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Degrees and Schools
Most medical scientists have a Ph.D. in a biological science or a medical degree or both. Students that want to become a medical scientist should earn a bachelor's degree in a biological science. Students in a Ph.D. program typically specialize in one specific field such as pathology, genetics or bioinformatics.
Students can also take a joint M.D.-Ph.D. program provided at a medical college where students learn the clinical skills required to be a physician and the research skills required to be a scientist.
Classes
Students study subjects such as:
- Biology
- Chemistry
- Engineering
- Physics
- Mathematics
- Computer science
Online Classes and Programs
There are numerous accredited online biological science graduate degree programs. There are also some accredited online biological science bachelor's degree programs.
Employment Requirements
A Ph.D. in a biological science is typically required for most medical scientist positions. Some medical scientists also obtain a medical degree in order to perform clinical work. Also, some medical scientists earn a medical degree instead of a Ph.D. In addition, it's becoming increasingly common for medical scientists to perform postdoctoral work in the laboratory of a senior researcher.
Medical scientists who administer drugs or gene therapy to human patients or interact medically with patients are required to be licensed physicians.
The major employers of medical scientists are scientific research and development services firms, colleges, universities, nonprofit medical research organizations, pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing companies and hospitals.
How to Evaluate Schools and Programs
While evaluating schools, prospective students should consider getting answers to the following questions:
- School's Reputation - Does the school have a good reputation with scientific research and development services firms?
- Training - Does the program include externships? Do students have to find their own externship?
- Curriculum - Can students specialize in their area of interest?
- Job Placement - Does the school provide job placement services? How does the school's job placement rate compare to other schools?
- Financial Aid - What types of financial aid are available? Has the school been approved to provide federal financial aid?
- Accreditation - Has the school been provided accreditation by an agency which has been approved by the the United States Department of Education or the Council for Higher Education?
Medical Scientists Job Description
Medical scientists have the challenging and rewarding task of improving human health. They research human diseases and conditions in order to accomplish their objective. Most medical scientists perform biological research and development. They strive to understand the cause of diseases. Many medical scientists have a specialty.
A medical scientist develops drugs and treatment techniques that help eradicate or contain a disease. Most medical scientists are involved in clinical trials which verify the ability and effectiveness of a particular treatment. Also, a lot of medical scientists have to work according to the business objectives of their company. Shown below are some of their responsibilities:
- Plan and oversee studies to investigate human or animal disease
- Evaluate the effect of drugs on diseases
- Perform research
- Develop preventive methods and treatments for diseases
- Prepare and analyze tissue, organs and cell samples to identify bacteria, toxicity or microorganisms or to study cell structure
- Standardize procedures for manufacturing drugs and medicinal compounds
- Standardize drug dosages and methods of immunization
- Investigate cause, progress, life cycle or mode of transmissions of parasites or diseases
Resources
- Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology
- American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists
- American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics
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