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-120,000 people became this job in 2016
-Some work for hospitals

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A medical scientist studies diseases and conditions with the goal of improving human health. Through research, he or she determines the causes of diseases and then develops ways to prevent or treat them.

Quick Facts

Medical scientists earn a median annual salary of $82,090 (2017).

Approximately 120,000 people were employed in this field (2016).

Most work for entities that do research and development, colleges and universities, and hospitals.

Jobs are typically full-time.

Medical scientists have an excellent job outlook. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts employment will grow faster than the average for all occupations between 2016 and 2026.

A Day in a Medical Scientist's Life

To learn what a medical scientist does on a typical day, we looked at job announcements on Indeed.com. Here are some of the job duties we found listed there:

"Work closely with Quality Assurance, Engineering, and Regulatory functions to conduct risk analyses and health risk assessments of medical devices"

"Deliver timely, accurate and succinct clinical and scientific presentations to cardiopulmonary healthcare professionals, both proactively and in response to requests for information, consistent with promotional compliance and FDA regulatory requirements"

"Interpret clinical trial data"

"Collaborate with colleagues in other functional areas, including Clinical Research, Medical Communications, Sales, and Marketing"

"Meet with external experts to gain an understanding of their views and appropriately inform about information relating to diseases of interest to [company name, removed by author]"

"Responsibility for design and implementation of clinical studies, writing clinical study synopses and protocols/major amendments, design of data collection systems and preparation of final clinical study reports."

"Manage peer review publications and presentations at scientific conferences by [company name, removed by author] collaborators"

How to Become a Medical Scientist

To become a medical scientist, earn a Ph.D. in biology, a medical degree, or a dual degree that combines the two. Ph.D. students perform laboratory work and learn about research methods. They must complete a written thesis before they graduate. Medical school students study subjects such as anatomy, biochemistry, medical ethics and law, and pathology, earning either a Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) degree.

Before applying to graduate school, get a bachelor's degree in biology or chemistry. During college, make sure to take classes in writing and public speaking. You will use those skills in graduate school and throughout your career.

Unless a medical scientist has direct patient contact, he or she doesn't need a license to practice. Those whose jobs involve administering drugs or otherwise practicing medicine must be licensed physicians.

What Soft Skills Will You Need?

In addition to your education, you will also need certain soft skills, or personal qualities, to do your job. They are:

Critical Thinking: The ability to select the right methods to solve a problem is an essential skill for anyone doing research.

Writing and Verbal Communication: You must be able to present your research findings to your peers.

Reading Comprehension and Active Listening: In addition to sharing your own research, you will also need to learn a lot from others' work. Medical scientists must read about studies and listen to colleagues' presentations.

Problem Solving: You must be able to identify problems and solutions to them.

What Will Employers Expect From You?

In addition to skills and experience, what qualities do employers look for when they hire workers? Here are some requirements from actual job announcements found on Indeed.com:

"Demonstrated project management expertise"

"Highly motivated, decisive and results-oriented individual with the flexibility and creativity to excel in and contribute to a rapidly growing company"

"Capable technical writing skills"

"Interest and skilled at literature- and web-based research"

"Demonstrated authorship of periodic and regulatory reports"

"Sound scientific and clinical judgment"

Is This Occupation a Good Fit for You?

Don't neglect to consider your interests, personality type, and work-related values when you choose a career. If you have the following traits, you should think about a career as a medical scientist:

Interests (Holland Code): IAR (Investigative, Artistic, Realistic)

Personality Type (MBTI Personality Types): ENTJ, INTJ, INTP

Work-Related Values: Achievement, Independence, Recognition

Occupations With Related Activities and Tasks

Description

Median Annual Wage (2017)

Minimum Required Education/Training

Epidemiologist
Investigates causes of diseases

Master's Degree in Public Health

Biochemist/Biophysicist
Studies living organisms' chemical or physical principles

$91,190

Ph.D. in biochemistry or biophysics

Geneticist
Studies the inheritance of genetic traits

$76,690

Master's Degree or Ph.D. in genetics, or a Medical Degree

Sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook; Employment and Training Administration, U.S. Department of Labor, O*NET Online (visited November 11, 2018).

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A medical scientist studies diseases and conditions with the goal of improving human health. Through research, he or she determines the causes of diseases and then develops ways to prevent or treat them. Medical scientists earn a median annual salary of $82,090 (2017). Approximately 120,000 people were employed in this field (2016).

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-Edward Jenner
-Elizabeth Blackwell
-Louis Pasteur
-Joseph Lister
-William Osler
-Florence Nightingale
-Richard M.

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Happy Thanksgiving! Here at Becker's Healthcare, we'd like to give thanks to a few of the many men and women whose pioneering work underpins modern medicine. Medicine is one of the most collaborative disciplines, and without the contributions of these individuals medical care today would be very different.

The following individuals are a selection of those responsible for some important firsts in medicine, from the discovery of "germs" to the foundation of molecular biology.

7. Richard M. Lawler (1896-1982): Successful organ transplantation
Richard M. Lawler, MD, is best known for performing the first successful internal organ transplant, a kidney. He performed the transplant in 1950 in Chicago at Little Company of Mary Hospital. His patient was a 49-year-old Ruth Tucker, who suffered from polycystic kidney disease. The transplant was successful, though Ms. Tucker died from other causes five years later. While Dr. Lawler never performed another kidney transplant, his success paved the way for others to see the possibility of organ transplant as a viable treatment option.
© Copyright ASC COMMUNICATIONS 2020. Interested in LINKING to or REPRINTING this content? View our policies by clicking here.

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Giving thanks for these 9 medical pioneers: Happy Thanksgiving! Here at Becker's Healthcare, we'd like to give thanks to a few of the many men and women whose pioneering work underpins modern medicine. Medicine is one of the most collaborative disciplines, and without the contributions of these individuals medical care today would be very different.

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Happy Thanksgiving! Here at Becker's Healthcare, we'd like to give thanks to a few of the many men and women whose pioneering work underpins modern medicine. Medicine is one of the most collaborative disciplines, and without the contributions of these individuals medical care today would be very different.

