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Studies & Degrees in Hematology and Hemotherapy

Hematology is the branch of medicine that studies the blood and the organs that produce it, above all the bone marrow. Hemotherapy is treatment with blood and its components, which today is usually called transfusion medicine. The two are taught together because the same specialists diagnose blood diseases in the laboratory, treat patients on the ward and run the blood bank.

Students learn how blood cells are formed, how to read a blood count and a bone marrow sample, how clotting works and fails, how blood is typed and matched for transfusion, and how to treat conditions such as anaemia, bleeding and clotting disorders, leukaemia, lymphoma and multiple myeloma.

Qualifications and levels

There are two routes: the medical specialty, for doctors, and laboratory qualifications, for technicians and scientists.

  • Medical specialty in Spain. The bachelor's degree (grado) in Medicine has 360 ECTS credits, which is six years. Graduates then sit the national selection exam for specialist training places run by the Ministerio de Sanidad. The official specialty is Hematología y Hemoterapia and its training programme lasts four years. The programme describes four closely related areas: clinical hematology, morphology and biology of the blood, haemostasis and thrombosis, and immunohematology and transfusion medicine.
  • United Kingdom. After medical school, doctors complete a two-year foundation programme and two years of internal medicine training. Specialty training in haematology then takes a minimum of five years, according to NHS Health Careers.
  • United States. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, physicians need a bachelor's degree and a four-year medical degree, followed by 3 to 9 years of internship and residency depending on the specialty; subspecialisation adds a fellowship of 1 to 3 years.
  • Vocational training in Spain. The higher vocational training (FP) qualification Técnico Superior en Laboratorio Clínico y Biomédico lasts 2,000 hours and includes a module on hematological analysis techniques. It prepares laboratory technicians, not doctors.
  • Laboratory degrees. In the United States, clinical laboratory technologists typically need a bachelor's degree. Some specialise as hematology technologists, who examine blood to identify diseases, or as blood bank technologists, who type blood and prepare it for transfusion.

Short and online courses in hematology also exist. Before enrolling, ask the school what recognition the certificate has and whether employers or health authorities in your country accept it.

Where to study it

The directory lists ten schools for this subject. Spain has three, the United States two, and India, Ireland, Nigeria, Ukraine and the United Kingdom one each. Most are universities with a medical school, among them the Universidad de Murcia, Saint Louis University, the University of Madras, Obafemi Awolowo University, Bukovinian State Medical University and Trinity College Dublin. The Universidad de Murcia teaches its six-year, 360-credit degree in Medicine in Spanish. At Trinity College Dublin, the Discipline of Haematology is based in three teaching hospitals. The Spanish schools also include two online training centres based in Seville, Formación Universitaria and Neptunos Formación.

The medical route is taught in the language of the hospital, because trainees work with patients every day. Doctors who qualified abroad normally need their degree recognised before they can apply for specialist training.

Careers

Hematologists work in hospital wards and outpatient clinics, in diagnostic laboratories and in blood banks and transfusion centres. NHS Health Careers describes a dual clinical and laboratory role and lists sub-specialties such as haemato-oncology (leukaemia, lymphoma, multiple myeloma), haemostasis and thrombosis, and transfusion medicine. It counts approximately 917 haematologists working in the NHS in England.

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment of physicians and surgeons to grow 4 percent from 2025 to 2035, and employment of clinical laboratory technologists and technicians to grow 3 percent over the same period. Both figures cover the whole occupation, not only hematology. Technicians and scientists work in hospital and private laboratories, blood services and research centres.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a medical degree to work in hematology?

To be a hematologist, yes: it is a medical specialty. Laboratory technicians and scientists who analyse blood samples follow vocational or science qualifications instead.

How long does it take to become a hematologist in Spain?

The degree in Medicine has 360 ECTS credits (six years) and the specialist training in Hematología y Hemoterapia lasts four years, so the minimum is ten years, plus the time needed to obtain a training place.

What is the difference between hematology and hemotherapy?

Hematology is the study and treatment of blood diseases. Hemotherapy is the use of blood and blood components as treatment, including the work of the blood bank. In Spain they form one specialty.

Is hematology the same as oncology?

No, but they overlap. Hematologists treat blood cancers such as leukaemia, lymphoma and multiple myeloma, and also non-cancerous conditions such as anaemia and clotting disorders.