Occupation

Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists

Human Advantage 74%

Significant human skills needed

AI Automation Risk Low Risk
2.6 / 10

This occupation requires complex human judgment, social interaction, and creative problem-solving that are difficult to automate.

Conduct research dealing with the understanding of human diseases and the improvement of human health. Engage in clinical investigation, research and development, or other related activities.

Also Known As: Anatomist, Cancer Researcher, Chemotherapist, Clinical Analyst, Clinical Laboratory Scientist (Clinical Lab Scientist), Clinical Pharmacologist, Clinical Research Analyst, Clinical Research Scientist +30 more

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Core Tasks

  1. Follow strict safety procedures when handling toxic materials to avoid contamination.
  2. Evaluate effects of drugs, gases, pesticides, parasites, and microorganisms at various levels.
  3. Plan and direct studies to investigate human or animal disease, preventive methods, and treatments for disease.
  4. Prepare and analyze organ, tissue, and cell samples to identify toxicity, bacteria, or microorganisms or to study cell structure.
  5. Conduct research to develop methodologies, instrumentation, and procedures for medical application, analyzing data and presenting findings to the scientific audience and general public.
  6. Teach principles of medicine and medical and laboratory procedures to physicians, residents, students, and technicians.
  7. Write and publish articles in scientific journals.
  8. Write applications for research grants.

Supplemental Tasks (6)

  1. Standardize drug dosages, methods of immunization, and procedures for manufacture of drugs and medicinal compounds.
  2. Study animal and human health and physiological processes.
  3. Investigate cause, progress, life cycle, or mode of transmission of diseases or parasites.
  4. Use equipment such as atomic absorption spectrometers, electron microscopes, flow cytometers, or chromatography systems.
  5. Confer with health departments, industry personnel, physicians, and others to develop health safety standards and public health improvement programs.
  6. Consult with and advise physicians, educators, researchers, and others regarding medical applications of physics, biology, and chemistry.

Education & Training

Job Zone 5 Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
Education: Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
Experience: Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job.
On-the-Job Training: Employees may need some on-the-job training, but most of these occupations assume that the person will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or training.

Education Level Distribution

Percentage of workers in this occupation with each education level.

Doctoral Degree
36%
Post-Doctoral Training
25%
Master's Degree
25%
Bachelor's Degree
8%
Post-Master's Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Master's degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees at the doctoral level.
7%

Relevant College Majors

  • Animal Sciences, General CIP 01.0901Animal biology, production, and management.

Technology & Tools

Hot Technologies

  • Adobe Photoshop
  • ESRI ArcGIS software
  • IBM SPSS Statistics
  • Linux
  • Microsoft Dynamics
  • Microsoft Excel
  • Microsoft Office software
  • Microsoft PowerPoint
  • Microsoft Project
  • Microsoft Visual Basic
  • Microsoft Word
  • Python
  • R
  • SAS
  • The MathWorks MATLAB
  • UNIX

Software (41)

  • BioArray Software Environment BASE
  • Database software
  • FileMaker Pro
  • IBM Notes
  • Integrated development environment IDE software
  • LexisNexis
  • Medical Scientists HybridAI
  • Medical Scientists MediSave
  • Microsoft Exchange
  • Microsoft Publisher
  • Minitab
  • National Instruments LabVIEW
  • PerkinElmer TurboMass
  • Presentation software
  • Spreadsheet software
  • StataCorp Stata
  • Statistical software
  • Thermo ToxLab
  • Triple G ULTRA Laboratory Information System
  • Waters Empower 2
  • Waters MassLynx
  • Waters Millennium32
  • Waters Q-DIS/QM LIMS
  • Waters eLab Notebook
  • Word processing software

Tools & Equipment (109)

  • Absorption tubes
  • Atomic absorption AA spectrophotometers
  • Autoclaves
  • Automated centrifuges
  • Automated deoxyribonucleic acid DNA sequencers
  • Balances
  • Beta counters
  • Binocular light compound microscopes
  • Blenders
  • Blood gas machines
  • Bomb calorimeters
  • Bone ultrasound densitometers
  • Capillary electrophoresis equipment
  • Carbon dioxide CO2 incubators
  • Cell disruptors
  • Centrifuges
  • Chemistry analyzers
  • Chromatographic tubes
  • Coagulation machines
  • Cold vapor atomic absorption spectrophotometers
  • Colorimeters
  • Computerized axial tomography CAT scanners
  • Confocal microscopes
  • Coulter counters
  • Crossflow filtration systems
  • Cuvettes
  • Cyclotrons
  • Deoxyribonucleic acid DNA synthesizers
  • Desktop computers
  • Developing tanks
  • Differential cell counters
  • Electrical conductivity meters
  • Electrocardiography EKG machines
  • Electron microscopes
  • Electrophoresis power systems
  • Erlenmeyer flasks
  • Fermenters
  • Filter funnels
  • Fixed-angle microfuges
  • Flame atomic absorption spectrophotometers
  • Flame photometers
  • Flasks
  • Flow cytometers
  • Fourier Transform IR spectrophotometers
  • Fume hoods
  • Gamma counters
  • Gas chromatographs GC
  • Gel documentation systems
  • Gel dryers
  • Gel electrophoresis boxes
  • Glassware washers
  • Graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrophotometers
  • Heat lamps
  • Heating blocks
  • Hematology analyzers
  • High-pressure liquid chromatographs
  • High-resolution functional magnetic resonance imaging MRI equipment
  • High-speed centrifuges
  • Homogenizers
  • Hot air ovens
  • Hot plates
  • Incubators
  • Ion chromatographs
  • Laboratory evaporators
  • Laminar flow hoods
  • Laptop computers
  • Laser printers
  • Liquid handling robots
  • Magnetic stirrers
  • Mainframe computers
  • Mass spectrometers
  • Measuring cylinders
  • Medical magnetic resonance imaging MRI equipment
  • Mercury analyzers
  • Microarrayer scanners
  • Microdiffusion dishes
  • Microplate readers
  • Microscope/video camera stations
  • Nuclear magnetic resonance NMR spectroscopes
  • Pasteur pipettes
  • Peptide synthesizers
  • Personal computers
  • Petri dishes
  • Pipettes
  • Plate washers
  • Positron emission tomography PET scanners
  • Powder funnels
  • Recording spectrophotometers
  • Refrigerated centrifuges
  • Refrigerated swinging bucket centrifuges
  • Rotary evaporators
  • Scintillation counters
  • Selective ion meters
  • Shaking incubators
  • Speed vacs
  • Spray atomizers
  • Steam distillation apparatus
  • Tabletop centrifuges
  • Thermal cyclers
  • Thin layer chromatography equipment
  • Thin layer chromatography plates
  • Ultracentrifuges
  • Ultralow freezers
  • Ultrasound imaging scanners
  • Ultraviolet UV crosslinkers
  • Ultraviolet-Visible UV/VIS spectrophotometers
  • Volumetric flasks
  • Vortex mixers
  • pH meters

Where This Career Leads

Career progression organized by specialty track and experience level.

Biotechnology Research & Development Advanced Manufacturing

Zone 5
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