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-Discovers medicine
-Cures disease
-Stop the disease

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Science is valued by society because the application of scientific knowledge helps to satisfy many basic human needs and improve living standards. Finding a cure for cancer and a clean form of energy are just two topical examples. Similarly, science is often justified to the public as driving economic growth, which is seen as a return-on-investment for public funding. During the past few decades, however, another goal of science has emerged: to find a way to rationally use natural resources to guarantee their continuity and the continuity of humanity itself; an endeavour that is currently referred to as "sustainability".

Scientists often justify their work using these and similar arguments-currently linked to personal health and longer life expectancies, technological advancement, economic profits, and/or sustainability-in order to secure funding and gain social acceptance. They point out that most of the tools, technologies and medicines we use today are products or by-products of research, from pens to rockets and from aspirin to organ transplantation. This progressive application of scientific knowledge is captured in Isaac Asimov's book, Chronology of science and discovery, which beautifully describes how science has shaped the world, from the discovery of fire until the 20 th century.

However, there is another application of science that has been largely ignored, but that has enormous potential to address the challenges facing humanity in the present day education. It is time to seriously consider how science and research can contribute to education at all levels of society; not just to engage more people in research and teach them about scientific knowledge, but crucially to provide them with a basic understanding of how science has shaped the world and human civilisation. Education could become the most important application of science in the next decades.

"It is time to seriously consider how science and research can contribute to education at all levels of society..."

More and better education of citizens would also enable informed debate and decision-making about the fair and sustainable application of new technologies, which would help to address problems such as social inequality and the misuse of scientific discoveries. For example, an individual might perceive an increase in welfare and life expectancy as a positive goal and would not consider the current problems of inequality relating to food supply and health resources.

However, taking the view that science education should address how we apply scientific knowledge to improve the human condition raises the question of whether science research should be entirely at the service of human needs, or whether scientists should retain the freedom to pursue knowledge for its own sake-albeit with a view to eventual application. This question has been hotly debated since the publication of British physicist John D. Bernal's book, The Social Function of Science, in 1939. Bernal argued that science should contribute to satisfy the material needs of ordinary human life and that it should be centrally controlled by the state to maximise its utility-he was heavily influenced by Marxist thought. The zoologist John R. Baker criticised this "Bernalistic" view, defending a "liberal" conception of science according to which "the advancement of knowledge by scientific research has a value as an end in itself". This approach has been called the "free-science" approach.

The modern, utilitarian approach has attempted to coerce an explicit socio-political and economic manifestation of science. Perhaps the most recent and striking example of this is the shift in European research policy under the so-called Horizon 2020 or H2020 funding framework. This medium-term programme (2014-2020) is defined as a "financial instrument implementing the Innovation Union, a Europe 2020 flagship initiative aimed at securing Europe's global competitiveness" ( http://ec.europa.eu/europe2020/index_en.htm). This is a common view of science and technology in the so-called developed world, but what is notable in the case of the H2020 programme is that economic arguments are placed explicitly ahead of all other reasons. Europe could be in danger of taking a step backwards in its compulsion to become an economic world leader at any cost.

"Europe could be in danger of taking a step backwards in its compulsion to become an economic world leader at any cost."

For comparison, the US National Science Foundation declares that its mission is to "promote the progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity and welfare; to secure the national defence; and for other purposes" ( http://www.nsf.gov/about/glance.jsp). The Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) states that it "promotes creation of intellect, sharing of intellect with society, and establishment of its infrastructure in an integrated manner and supports generation of innovation" ( http://www.jst.go.jp/EN/about/mission.html). In his President's Message, Michiharu Nakamura stated that, "Japan seeks to create new value based on innovative science and technology and to contribute to the sustained development of human society ensuring Japan's competitiveness" . The difference between these declarations and the European H2020 programme is that the H2020 programme explicitly prioritises economic competitiveness and economic growth, while the NIH and JST put their devotion to knowledge, intellect, and the improvement of society up front. Curiously, the H2020 programme's concept of science as a capitalist tool is analogous to the "Bernalistic" approach and contradicts the "liberal" view that "science can only flourish and therefore can only confer the maximum cultural and practical benefits on society when research is conducted in an atmosphere of freedom" . By way of example, the discovery of laser emissions in 1960 was a strictly scientific venture to demonstrate a physical principle predicted by Einstein in 1917. The laser was considered useless at that time as an "invention in the search for a job".

"... we need to educate the educators, and consequently to adopt adequate science curricula at university education departments."

The mercantilisation of research is, explicitly or not, based on the simplistic idea that economic growth leads to increased quality of life. However, some leading economists think that using general economic indicators, such as Gross Domestic Product (GDP), to measure social well-being and happiness is flawed. For example, Robert Costanza, of the Australian National University, and several collaborators published a paper in Nature recently in which they announce the "dethroning of GDP" and its replacement by more appropriate indicators that consider both economic growth and "a high quality of life that is equitably shared and sustainable" .

If the utilitarian view of science as an economic tool prevails, basic research will suffer. Dismantling the current science research infrastructure, which has taken centuries to build and is based on free enquiry, would have catastrophic consequences for humanity. The research community needs to convince political and scientific managers of the danger of this course. Given that a recent Eurobarometer survey found significant support among the European public for scientists to be "free to carry out the research they wish, provided they respect ethical standards" (73% of respondents agreed with this statement; http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_224_report_en.pdf), it seems that a campaign to support the current free-science system, funded with public budgets, would likely be popular.

The US NSF declaration contains a word that is rarely mentioned when dealing with scientific applications: education. Indeed, a glance at the textbooks used by children is enough to show how far scientific knowledge has advanced in a few generations, and how these advances have been transferred to education. A classic example is molecular biology; a discipline that was virtually absent from school textbooks a couple of generations ago. The deliberate and consistent addition of new scientific knowledge to enhance education might seem an obvious application of science, but it is often ignored. This piecemeal approach is disastrous for science education, so the application of science in education should be emphasised and resourced properly for two reasons: first, because education has been unequivocally recognised as a human right, and second, because the medical, technological and environmental applications of science require qualified professionals who acquire their skills through formal education. Therefore, education is a paramount scientific application.

