Medikal na siyentipiko

Karaniwang ginagawa ng mga medikal na siyentipiko ang sumusunod:

• Magdisenyo at magsagawa ng mga pag-aaral na nag-iimbestiga sa parehong mga sakit ng tao at mga pamamaraan upang maiwasan at magamot ang mga ito.
• Maghanda at suriin ang mga medikal na sample at data upang siyasatin ang mga sanhi at paggamot ng toxicity, pathogens, o malalang sakit.
• I-standardize ang potency ng gamot, mga dosis, at mga pamamaraan upang payagan ang malawakang paggawa at pamamahagi ng mga gamot at mga tambalang panggamot.
• Gumawa at sumubok ng mga medikal na device.
• Bumuo ng mga programa na nagpapabuti sa mga resulta ng kalusugan, sa pakikipagtulungan sa mga departamento ng kalusugan, mga tauhan ng industriya, at mga manggagamot.
• Sumulat ng mga panukalang gawad ng pananaliksik at mag-aplay para sa pagpopondo mula sa mga ahensya ng gobyerno at pribadong pinagmumulan ng pagpopondo.
• Sundin ang mga pamamaraan upang maiwasan ang kontaminasyon at mapanatili ang kaligtasan.
• Maraming mga medikal na siyentipiko ang bumubuo ng mga hypotheses at bumuo ng mga eksperimento, na may kaunting pangangasiwa. Madalas silang namumuno sa mga pangkat ng mga technician at, kung minsan, mga mag-aaral, na nagsasagawa ng mga gawain sa suporta. Halimbawa, ang isang medikal na siyentipiko na nagtatrabaho sa isang laboratoryo ng unibersidad ay maaaring magkaroon ng mga undergraduate na katulong na kumuha ng mga sukat at gumawa ng mga obserbasyon para sa pananaliksik ng siyentipiko.

Medical scientists study the causes of diseases and other health problems. For example, a medical scientist who does cancer research might put together a combination of drugs that could slow the cancer’s progress. A clinical trial may be done to test the drugs. A medical scientist may work with licensed physicians to test the new combination on patients who are willing to participate in the study.

In a clinical trial, patients agree to help determine if a particular drug, a combination of drugs, or some other medical intervention works. Without knowing which group they are in, patients in a drug-related clinical trial receive either the trial drug or a placebo—a pill or injection that looks like the trial drug but does not actually contain the drug.

Medical scientists analyze the data from all of the patients in the clinical trial, to see how the trial drug performed. They compare the results with those obtained from the control group that took the placebo, and they analyze the attributes of the participants. After they complete their analysis, medical scientists may write about and publish their findings.

Medical scientists do research both to develop new treatments and to try to prevent health problems. For example, they may study the link between smoking and lung cancer or between diet and diabetes.

Medical scientists who work in private industry usually have to research the topics that benefit their company the most, rather than investigate their own interests. Although they may not have the pressure of writing grant proposals to get money for their research, they may have to explain their research plans to nonscientist managers or executives.

Medical scientists usually specialize in an area of research within the broad area of understanding and improving human health. Medical scientists may engage in basic and translational research that seeks to improve the understanding of, or strategies for, improving health. They may also choose to engage in clinical research that studies specific experimental treatments.  

• Pananaliksik at pag-unlad sa medikal na aparato, mga kumpanya ng biotechnology
• Mga kolehiyo, unibersidad, at propesyonal na paaralan
• Mga ospital
• Paggawa ng parmasyutiko at gamot
• Tanggapan ng mga manggagamot  
• FDA 

Soft Skills

• Kakayahang magtrabaho nang nakapag-iisa o kasama ang mga koponan
• Kakayahan sa pakikipag-usap
• Habag at empatiya 
• Malikhain, orihinal na pag-iisip
• Kritikal na pag-iisip 
• Mahusay na teknikal na kasanayan sa pagsulat 
• Layunin na pagsusuri ng datos 
• pagiging mapanghikayat
• Pamamahala ng proyekto
• Kapamaraanan at pangangatwiran
• Mga kasanayan para sa koordinasyon at pagtuturo ng mga aktibidad
• Mahusay na paghuhusga at paggawa ng desisyon, kung minsan ay nasa ilalim ng presyon
• Pamamahala ng oras

Teknikal na kasanayan

• Mga database at query software
• Pag-publish sa desktop 
• Software sa pagpaplano ng mapagkukunan ng negosyo 
• Magandang malapit sa paningin
• Imaging software 
• Pinagsamang software sa kapaligiran ng pag-unlad 
• Kaalaman sa siyentipikong software, tulad ng IBM SPSS Statistics o Minitab 
• Software sa paggawa ng mapa, gaya ng ESRI ArcGIS 
• Object o component oriented development software 
• Bilis ng perceptual
• Malakas na kasanayan sa matematika
• Teknikal na pag-unawa sa pagbasa
• Mga kasanayan sa teknikal na pagsulat
• Kaalaman sa malawak na hanay ng mga medikal na tool, kabilang ang mga atomic absorption spectrometer, benchtop centrifuges, beta counter, blood gas analyzer, calorimeter, chemistry analyzer, coagulation analyzer, colorimeter, at dose-dosenang iba pa

Medical Scientists research and propose lifesaving drugs and treatment options to be presented to customers and patients. Their jobs carry massive responsibilities and they’re expected to conduct extremely thorough research, find solutions, and ensure proposed products or drugs are safe for human use. Mistakes or oversights can lead to patients becoming ill, experiencing unexpected side effects, negative drug interactions, or even dying. 
 
The opposite side of that coin is the pressure to work fast and find viable solutions to medical problems that are causing illnesses or casualties. So, while Medical Scientists have to be extremely careful and thorough, they also experience a sense of urgency when the heat is on, and may feel stress or frustration when things don’t work out. There is potential risk of exposure to contagious diseases or germs, which is why they must always practice good hygiene and wear proper personal protective equipment, when needed. 

This is a growing field, in part, because life expectancy itself is growing! Medical Scientists are needed to find better treatments for patients who are living longer yet still struggling with chronic conditions requiring pharmaceuticals. 
 
Society is still plagued by cancer, AIDS, Alzheimer’s, and other widespread medical dilemmas that must be addressed through continuing efforts. The COVID-19 pandemic created a rapid spike in research as nations struggled to fight the spread and find a vaccination, even as the virus mutated into many strains. Meanwhile, other viruses continue to change and build immunity to existing vaccines, thus requiring constant updates. 
 
The increasing mobility of our global population means that as persons travel from country to country, viruses and diseases could run rampant without preventative solutions from the medical community. Meanwhile, cutting edge nanotechnology is revolutionizing the medical industry, with Medical Scientists needed on the frontlines of research. 

Medical Scientists spend their lives devoted to helping improve the health of others. They were probably always interested in things such as math, chemistry, biology, or science, and how those things might be used to specifically benefit people. As behind-the-scenes workers, they are not interested in the limelight, so much as in achieving results. 
 
Their drive and determination could come from childhood experiences, such as perhaps having a loved one who succumbed to a particular illness that had no effective cure. However, their feelings don’t get the better of them. Those in the Medical Science field must be both compassionate yet objective, optimistic yet cautious and analytical so their judgement isn’t clouded by emotion. They’re methodical leaders, who may have directed teams in school activities involving complex logistics and meticulous organizational planning.