医学科学家

医学科学家通常会做以下工作。

• 设计和进行研究，调查人类疾病和预防及治疗方法。
• 准备和分析医学样本和数据，以调查毒性、病原体或慢性疾病的原因和治疗。
• 使药物效力、剂量和方法标准化，以便大规模制造和分配药物和药用化合物。
• 创建和测试医疗设备。
• 与卫生部门、行业人员和医生合作，制定改善健康结果的方案。
• 撰写研究拨款提案，并向政府机构和私人资金来源申请资金。
• 遵循程序，避免污染，维护安全。
• 许多医学科学家在几乎没有监督的情况下形成假设并开展实验。他们经常领导由技术人员和有时由学生组成的团队，执行辅助任务。例如，在大学实验室工作的医学科学家可能让本科生助理为科学家的研究进行测量和观察。

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.  

• 医疗设备、生物技术公司的研究和开发
• 学院、大学和专业学校
• 医院
• 制药和医药制造
• 医生的办公室  
• FDA 

软技能

• 具有独立工作或与团队合作的能力
• 沟通技巧
• 怜悯和同情 
• 创造性、原创性思维
• 批判性思维 
• 优秀的技术写作能力 
• 客观的数据分析 
• 说服力
• 项目管理
• 机智和推理
• 协调和指导活动的技能
• 健全的判断力和决策力，有时在压力之下
• 时间管理

技术技能

• 数据库和查询软件
• 桌面出版 
• 企业资源规划软件 
• 良好的近距离视力
• 成像软件 
• 集成开发环境软件 
• 熟悉科学软件，如IBM SPSS Statistics或Minitab 
• 地图制作软件，如ESRI ArcGIS 
• 面向对象或组件的开发软件 
• 感知速度
• 强大的数学技能
• 技术性阅读理解
• 技术写作能力
• 熟悉各种医疗工具，包括原子吸收光谱仪、台式离心机、β计数器、血气分析仪、热量计、化学分析仪、凝血分析仪、比色计等几十种。

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.