How To Become A Medical Researcher

I am a computer engineer and right from my graduation everything has been math and computer related. I want to shift my career to immunology research. I understand it could be a very long path for me but I would like to know how I can start pursuing it. anon311358 December 31, 2012

How to make a career in medical research?

Every time a scientific paper presents a bit of data, an error bar – a quiet but insistent reminder that no knowledge is complete or perfect, accompanies it. The most each generation can hope for is to reduce the error bars a little, and to add to the body of data to which error bars apply.”

The above extract from Carl Sagan’s ‘The Demon Haunted World’ explains that by pursuing a career in medical research, one can contribute in minimizing these scientific error bars by elucidating some of the most pressing questions constantly emerging in medicine.

Starting a career in medical research

If you have the intellectual and emotional resilience, also if you wish to contribute to the body of knowledge in medical sciences then you are a right candidate for a career in Medical Research. Devising and conducting experiments, investigating the epidemiological basis of a disease, working in collaboration with a team, ability to question intricate complexities of genome and proteome and effective written and oral communication skills are the chief qualities of an inborn medical researcher. If the following description sounds like you, then you are probably well suited for a career as a medical researcher.

Qualifications to become a medial researcher

The roadmap to medical researcher is complex because it’s a profession that demands distinctive skills and expertise along with mandatory formal education. The simplest formal degree requirement is minimum Masters or a Ph.D. For an outstanding career as a medical researcher, a Ph.D. will help you to go the distance in an academic career.

There is right now an extraordinarily extensive overabundance of post-doctoral partnerships battling for an exceptional set number of lasting scholarly positions. Having said that, accomplishing a PhD in a science subject will stand you in great stead for various research positions.

You can pursue a career in medical research by obtaining a formal education in either biological sciences or medicine however; medicine can broaden your options. Furthermore, after earning a formal education in either biology or medicine, the next milestone towards the development of a career in medical research is participating in a research-based internship. In most graduate schools, participating in a research internship and undertaking a research project is the part of the exclusively designed curriculum. This opportunity will allow you to get a chance to be mentored by a physician or research scientist where you can work in collaboration with the team on the ongoing research project.

In order to escalate to the position of the medical researcher, it is integral to complete an advanced degree program in either science or medicine. According to the US Bureau Labor Statistics (BLS), postgraduates and graduates with dual undergraduate degrees become successful candidates for the job positions.

After completing your advanced education, as a medical researcher you can start your aspiring and a challenging career with entry-level positions of medical research associate. As an associate, you are required to assist a scientist in devising, planning and conducting research trials. You can add something extraordinary to your resume by earning credentials offered to research professionals by regulatory bodies. Credential based certifications are not only going to prepare you for some verifiable skills needed in the career but will also aid you in advancing your career path to medical research.

The job role

As a medical researcher, it is your utmost responsibility to conduct research to improve the health status and longevity of the population. The career revolves around clinical investigations to understand human diseases and rigorous lab work. As a medical researcher, formal education will not suffice. As a developing medical researcher, you need to have effective communication, critical thinking, decision-making, data collecting, data analysing and observational skills. These skill sets will enable you to create a competitive edge in the research industry.

Your interest in scientific exploration and a desire to provide a breakthrough in medical knowledge will help you to explore and solve some unknown mysteries associated with complex diseases.

How do I Become a Medical Research Scientist?

In order to become a medical research scientist, a person must have a strong interest in science and medicine, and have an affinity for learning. It takes many years of education and training training to become a medical research scientist, and there are several paths to becoming one. All paths begin with obtaining a Bachelor’s degree in science.

An aspiring medical researcher will major in biology or a related field such as biochemistry, chemistry, biomedical technology, genetics, physiology. Excellent grades and standardized test scores are needed to move on to become a medical research scientist. It is also very important to have a deep understanding of the scientific method, and an enthusiasm for research. Getting results from scientific research can be a slow process, and researchers must have the patience and stamina to keep working persistently until they achieve a medical breakthrough.

Following the completion of an undergraduate degree, an aspiring medical researcher will go on to earn an M.D., Ph.D., or M.S. degree. The opportunities for career advancement are greatest for individuals with a Doctorate degree. For both M.D. and Ph.D. degree holders, post-graduate training is required to become a medical research scientist. Post doctoral training, also known as a “post-doc,” provides researchers with the experience they need to lead their own research teams in the future.

Often, the research someone performs as a post-doc will determine their success as a medical research scientist. Excellent medical research is done at universities with medical schools, and competition is stiff for faculty positions at these institutions. In order to get one, a researcher must have a strong track record of publishing research papers in scholarly journals, and obtaining funding for their research through grants. The post-doc job is the time and place where a researcher must publish in journals and win grants in order to obtain a prestigious job at a university, research center, or pharmaceutical company.

If a person is successful in being hired as a faculty member at a major research university, or as a researcher at a pharmaceutical company, they must continue to produce high quality research in order to keep their position. At universities in the United States, job performance is formally evaluated 5 – 7 years into a person’s career. If they have been successful in publishing breakthrough research and supporting their research through grants, they will be given tenure and allowed to continue their career as a medical research scientist.

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I am a computer engineer and right from my graduation everything has been math and computer related. I want to shift my career to immunology research. I understand it could be a very long path for me but I would like to know how I can start pursuing it. anon311358 December 31, 2012

I like this web page about becoming a medical research scientist. This page enlightened me on what it is a must pursue in order for me to become a successful medical research scientist. JaneAir June 16, 2011

@sunnyskys – Your impressions about research technician jobs are right on target. Most high level medical research scientist positions have a ton of qualified applicants fighting over the job.

I think your friend was smart to take that year off medical school and work in the field for a little while. She will hopefully make good contacts while she works that will set her ahead of her classmates at graduation. As with any job success in the medical research field partly depends on who you know. sunnySkys June 13, 2011

One of my friends is working towards a career as a biomedical research scientist. I’ve known her since kindergarten and she has always been super smart.

Just like the article says, she got her degree in biology and went on to medical school. Instead of going to medical school all the way through she took a year off after her sophomore year to participate in a research science fellowship and has presented her research at conferences and been published.

From what she’s told me about the industry this article is right on target. It is very competitive and results driven. A research scientist can very easily fade into obscurity if he or she isn’t producing and publishing relevant research.

Until my friend went to medical school I had no idea medical research could be so cutthroat!