"The deliberate and consistent addition of new scientific knowledge to enhance education might seem an obvious application of science, but it is often ignored."

In a more general sense, education serves to maintain the identity of human culture, which is based on our accumulated knowledge, and to improve the general cultural level of society. According to Stuart Jordan, a retired senior staff scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, and currently president of the Institute for Science and Human Values, widespread ignorance and superstition remain "major obstacles to progress to a more humanistic world" in which prosperity, security, justice, good health and access to culture are equally accessible to all humans. He argues that the proliferation of the undesirable consequences of scientific knowledge-such as overpopulation, social inequality, nuclear arms and global climate change-resulted from the abandonment of the key principle of the Enlightenment: the use of reason under a humanistic framework.

When discussing education, we should therefore consider not only those who have no access to basic education, but also a considerable fraction of the populations of developed countries who have no recent science education. The Eurobarometer survey mentioned provides a striking argument: On average, only the half of the surveyed Europeans knew that electrons are smaller than atoms; almost a third believed that the Sun goes around the Earth, and nearly a quarter of them affirmed that earliest humans coexisted with dinosaurs ( http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_224_report_en.pdf). Another type of passive ignorance that is on the increase among the public of industrialised countries, especially among young people, is an indifference to socio-political affairs beyond their own individual and immediate well-being.

Ignorance may have a relevant influence on politics in democracies because ignorant people are more easily manipulated, or because their votes may depend on irrelevant details, such as a candidate's physical appearance or performance in public debates. A democracy should be based on an informed society. Education sensu lato -including both formal learning and cultural education-is therefore crucial for developing personal freedom of thought and free will, which will lead to adequate representation and better government .

To improve the cultural level of human societies is a long-term venture in which science will need to play a critical role. We first need to accept that scientific reasoning is intimately linked to human nature: Humanity did not explicitly adopt science as the preferred tool for acquiring knowledge after choosing among a set of possibilities; we simply used our own mental functioning to explain the world. If reason is a universal human feature, any knowledge can be transmitted and understood by everyone without the need for alien constraints, not unlike art or music.

Moreover, science has demonstrated that it is a supreme mechanism to explain the world, to solve problems and to fulfil human needs. A fundamental condition of science is its dynamic nature: the constant revision and re-evaluation of the existing knowledge. Every scientific theory is always under scrutiny and questioned whenever new evidence seems to challenge its validity. No other knowledge system has demonstrated this capacity, and even, the defenders of faith-based systems are common users of medical services and technological facilities that have emerged from scientific knowledge.

For these reasons, formal education from primary school to high school should therefore place a much larger emphasis on teaching young people how science has shaped and advanced human culture and well-being, but also that science flourishes best when scientists are left free to apply human reason to understand the world. This also means that we need to educate the educators and consequently to adopt adequate science curricula at university education departments. Scientists themselves must get more involved both in schools and universities.

"Dismantling the current science research infrastructure, which has taken centuries to build and is based on free enquiry, would have catastrophic consequences for humanity."

But scientists will also have to get more engaged with society in general. The improvement of human culture and society relies on more diffuse structural and functional patterns. In the case of science, its diffusion to the general public is commonly called the popularisation of science and can involve scientists themselves, rather than journalists and other communicators. In this endeavour, scientists should be actively and massively involved. Scientists-especially those working in public institutions-should make a greater effort to communicate to society what science is and what is not; how is it done; what are its main results; and what are they useful for. This would be the best way of demystifying science and scientists and upgrading society's scientific literacy.

In summary, putting a stronger emphasis on formal science education and on raising the general cultural level of society should lead to a more enlightened knowledge-based society-as opposed to the H2020 vision of a knowledge-based economy-that is less susceptible to dogmatic moral systems. Scientists should still use the other arguments-technological progress, improved health and well-being and economic gains-to justify their work, but better education would provide the additional support needed to convince citizens about the usefulness of science beyond its economic value. Science is not only necessary for humanity to thrive socially, environmentally and economically in both the short and the long term, but it is also the best tool available to satisfy the fundamental human thirst for knowledge, as well as to maintain and enhance the human cultural heritage, which is knowledge-based by definition.

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The most important application of science

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Science is valued by society because the application of scientific knowledge helps to satisfy many basic human needs and improve living standards. Finding a cure for cancer and a clean form of energy are just two topical examples. Similarly, science is often justified to the public as driving economic growth, which is seen as a return-on-investment for public funding.

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-Petri Dish
-Glass beaker
-Glass Flask
-Pasteur pipette

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to navigation Jump to search

This is a list of instruments used in general in laboratories, including:

Glass slide mycole and cover slips

in microscopy, serology, etc. as the solid backing on which test samples are taken

* Gas chromatography or Gas liquid chromatography (GLC)

Setup for radioimmunoassay or RIA

Previously this was widely used to detect various things in bold fluids like proteins (natural, infective, those produced by the body in reaction to disease, or cancer related), tumor markers, hormones, viruses ( hepatitis, or HIV), etc.

Setup for enzyme linked immunosorbant assay ( ELISA)

It is presently widely used to detect various things in bold fluids like proteins (natural, infective, those produced by the body in reaction to disease, or cancer related), tumor markers, hormones, viruses ( hepatitis, HIV), etc. It has replaced RIA.

Colorimeter
used in photochemical analysis and quantitative estimation of substances such as blood sugar, creatinine, and hemoglobin.

General laboratory stands, racks, filter paper, reagents, etc.

Surface plasmon resonance
Label-free detection of molecule binding. Used to determine kinetic constants of the interaction ( k a, k d, K D). Can also be used for thermodynamic analysis.

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Instruments used in medical laboratories

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to navigation Jump to search This is a list of instruments used in general in laboratories, including: Glass slide mycole and cover slips in microscopy, serology, etc.

