Since arriving in Rockhampton as a teenager a few years ago, Emilia has brushed up on her English and overcome the 'culture shock' of moving from one of the largest cities in the world (Jakarta) to a regional Queensland city...

It helped that her auntie and uncle run a popular Asian foods shop at CQUniversity's Rockhampton Campus, so she had family support and part-time work opportunities.

Emilia has been thriving in her Pathology subjects

Soon after completing her intensive program at the English Language Centre on campus, Emilia was thriving in her Pathology subjects as part of the Bachelor of Medical Science degree.

Her top marks helped secure scholarship support and she has since completed internships in Immunohaematology and Clinical Biochemistry by helping to analyse patient tissue and blood samples at two medical laboratories on the Gold Coast.

"The automated testing technology is very advanced now but it's important to understand the principles and how to do manual tests too," she says.

While most of the internship was done in the labs, Emilia also had the chance to assist a doctor with collection of a bone marrow sample from a patient.

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Now in the final year of her degree, Emilia will soon be putting in applications to work in a pathology laboratory. She's keen to analyse patient samples rather than getting into pure research.

Medical laboratory scientists specialising in pathology examine bodily samples to assist in making a diagnosis regarding a patient's medical condition. CQUniversity's Bachelor of Medical Science provides opportunities for students in one of three specialist areas: pathology, clinical investigation or nutrition.  LINK HERE for details of the Pathology specialisation available at Rockhampton Campus or via distance education.

The Bachelor of Medical Science (Pathology) has been designed to meet the accreditation requirements of the Australian Institute of Medical Scientists (AIMS).