Medical Scientists: Salary, Job Description, How To Become One, and Quiz

Job description

Medical Scientists 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. Includes physicians, dentists, public health specialists, pharmacologists, and medical pathologists who primarily conduct research.

• Plan and direct studies to investigate human or animal disease, preventive methods, and treatments for disease.
• Conduct research to develop methodologies, instrumentation, and procedures for medical application, analyzing data and presenting findings to the scientific audience and general public.
• Study animal and human health and physiological processes.
• Follow strict safety procedures when handling toxic materials to avoid contamination.

Salary

Medical Scientists with little to no experience tend to make between $46810 and $59580 while the more experienced ones can earn over $118040 per year.

One of the easiest ways to increase your salary as a Medical Scientist is to move to a higher paying state like NJ. Right now, the highest paying states for Medical Scientists are NJ, CT, NH, RI and DE.

However, a higher pay at NJ doesn’t guarantee that you will make more because the living expenses at NJ might be twice as high than where you are currently at now.

Three other factors that can increase your salary as a Medical Scientist is the degree you hold, the industry you work in, and lastly the company you work for.

Requirements

We asked other Medical Scientists what degree they had when they got the job and most of them said they had a Post-Doctoral Training followed by a PhD.

Other than that, we also asked them what did they major in and here are the most popular majors that came up.

Pros and Cons

Here are some of the pros and cons of being a Medical Scientist.

What is the job like

73% of Medical Scientists said they were satisfied with their job and 83% said they feel like their job is making other people’s lives better.

Is this right for me

You can read more about these career personality types here.

People who are suitable for this job tends to like working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. They like searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally..

They also like work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They like working with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery.

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