Noble’s Hospital is proving successful at attracting graduates back to Manx shores.

The pathology department has six trainees, employed across four areas, all of whom are graduates who have come back to the island.

Polly Rogerson and David Watt both work in microbiology, Ronan Davies is in haematology, Ben Kelly and Nicole Alston work in biochemistry and Bethan Pilley specialises in blood transfusions.

The six trainees work alongside colleagues who have completed their training and are established staff members.

They are Craig Pownall (microbiology), Gemma Sutton (histopathology) and Andy Quirk (haematology).

Pathology manager Steve Doyle said: ’Recruitment and retention of the right calibre of staff has long been problematic.

’By employing young local graduates we are hopefully guaranteeing the future staffing requirement from the department.’

Trainee David Watt said: ’I feel fortunate to be able to apply scientific knowledge and skills gained at university in a career at home in the Isle of Man.

’I first contacted the pathology department while studying as an undergraduate, and the support and advice I received enabled me to progress from higher education into what should now be a lifelong career in an intellectually-stimulating role as a biomedical scientist.’

The pathology department has in recent years provided training to enable Dave Ingham and Mark Gorman to become qualified anatomical pathology technicians within the mortuary.

Graduates are able to enter the department with an accredited biomedical science degree.

Training officers then work alongside the graduates for two to three years, guiding them through registration and specialist portfolios and helping them become registered with the Health and Care Professions Council

The department also provides a placement for a student in the UK, allowing them to gain work experience.

The current undergraduate is Paul O’Dea.

For further information about the pathology department, and criteria for gaining a student placement, contact training officer Hillary Gale on 650652.