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-Offices
-Laboratories

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Medical scientists work in healthcare, usually in hospital pathology laboratories, and are involved in the analysis of patient samples in order to detect disease and to monitor the effectiveness of any treatment prescribed by clinicians (doctors). It has been estimated that 70% of diagnoses by clinicians are made as a result of tests carried out by laboratory services.

There are approximately 2000 Medical Scientists employed in the Republic of Ireland, working in diverse settings such as Public and Private Hospital Laboratories, Public Health Laboratories, Private Pathology Laboratories, the Irish Blood Transfusion Service and national reference laboratories such as the National Virus Reference Laboratory in UCD. Employment in the pharmaceutical industry and veterinary laboratories is also possible.

Medical Laboratory Science a is continually changing and dynamic profession and offers a fantastic variety of exciting career opportunities with excellent promotional prospects including specialised laboratory work, research and development, continuing career education, and laboratory management. The work is a fast-changing, dynamic complex science requiring accuracy, teamwork, efficiency and meticulous attention to detail.

Medical laboratory science is divided into what are known as specialist disciplines or subjects and the following are examples of the type of work undertaken on a daily basis:

This is the study of micro-organisms such as bacteria, fungi and parasites which cause diseases including meningitis, tuberculosis and food poisoning.

Transfusion Science: This discipline identifies blood groups for donations and ensures that the correct blood group is matched to the patient who is to receive the transfusion.
Many treatments such surgical procedures or cancer therapy also require the use of blood or blood products to ensure best outcomes for the patient.

Haematology is the study of blood cells and the ability of blood to clot correctly. It looks at the development, function and diseases of blood such as anaemia, leukaemia and also checks Warfarin therapy.

The profession of medical scientist is regulated by CORU, the Health and Social Care Professionals' Council. The Medical Scientist Registration Board opened on 31st March 2019 and registration will be mandatory by 31st March 2021. Please refer to the CORU website for up to date information on state registration requirements. Individual employers may choose to set a requirement for job applicants to have applied for CORU registration in advance of 31st March 2021 but this is not a statutory requirement.

Entry into Irish Biomedical Science courses is through the Central Applications Office (CAO). Since March 31st 2019 CORU, the Health and Social Care Professionals' Council is the authority that accredits courses for eligibility to practice as a medical scientist. Full details of the three Irish centres that offer ACSLM-accredited 4 year honours degree courses with vocational training, in Dublin (TUD, formally DIT), Cork (CIT/UCC) and Galway (GMIT), can be found on the CAO website at

A good Leaving Certificate is required and the entry points can be high. One or more science subject are usually required for entry into Biomedical Sciences Degree courses.

Further information on a career as a medical scientist can be found on the website of the Academy of Clinical Science and Laboratory Medicine (ACSLM), the professional and academic body for medical scientists .

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Medical scientists work in healthcare, usually in hospital pathology laboratories, and are involved in the analysis of patient samples in order to detect disease and to monitor the effectiveness of any treatment prescribed by clinicians (doctors). It has been estimated that 70% of diagnoses by clinicians are made as a result of tests carried out by laboratory services.

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-Investigates diseases
-discovers cure for disease

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Summary

Video transcript available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgzYw77KRsU.

Quick Facts: Medical Scientists
2019 Median Pay

$88,790 per year
$42.69 per hour

Medical scientists conduct research aimed at improving overall human health.

Medical scientists work in offices and laboratories. Most work full time.

Medical scientists typically have a Ph.D., usually in biology or a related life science. Some medical scientists get a medical degree instead of, or in addition to, a Ph.D.

The median annual wage for medical scientists was $88,790 in May 2019.

Employment of medical scientists is projected to grow 6 percent from 2019 to 2029, faster than the average for all occupations. Medical scientists will continue to be needed because they contribute to the development of treatments and medicines that improve human health.

Explore resources for employment and wages by state and area for medical scientists.

Compare the job duties, education, job growth, and pay of medical scientists with similar occupations.

Learn more about medical scientists by visiting additional resources, including O*NET, a source on key characteristics of workers and occupations.

Medical scientists conduct research aimed at improving overall human health. They often use clinical trials and other investigative methods to reach their findings.

Duties

Medical scientists typically do the following:

Design and conduct studies that investigate both human diseases and methods to prevent and treat them

Prepare and analyze medical samples and data to investigate causes and treatment of toxicity, pathogens, or chronic diseases

Standardize drug potency, doses, and methods to allow for the mass manufacturing and distribution of drugs and medicinal compounds

Create and test medical devices

Develop programs that improve health outcomes, in partnership with health departments, industry personnel, and physicians

Write research grant proposals and apply for funding from government agencies and private funding sources

Follow procedures to avoid contamination and maintain safety

Many medical scientists form hypotheses and develop experiments, with little supervision. They often lead teams of technicians and, sometimes, students, who perform support tasks. For example, a medical scientist working in a university laboratory may have undergraduate assistants take measurements and make observations for the scientist's research.

Medical scientists study the causes of diseases and other health problems. For example, a medical scientist who does cancer research might put together a combination of drugs that could slow the cancer's progress. A clinical trial may be done to test the drugs. A medical scientist may work with licensed physicians to test the new combination on patients who are willing to participate in the study.

In a clinical trial, patients agree to help determine if a particular drug, a combination of drugs, or some other medical intervention works. Without knowing which group they are in, patients in a drug-related clinical trial receive either the trial drug or a placebo-a pill or injection that looks like the trial drug but does not actually contain the drug.

Medical scientists analyze the data from all of the patients in the clinical trial, to see how the trial drug performed. They compare the results with those obtained from the control group that took the placebo, and they analyze the attributes of the participants. After they complete their analysis, medical scientists may write about and publish their findings.

Medical scientists do research both to develop new treatments and to try to prevent health problems. For example, they may study the link between smoking and lung cancer or between diet and diabetes.

