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Career Details

19-1042.00 - Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists


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.


Key Facts
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Bright Outlook
Career Details
Green Job
Career Details
Current Employment
107,900
Estimate
Forecasted Employment
116,800
Estimate
Change in Employment
+9,000
Estimate
Change in Employment %
+8.3%
Estimate
Tasks
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Tasks
The tasks listed below can be performed to prepare you for a career in this field.
Core
  • Plan and direct studies to investigate human or animal disease, preventive methods, and treatments for disease.
  • Follow strict safety procedures when handling toxic materials to avoid contamination.
  • Evaluate effects of drugs, gases, pesticides, parasites, and microorganisms at various levels.
  • Teach principles of medicine and medical and laboratory procedures to physicians, residents, students, and technicians.
  • Prepare and analyze organ, tissue, and cell samples to identify toxicity, bacteria, or microorganisms or to study cell structure.
  • Conduct research to develop methodologies, instrumentation, and procedures for medical application, analyzing data and presenting findings to the scientific audience and general public.
  • Write and publish articles in scientific journals.
  • Write applications for research grants.
Supplemental
  • Standardize drug dosages, methods of immunization, and procedures for manufacture of drugs and medicinal compounds.
  • Investigate cause, progress, life cycle, or mode of transmission of diseases or parasites.
  • Confer with health departments, industry personnel, physicians, and others to develop health safety standards and public health improvement programs.
  • Study animal and human health and physiological processes.
  • Consult with and advise physicians, educators, researchers, and others regarding medical applications of physics, biology, and chemistry.
  • Use equipment such as atomic absorption spectrometers, electron microscopes, flow cytometers, or chromatography systems.
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Knowledge
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Knowledge

