A real sense of achievement

Pan Juanjuan, 34, one of the few female forensics officers in China, works in Ningbo, Zhejiang province.

When I selected my major during the national college entrance examinations, I dreamed of becoming a forensics officer because I thought it was cool andmysterious.

When I entered Shanxi Medical University, I was surprised that there were so fewfemale students on the major, but I was still proud ofmyself.

After graduation, I came to a forensic center in Ningbo, Zhejiang province, and for the past 10 years I have mainly concentrated on identifying serious injuries in traffic accidents.

Although some people may feel disgusted that I spend every day looking at unsightly injuries, I feel a sense of achievement and happiness.

Once, a man told me he had internal bleeding after a traffic accident, so I asked him how many of his ribs were broken— he said it was two.

Under the compensation rules, his injuries were not serious enough for the claim he was making, but the large number of chest x-rays he carried attractedmy attention and made me feel uncomfortable.

After a careful review, I discovered that he had 13 broken ribs. Eventually, he remembered that doctors told him he had broken ribs on two sides of his body, not two ribs.

That discovery made a big difference to his compensation claim, and the injuries meant he was eligible for three times the original amount.

He was happy to get more money, and I got a sense of achievement because of the care I had taken. I am always excited when I help people receive their full compensation.

If I were given a second choice of career, I would still opt to be a forensics officer.

As a woman, the only downside is that this line of work has a fewinconveniences— for example; I need male officers to help me carry heavy bodies.

My mother-in-lawnever opensmy car trunk because I keepmy autopsy tool case there and it frightens her, even though she understands a lot aboutmy work. Pan Juanjuan spoke with Cao Yin