Medical scientists who work in private industry usually have to research the topics that benefit their company the most, rather than investigate their own interests. Although they may not have the pressure of writing grant proposals to get money for their research, they may have to explain their research plans to nonscientist managers or executives.

Medical scientists usually specialize in an area of research within the broad area of understanding and improving human health. Medical scientists may engage in basic and translational research that seeks to improve the understanding of, or strategies for, improving health. They may also choose to engage in clinical research that studies specific experimental treatments.

Medical scientists held about 138,300 jobs in 2019. The largest employers of medical scientists were as follows:

Research and development in the physical, engineering, and life sciences

35%

Colleges, universities, and professional schools; state, local, and private

23

Hospitals; state, local, and private

17

Pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing

7

Offices of physicians

2

Medical scientists usually work in offices and laboratories. They spend most of their time studying data and reports. Medical scientists sometimes work with dangerous biological samples and chemicals, but they take precautions that ensure a safe environment.

Work Schedules

Most medical scientists work full time.

Medical scientists typically have a Ph.D., usually in biology or a related life science. Some medical scientists get a medical degree instead of, or in addition to, a Ph.D.

Education

Students planning careers as medical scientists generally pursue a bachelor's degree in biology, chemistry, or a related field. Undergraduate students benefit from taking a broad range of classes, including life sciences, physical sciences, and math. Students also typically take courses that develop communication and writing skills, because they must learn to write grants effectively and publish their research findings.

After students have completed their undergraduate studies, they typically enter Ph.D. programs. Dual-degree programs are available that pair a Ph.D. with a range of specialized medical degrees. A few degree programs that are commonly paired with Ph.D. studies are Medical Doctor (M.D.), Doctor of Dental Surgery (D.D.S.), Doctor of Dental Medicine (D.M.D.), Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.), and advanced nursing degrees. Whereas Ph.D. studies focus on research methods, such as project design and data interpretation, students in dual-degree programs learn both the clinical skills needed to be a physician and the research skills needed to be a scientist.

Graduate programs emphasize both laboratory work and original research. These programs offer prospective medical scientists the opportunity to develop their experiments and, sometimes, to supervise undergraduates. Ph.D. programs culminate in a dissertation that the candidate presents before a committee of professors. Students may specialize in a particular field, such as gerontology, neurology, or cancer.

Those who go to medical school spend most of the first 2 years in labs and classrooms, taking courses such as anatomy, biochemistry, physiology, pharmacology, psychology, microbiology, pathology, medical ethics, and medical law. They also learn how to record medical histories, examine patients, and diagnose illnesses. They may be required to participate in residency programs, meeting the same requirements that physicians and surgeons have to fulfill.

Medical scientists often continue their education with postdoctoral work. This provides additional and more independent lab experience, including experience in specific processes and techniques, such as gene splicing. Often, that experience is transferable to other research projects.

Licenses, Certifications, and Registrations

Medical scientists primarily conduct research and typically do not need licenses or certifications. However, those who administer drugs or gene therapy or who otherwise practice medicine on patients in clinical trials or a private practice need a license to practice as a physician.

Training

Medical scientists often begin their careers in temporary postdoctoral research positions or in medical residency. During their postdoctoral appointments, they work with experienced scientists as they continue to learn about their specialties or develop a broader understanding of related areas of research. Graduates of M.D. or D.O. programs may enter a residency program in their specialty of interest. A residency usually takes place in a hospital and varies in duration, generally lasting from 3 to 7 years, depending on the specialty. Some fellowships exist that train medical practitioners in research skills. These may take place before or after residency.

Postdoctoral positions frequently offer the opportunity to publish research findings. A solid record of published research is essential to getting a permanent college or university faculty position.

Work Experience in a Related Occupation

Although it is not a requirement for entry, many medical scientists become interested in research after working as a physician or surgeon, or in another medical profession, such as dentist.

Important Qualities

Communication skills. Communication is critical, because medical scientists must be able to explain their conclusions. In addition, medical scientists write grant proposals, because grants often are required to fund their research.

Critical-thinking skills. Medical scientists must use their expertise to determine the best method for solving a specific research question.

Data-analysis skills. Medical scientists use statistical techniques, so that they can properly quantify and analyze health research questions.

Decisionmaking skills. Medical scientists must determine what research questions to ask, how best to investigate the questions, and what data will best answer the questions.

Observation skills. Medical scientists conduct experiments that require precise observation of samples and other health-related data. Any mistake could lead to inconclusive or misleading results.

Median annual wages, May 2019

The median annual wage for medical scientists was $88,790 in May 2019. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $49,020, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $159,680.

In May 2019, the median annual wages for medical scientists in the top industries in which they worked were as follows:

Pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing

$111,630

Research and development in the physical, engineering, and life sciences

95,770

Hospitals; state, local, and private

84,280

Offices of physicians

83,710

Colleges, universities, and professional schools; state, local, and private

64,140

Most medical scientists work full time.

Employment of medical scientists is projected to grow 6 percent from 2019 to 2029, faster than the average for all occupations. A larger and aging population, increased rates of several chronic conditions, and a growing reliance on pharmaceuticals are all factors that are expected to increase demand for medical scientists. In addition, frontiers in medical research are expected to require the services of medical scientists.

Medical scientists will be needed for research related to treating diseases such as AIDS, Alzheimer's disease, and cancer. Research into treatment problems, such as resistance to antibiotics, also continue to provide opportunities for medical researchers. In addition, a higher population density and the increasing frequency of international travel may facilitate the spread of existing diseases and give rise to new ones. Medical scientists will continue to be needed because they contribute to the development of treatments and medicines that improve human health.

The federal government is a major source of funding for medical research. Going forward, the level of federal funding will continue to affect competition for winning and renewing research grants.