The items listed below are organized into sections that contain knowledge useful for pursuing a career in this field. Each section also contains a "Percentage of Importance" statistic that shows how relevant an item is to the occupation.
 Biology
  • 94%
    Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
 English Language
  • 82%
    Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
 Medicine and Dentistry
  • 73%
    Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
 Chemistry
  • 69%
    Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
 Mathematics
  • 64%
    Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
 Computers and Electronics
  • 60%
    Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
 Education and Training
  • 57%
    Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
 Administration and Management
  • 57%
    Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Tools
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Tools
The tools listed below include machines, equipment, tools, and software that is useful for individuals who are interested in this career.
 Chromatographic measuring instruments and accessories
  • Absorption tubes
  • Chromatographic tubes
  • Developing tanks
  • Gas chromatographs GC
  • High-pressure liquid chromatographs
  • Ion chromatographs
  • Thin layer chromatography equipment
 Spectroscopic equipment
  • Atomic absorption AA spectrophotometers
  • Cold vapor atomic absorption spectrophotometers
  • Flame atomic absorption spectrophotometers
  • Fourier Transform IR spectrophotometers
  • Graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrophotometers
  • Mass spectrometers
  • Nuclear magnetic resonance NMR spectroscopes
  • Recording spectrophotometers
  • Ultraviolet-Visible UV/VIS spectrophotometers
 Laboratory centrifuges and accessories
  • Automated centrifuges
  • Centrifuges
  • Fixed-angle microfuges
  • High-speed centrifuges
  • Refrigerated centrifuges
  • Refrigerated swinging bucket centrifuges
  • Tabletop centrifuges
  • Ultracentrifuges
 Clinical and diagnostic analyzers and accessories and supplies
  • Automated deoxyribonucleic acid DNA sequencers
  • Blood gas machines
  • Chemistry analyzers
  • Coagulation machines
  • Flow cytometers
  • Hematology analyzers
  • Mercury analyzers
 Nuclear evaluation instruments
  • Beta counters
  • Gamma counters
 Viewing and observing instruments and accessories
  • Binocular light compound microscopes
  • Confocal microscopes
  • Electron microscopes
  • Microscope/video camera stations
 Medical ultrasound and doppler and echo imaging products
  • Bone ultrasound densitometers
  • Ultrasound imaging scanners
 Laboratory electrophoresis and blotting system and supplies
  • Capillary electrophoresis equipment
  • Electrophoresis power systems
  • Gel documentation systems
  • Gel dryers
  • Gel electrophoresis boxes
  • Ultraviolet UV crosslinkers
 Laboratory incubating equipment
  • Carbon dioxide CO2 incubators
  • Incubators
  • Shaking incubators
 Histology equipment
  • Cell disruptors
 Indicating and recording instruments
  • Coulter counters
  • Differential cell counters
 General laboratory glassware and plasticware and supplies
  • Cuvettes
  • Erlenmeyer flasks
  • Filter funnels
  • Flasks
  • Measuring cylinders
  • Powder funnels
  • Volumetric flasks
 Libraries and related materials
  • Deoxyribonucleic acid DNA synthesizers
 Computers
  • Desktop computers
  • Laptop computers
  • Mainframe computers
  • Personal computers
 Electrochemical measuring instruments and accessories
  • Electrical conductivity meters
  • pH meters
  • Selective ion meters
 Laboratory enclosures and accessories
  • Fume hoods
  • Laminar flow hoods
 Laboratory washing and cleaning equipment
  • Glassware washers
  • Plate washers
 Laboratory heating and drying equipment
  • Heat lamps
  • Heating blocks
  • Hot plates
  • Thermal cyclers
 Medical magnetic resonance imaging MRI products
  • High-resolution functional magnetic resonance imaging MRI equipment
  • Medical magnetic resonance imaging MRI equipment
 Laboratory decanting and distilling and evaporating and extracting equipment and supplies
  • Laboratory evaporators
  • Rotary evaporators
  • Speed vacs
  • Steam distillation apparatus
 Computer printers
  • Laser printers
 Pipettes and liquid handling equipment and supplies
  • Liquid handling robots
  • Microarrayer scanners
  • Pasteur pipettes
  • Pipettes
 Laboratory mixing and stirring and shaking equipment and supplies
  • Magnetic stirrers
  • Peptide synthesizers
  • Vortex mixers
 Chemical evaluation instruments and supplies
  • Microplate readers
  • Thin layer chromatography plates
 Fluid mechanics equipment
  • Scintillation counters
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Technology
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Technology
The technologies listed below include machines, equipment, tools, and software that is useful for individuals who are interested in this career.
 Content authoring and editing software
  • Adobe Systems Adobe PhotoshopHOT
  • Microsoft ExcelHOT
  • Microsoft PowerPointHOT
  • Microsoft Publisher
  • Microsoft WordHOT
  • Presentation software
  • Spreadsheet software
  • Word processing software
 Industry specific software
  • BioArray Software Environment BASE
  • IBM SPSS StatisticsHOT
  • Medical Scientists HybridAI
  • Medical Scientists MediSave
  • MinitabHOT
  • PerkinElmer TurboMass
  • SASHOT
  • StataCorp Stata
  • Statistical software
  • The MathWorks MATLABHOT
  • Thermo ToxLab
  • Triple G ULTRA Laboratory Information System
  • Waters MassLynx
  • Waters Millennium32
  • Waters Q-DIS/QM LIMS
 Data management and query software
  • Database software
  • FileMaker Pro
  • LexisNexis
  • Waters eLab Notebook
  • Waters Empower 2
 Information exchange software
  • ESRI ArcGIS softwareHOT
  • IBM NotesHOT
  • Microsoft ExchangeHOT
 Development software
  • Integrated development environment IDE softwareHOT
  • Microsoft Visual BasicHOT
  • National Instruments LabVIEWHOT
  • PythonHOT
  • RHOT
 Business function specific software
  • Microsoft OfficeHOT
  • Microsoft ProjectHOT
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Certifications
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Certifications
The certifications listed below are useful to pursue if you are interested in a career in this field.
 Specialty
 Advanced
 Core
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Licensing
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Licensing
The licensing information below is organized into sections and is useful for pursuing if you are interested in a career in this field.
No specific licensing information is listed for this occupation in the area you have selected.
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Related Programs
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Online Programs related to this career, offered by participating institution(s), are listed below.

Clicking on the Degree programs in the list below will take you away from the Careers page.
A program directly related to this occupation is currently not offered by any of our partner institutions. You should contact the Institution(s) you are considering to discuss other options that may meet your needs and background.