Career profile Medical Scientist

Table of Contents

• What does a Medical Scientist do?
• What is a typical salary for a Medical Scientist?
• What personality traits are common among Medical Scientists?
  • Career Interests
  • Values
  • Psychological Demands
• What education and training do Medical Scientists need?
  • Typical educational degrees
  • Required knowledge and expertise
  • Important abilities
  • Critical skills

What does a Medical Scientist do?

Medical Scientists conduct research dealing with the understanding of human diseases and the improvement of human health.

In addition, Medical Scientists engage in clinical investigation, research and development, or other related activities.

What kind of tasks does a Medical Scientist perform regularly?

Medical Scientists are often responsible for overseeing or executing some or all of the following tasks:

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

The above responsibilities are specific to Medical Scientists. More generally, Medical Scientists are involved in several broader types of activities:

What is a Medical Scientist salary?

What personality traits are common among Medical Scientists?

Interests

Career interests describe a person's preferences for different types of working environments and activities. When a person's interest match the demands of an occupation, people are usually more engaged and satisfied in that role.

Compared to most occupations, those who work as a Medical Scientist are usually higher in their Investigative, Realistic, and Artistic interests.

Medical Scientists typically have very strong Investigative interests. Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.

Also, Medical Scientists typically have moderate Realistic interests. Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.

Lastly, Medical Scientists typically have moderate Artistic interests. Artistic occupations frequently involve working with forms, designs and patterns. They often require self-expression and the work can be done without following a clear set of rules.

Medical Scientists typically have moderate Social interests. Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.

Values

People differ in their values, or what is most important to them for building job satisfaction and fulfillment.

Compared to most people, those working as a Medical Scientist tend to value Achievement, Recognition, and Independence.

Most importantly, Medical Scientists strongly value Achievement. Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment.

Second, Medical Scientists strongly value Recognition. Occupations that satisfy this work value offer advancement, potential for leadership, and are often considered prestigious.

Lastly, Medical Scientists strongly value Independence. Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to work on their own and make decisions.

Psychological Demands

Each occupation brings its own set of psychological demands, which describe the characteristics necessary to perform the job well.

In order to perform their job successfully, people who work as Medical Scientists must consistently demonstrate qualities such as analytical thinking, innovation, and integrity.

Below, you'll find a list of qualities typically required of Medical Scientists, ranked by importance:

What education and training do Medical Scientists need?

Many Medical Scientists have earned a graduate degree. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a doctoral degree, such as a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D..

Medical Scientists may need some on-the-job training, but most candidates will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or training.

Educational degrees among Medical Scientists

• 0.8% did not complete high school or secondary school
• 0.4% completed high school or secondary school
• 0.6% completed some college coursework
• 0.5% earned a Associate's degree
• 23.2% earned a Bachelor's degree
• 25.3% earned a Master's degree
• 49.2% earned a doctorate or professional degree

Knowledge and expertise required by Medical Scientists

Important Abilities needed by Medical Scientists

Medical Scientists must develop a particular set of abilities to perform their job well. Abilities are individual capacities that influence a person's information processing, sensory perception, motor coordination, and physical strength or endurance. Individuals may naturally have certain abilities without explicit training, but most abilities can be sharpened somewhat through practice.

For example, Medical Scientists need abilities such as oral expression, written expression, and inductive reasoning in order to perform their job at a high level. The list below shows several important abilities for Medical Scientists, ranked by their relative importance.

Critical Skills needed by Medical Scientists

Skills are developed capacities that enable people to function effectively in real-world settings. Unlike abilities, skills are typically easier to build through practice and experience. Skills influence effectiveness in areas such as learning, working with others, design, troubleshooting, and more.

Medical Scientists frequently use skills like writing, speaking, and science to perform their job effectively. The list below shows several critical skills for Medical Scientists, ranked by their relative importance.

What is the source of this information?

The information provided on this page is adapted from data and descriptions published by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration under the CC BY 4.0 license. TraitLab has modified some information for ease of use and reading, and the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment, and Training Administration has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.

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