Occupational Title

SOC Code

Employment, 2019

Projected Employment, 2029

Change, 2019-29

Employment by Industry

Percent

Numeric

Medical scientists, except epidemiologists

19-1042

138,300

146,700

6

8,400
Get data

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For more information about research specialties and opportunities within specialized fields for medical scientists, visit
American Association for Cancer Research American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology The American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science American Society for Clinical Pathology American Society for Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics The American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics The Gerontological Society of America Infectious Diseases Society of America National Institute of General Medical Sciences Society for Neuroscience Society of Toxicology
O*NET
Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists

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Video transcript available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgzYw77KRsU. Quick Facts: Medical Scientists 2019 Median Pay $88,790 per year $42.69 per hour Medical scientists conduct research aimed at improving overall human health. Medical scientists work in offices and laboratories. Most work full time. Medical scientists typically have a Ph.D., usually in biology or a related life science.

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-Doctoral degree
-professional degree

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-started in 18th century
-Ayurveda oldest medical science

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Modern medicine started to emerge after the Industrial Revolution in the 18th century. At this time, there was rapid growth in economic activity in Western Europe and the Americas.

During the 19th century, economic and industrial growth continued to develop, and people made many scientific discoveries and inventions.

Scientists made rapid progress in identifying and preventing illnesses and in understanding how bacteria and viruses work.

However, they still had a long way to go regarding the treatment and cures of infectious diseases.

During the 19th century, the way that people were living and working was changing dramatically. These changes affected the risk of infectious diseases and other conditions.

Industry: As more manufacturing processes became mechanized, various work-related diseases became more common. These included lung disease, dermatitis, and "phossy jaw," a type of jaw necrosis that affected people working with phosphorous, usually in the match industry.

Urban sprawl: Cities started to expand rapidly, and certain health problems, such as typhus and cholera, became more common as a result.

Travel: As people traveled between various parts of the world, they carried diseases with them, including yellow fever.

Meanwhile, scientific advances at that time started to make new treatments possible.

Scientific breakthroughs: As "germ theory" developed, scientists began to test and prove the principles of hygiene and antisepsis in treating wounds and preventing infection. New inventions included the electrocardiograph, which records the electrical activity of the heart over time.

Communications: As postal services and other communications improved, medical knowledge was able to spread rapidly.

Political changes: Democracy led to people demanding health as a human right.

The 19th and 20th centuries saw breakthroughs occurring in infection control. At the end of the 19th century, 30 percent of deaths were due to infection. By the end of the 20th century, this figure had fallen to less than 4 percent.

Louis Pasteur (1822-1895), a chemist and microbiologist from France, was one of the founders of medical microbiology.

As a professor of chemistry at the University of Lille, he and his team had the task of finding solutions to some of the problems that were affecting local industries.

Pasteur showed that bacteria caused wine, beer, and milk to go sour. Boiling and cooling a liquid, he explained, would remove the bacteria.

Together, Louis Pasteur and Claude Bernard (1813-1878) developed a technique for pasteurizing liquids.

Claude Bernard was also the first scientist to suggest using "blind" experiments to make scientific observations more objective.

Later, after investigating an epidemic among silkworms in the silk industry in the south of France, Pasteur determined that parasites were the cause. He recommended only using silkworm eggs that were healthy and had no parasites. This action resolved the epidemic, and the silk industry recovered.

Pasteur was sure that pathogens attack the body from the outside. This was the germ theory of disease. However, many scientists could not believe that microscopic beings could harm and even kill people and other comparatively large species.

Pasteur said that many diseases, including tuberculosis (TB), cholera, anthrax, and smallpox, happen when germs enter the body from the environment. He believed that vaccines could prevent such diseases and went on to develop a vaccine for rabies.

Florence Nightingale (1820-1910) was a British nurse, statistician, and writer. She did pioneering nursing work while caring for wounded soldiers during the Crimean War.

Nightingale was from a well-connected family. At first, they did not approve of her studying nursing. However, her parents eventually agreed that she could take a 3-month nursing course in Germany in 1851. By 1853, she was the superintendent of a women's hospital in Harley Street, London.

The Crimean War broke out in 1854. Sidney Herbert, the Minister for War, asked Nightingale to lead a team of nurses in the military hospitals in Turkey. She arrived in Scutari, Turkey in 1854 with 34 nurses whom she had trained.

Nightingale was shocked by what she saw. Exhausted medical staff members were tending to wounded soldiers in unbearable pain, many of whom were dying unnecessarily, while the officials in charge remained indifferent. A lack of medication and poor hygiene standards led to mass infection.

Nightingale and her team worked tirelessly to improve hygiene and provide patient services, including cooking facilities and a laundry. Under her influence, the fatality rate fell by two-thirds.

In 1860, Nightingale founded a training school for nurses in London. Nurses who trained there went on to work all over the United Kingdom.

They took with them everything that they had learned about sanitation and hygiene, proper hospital planning, and the best ways to achieve health.

Nightingale's work also marked a turning point for women, who took on a more significant role in medical care.

Many of her practices still apply today.

1800: British chemist and inventor Humphry Davy described the anesthetic properties of nitrous oxide, known as laughing gas.

1816: Rene Laennec, a French doctor, invented the stethoscope and pioneered its use in the diagnosis of chest infections.

1818: James Blundell, a British obstetrician, performed the first successful blood transfusion on a patient who had hemorrhaged.

1842: Crawford Long, an American pharmacist and surgeon, was the first doctor to give a patient inhaled ether anesthesia for a surgical procedure.

1847: A Hungarian doctor called Ignaz Semmelweis found that the incidence of "childbed fever," or puerperal fever, fell considerably if health workers disinfected their hands before touching the woman during delivery. Childbed fever was fatal in 25 to 30 percent of sporadic cases and 70 to 80 percent of epidemic cases.

1849: Elizabeth Blackwell, an American, became the first fully qualified female doctor in the United States and the first female to be on the U.K.'s Medical Register. She promoted the education of women in medicine.

1867: Joseph Lister, a British surgeon and a pioneer of antiseptic surgery, successfully used phenol - then known as carbolic acid - to clean wounds and sterilize surgical instruments, resulting in a reduction in postoperative infections.

1879: Pasteur produced the first laboratory-developed vaccine, which was against chicken cholera.

