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 and mysterious.

When I entered Shanxi Medical University, I was surprised that there were so few female students on the major, but I was still proud of myself.

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 in juries were not serious enough for the claim he was making, but the large number of chest x-rays he carried attracted my 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 few inconveniences - for example; I need male officers to help me carry heavy bodies.

My mother-in-law never opens my car trunk because I keep my autopsy tool case there and it frightens her, even though she understands a lot about my work.

Pan Juanjuan spoke with Cao Yin

(China Daily USA 08/11/2016 page5)