and TPMT. The range of experience reflects the vast majority of the practical components of the Immunopathology curriculum of the RCPA. The Trainee supports the immunopathologists in the department, as well as having key direct service responsibilities. It is a training position towards fellowship of the RCPA, or in dual training for the combined fellowship of the RCPA and RACP. Trainees are typically expected to be preparing for part I and II examinations of the RCPA, and this position is accredited as such.

The purpose of the laboratory AT position is to provide support to the immunopathology diagnostic laboratory of the ICPMR of  Pathology West (and to the Clinical Immunology service as requested) to ensure optimal delivery of immunopathology diagnostic testing.