1881: Pasteur developed an anthrax vaccine by attenuating the anthrax bacterium with carbolic acid. He demonstrated its effectiveness to the public using 50 sheep. All 25 of the unvaccinated sheep died, but only one vaccinated sheep perished, probably from an unrelated cause.

1882: Pasteur managed to prevent rabies in Joseph Meister, a 9-year-old boy, using a postexposure vaccination.

1890: Emil von Behring, a German physiologist, discovered antitoxins and used them to develop vaccines for diphtheria and tetanus. He later received the first Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

1895: Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen, a German physicist, discovered X-rays by producing and detecting electromagnetic radiation in this wavelength range.

1897: Chemists working in the German company Bayer AG produced the first Aspirin. It was a synthetic version of salicin, which they derived from the plant species Filipendula ulmaria (meadowsweet). Within 2 years, it became a global commercial success.

1901: Karl Landsteiner, an Austrian biologist and physician, identified the different blood types and classified them into blood groups.

1901: Alois Alzheimer, a German psychiatrist and neuropathologist, identified "presenile dementia," later known as Alzheimer's disease.

1903: A Dutch doctor and physiologist called Willem Einthoven invented the first practical electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG).

1906: Frederick Hopkins, an English biochemist, discovered vitamins and suggested that vitamin deficiencies were the cause of scurvy and rickets.

1907: Paul Ehrlich, a German doctor and scientist, developed a chemotherapeutic cure for sleeping sickness. His lab also discovered arsphenamine (Salvarsan), the first effective treatment for syphilis. These discoveries were the start of chemotherapy.

1921: Medical scientists Sir Frederick Banting, a Canadian, and Charles Herbert Best, an American-Canadian, discovered insulin.

1923-1927: Scientists discovered and used the first vaccines for diphtheria, pertussis (whooping cough), tuberculosis (TB), and tetanus.

1928: Sir Alexander Fleming, a Scottish biologist and pharmacologist, discovered penicillin, which came from the mold Penicillium notatum. This discovery changed the course of history, saving millions of lives.

1929: The German doctor Hans Berger discovered human electroencephalography, making him the first person to record brain waves.

1932: Gerhard Domagk, a German pathologist and bacteriologist, developed a cure for streptococcal infections and created Prontosil, the first antibiotic on the market.

1935: Max Theiler, a South African microbiologist, developed the first successful vaccine for yellow fever.

1943: Willem J. Kolff, a Dutch doctor, built the world's first dialysis machine. He later pioneered artificial organs.

1946: American pharmacologists Alfred G. Gilman and Louis S. Goodman discovered the first effective cancer chemotherapy drug, nitrogen mustard, after noticing that soldiers had abnormally low levels of white blood cells following exposure to nitrogen mustard.

1948: American chemists Julius Axelrod and Bernard Brodie invented acetaminophen (paracetamol, Tylenol).

1949: Daniel Darrow recommended using oral and intravenous rehydration solutions to treat diarrhea in infants. With Harold Harrison, he created the first electrolyte-glucose solution for clinical use.

1952: Jonas Salk, an American medical researcher and virologist, invented the first polio vaccine. Salk was hailed as a "miracle worker," because polio had become a serious public health problem in the U.S. after World War II.

1953: Dr. John Heysham Gibbon, an American surgeon, invented the heart-lung machine. He also performed the first ever open-heart surgery, repairing an atrial septal defect, also known as a hole in the heart.

1953: Swedish physicist Inge Edler invented medical ultrasonography (echocardiography).

1954: Joseph Murray carried out the first human kidney transplant, which involved identical twins.

1958: Rune Elmqvist, a doctor and engineer, developed the first implantable pacemaker. He also developed the first inkjet ECG printer.

1959: Min Chueh Chang, a Chinese-American reproductive biologist, carried out the in vitro fertilization (IVF) that later led to the first "test tube baby." Chang also contributed toward the development of the combined oral contraceptive pill, which the FDA approved in 1960.

1960: A group of Americans developed the technique of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). They tested it successfully on a dog first, and the technique saved a child's life shortly afterward.

1962: Sir James W. Black, a Scottish doctor and pharmacologist, invented the first beta-blocker after investigating how adrenaline affects the functioning of the human heart. The drug, Propranolol, is a treatment for heart disease. Black also developed cimetidine, a treatment for stomach ulcers.

1963: Thomas Starzl, an American physician, performed the first human liver transplant, and James Hardy, an American surgeon, carried out the first human lung transplant.

1963: Leo H. Sternbach, a Polish chemist, discovered diazepam (Valium). Throughout his career, Sternbach also discovered chlordiazepoxide (Librium), trimethaphan (Arfonad), clonazepam (Klonopin), flurazepam (Dalmane), flunitrazepam (Rohypnol), and nitrazepam (Mogadon). John Enders and colleagues developed the first measles vaccine.

1965: Harry Martin Meyer, an American pediatric virologist, co-developed the rubella vaccine. It became available in 1970.

1966: C. Walton Lillehei, an American surgeon, carried out the first successful human pancreas transplant. Lillehei also pioneered open-heart surgery, as well as new equipment, prostheses, and techniques for cardiothoracic surgery.

1967: Christiaan Barnard, a South African cardiac surgeon, carried out the first human-to-human heart transplant. Maurice Hilleman, an American microbiologist and vaccinologist, produced the first mumps vaccine. Hilleman developed over 40 vaccines, more than anybody else.

1970: Doctors used the first effective immunosuppressive drug, cyclosporine, in organ transplant procedures. Cyclosporine also treats psoriasis and other auto-immune conditions, including severe cases of rheumatoid arthritis.

1971: Raymond Vahan Damadian, an Armenian-American medical doctor, discovered the use of magnetic resonance imaging ( MRI) for medical diagnosis. In the same year, Sir Godfrey Hounsfield, a British electrical engineer, presented the computed tomography (CT or CAT) scan machine that he had developed.

1978: Doctors recorded the last fatal case of smallpox.

1979: George Hitchings, an American doctor, and Gertrude Elion, an American biochemist and pharmacologist, made important breakthroughs with antiviral medications. Their pioneering work eventually led to the development of azidothymidine (AZT), an HIV drug.

1980: Dr. Baruch Samuel Blumberg, an American doctor, developed the hepatitis B diagnostic test and vaccine.

1981: Bruce Reitz, an American cardiothoracic surgeon, successfully performed the first human heart-lung combined transplant procedure.

1985: Kary Banks Mullis, an American biochemist, made improvements to the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), making it possible to generate thousands and possibly millions of copies of a specific DNA sequence.

1985: Sir Alec John Jeffreys, a British geneticist, developed the techniques for DNA fingerprinting and profiling that forensic departments now use worldwide. These techniques also resolve problems not relating to crime, such as paternity disputes.

1986: Eli Lilly launched fluoxetine (Prozac), a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) class antidepressant that doctors prescribe for several mental health problems.

1987: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first statin, lovastatin (Mevacor). Statins can reduce LDL cholesterol levels by up to , reducing the risk of heart disease and stroke.

1998: James Alexander Thomson, an American developmental biologist, derived the first human embryonic stem cell line. He later found a way to create stem cells from human skin cells.

2000: Scientists completed the draft Human Genome Project (HGP). The project involves collaborators from around the world.

It aims to:

determine the sequence of chemical base pairs that make up DNA

identify and map all 20,000-30,000 or so genes of the human genome

The project may lead to the development of new medications and treatments to prevent or cure genetically-based diseases.

2001: Dr. Kenneth Matsumura created the first bio-artificial liver. This could lead to scientists creating artificial livers for transplantation or other techniques that enable a damaged liver to renew itself.

2005: Jean-Michel Dubernard, a French transplant specialist, carried out a partial face transplant on a woman whose face became disfigured as a result of a dog attack. In 2010, Spanish doctors carried out a full-face transplant on a man who had been in a shooting accident.

Research continues to move medical science forward. Some of the areas that scientists are working on now include:

Targeted cancer therapy: Doctors are starting to use a new class of drug called biologics to treat cancer and other diseases. Unlike conventional chemotherapy, which can destroy fast-growing healthy cells, these drugs target specific proteins on cancer cells and cause less damage to the whole body.

HIV treatment: The effectiveness of HIV treatment is now such that people who take the medication regularly will not pass on the virus. The amount of the virus in their blood, known as viral load, is almost zero.

Stem cell therapy: Scientists are working on making human tissue and even whole organs from stem cells. This technique could one day help in treatments ranging from wound healing to prosthetics and replacement livers.

Gene therapy: A type of genetic engineering known as CRISPR gene editing may make it possible in the future to prevent genetic and inherited conditions, such as heart disease, leukemia, cystic fibrosis, and hemophilia.

Robotics: Robotics and remote-controlled tools can already help surgeons carry out certain types of procedure. One day, surgeons may carry out all operations by controlling the movements of a surgical robot while looking at a monitor. This could enable greater precision and remove some of the risks of human error.

On a different scale, medical supply companies have already used drones to deliver medicines to remote areas of the world.

While modern medicine continues to make headway, some significant challenges remain.

One is the upsurge of antibiotic resistance, partly in response to the overuse of antibiotics and also because pathogens, or germs, are adapting to resist them.

Another is the increase in pollution and environmental hazards.

While the 20th century saw a massive drop in fatalities from infection, future centuries could see that number rise again.

It is not yet time to sit back and relax.

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Modern medicine: Infectious diseases, timelines, and challenges

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Medicine has made huge strides in the last 200 years. Antibiotics, antiseptic, and vaccines are relatively recent inventions, and yet scientists are now able to create new tissue from just cells. Read our overview of some of the significant changes in medicine since the 18th century.

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Salary is 81,673$ per year

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The average salary for a Medical Scientist is $81,673.

Negotiate your pay with confidence

What Do Medical Scientists Do?

A medical scientist is someone who works to try to gain a better understanding of human anatomical processes, diseases, and related biological research. Universities, pharmaceutical and biomedical companies, and research hospitals may employ medical scientists. The medical scientist will typically base his or her career around a mix of research and analysis, as well as producing detailed finding papers and teaching work.

As a researcher, a medical scientist will typically work in a laboratory e

Conduct research to develop methodologies, instrumentation and procedures for medical application, analyzing data and presenting findings.

Prepare and analyze organ, tissue and cell samples to identify toxicity, bacteria, or microorganisms, or to study cell structure.

Plan and direct studies to investigate human or animal disease, preventive methods, and treatments for disease.

Investigate cause, progress, life cycle, or mode of transmission of diseases or parasites.

Evaluate effects of drugs, gases, pesticides, parasites, and microorganisms at various levels.

Job Satisfaction for Medical Scientist

Medical Scientist Job Listings

What Are Popular Skills for Medical Scientists?

Skills in Clinical Research and Data Analysis are correlated to pay that is above average. Skills that pay less than market rate include Quality Assurance / Quality Control, Microbiology and Molecular Biology.

What is the Pay by Experience Level for Medical Scientists?

An entry-level Medical Scientist with less than 1 year experience can expect to earn an average total compensation (includes tips, bonus, and overtime pay) of $78,046 based on 8 salaries. An early career Medical Scientist with 1-4 years of experience earns an average total compensation of $80,305 based on 24 salaries. A mid-career Medical Scientist with 5-9 years of experience earns an average total compensation of $100,000 based on 10 salaries. An experienced Medical Scientist with 10-19 years of experience earns an average total compensation of $85,000 based on 14 salaries. In their late career (20 years and higher), employees earn an average total compensation of $81,389.

Pay Difference by Location

Years of Experience

This data is based on 61 survey responses.

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The average salary for a Medical Scientist is $81,673. Negotiate your pay with confidence A medical scientist is someone who works to try to gain a better understanding of human anatomical processes, diseases, and related biological research. Universities, pharmaceutical and biomedical companies, and research hospitals may employ medical scientists.