Medical scientists design and carry out studies aimed at investigating, preventing, treating and curing human diseases. While fulfilling this goal, they are required to analyze samples and information for pathogens, toxicity and the effect of chronic diseases and interpret what their findings indicate. The job is often carried out with little supervision.
There are important skills your medical scientist job description should include to attract the most qualified candidates. Your ideal candidate needs to be able to think critically while designing research experiments and must have top-notch analytical skills to correctly interpret data sets and perform statistical calculation.
Medical scientists are also required to communicated efficiently with patients and the team they are overseeing while performing their duties. Review the medical scientist job description template below to get a better understanding of what information you should include in your own job post.
Medical Scientist Job Summary
Do you love being on the cutting-edge of research that could potentially impact the lives of millions of people? Are you keenly aware of recent advances in medical science that could be further explored for their benefit to human beings? We are searching for a medical scientist to fill the role of leader in our clinical research department. You will be working independently and as an expert in your field while you partner with physicians and your team to accomplish your goals. As a team leader, you will be able to focus your research on areas that are important to you and that you believe hold the most value and potential.
Job Responsibilities
- Design and oversee extensive studies aimed at investigating, preventing and treating human disease through applying analytical and complex problem-solving skills
- Conduct trials and research to determine the best methods, procedures and instrumentation for medical application depending on the goal of the individual research trial
- Gather, analyze and interpret data according to study goals, and compile results for a clear view of study outcomes in preparation for publication
- Adhere to strict safety guidelines and procedures to ensure proper treatment of patients and the integrity of all results as required by ethical and legal authorities
- Study the physiological processes and health of humans to gain a deeper understanding of how the body behaves when presented with disease and injury
- Write, edit and publish research findings in scientific journals and, potentially, journals aimed at the general public
- Evaluate how drugs, gases parasites, pesticides and microorganisms affect the human body at different levels of exposure
- Work independently and as a team leader to complete both medium and large complexity projects on specific timelines
Job Skills & Qualifications
Reqiured:
- PhD, master’s or professional degree in a scientific field
- Experience managing and analyzing clinical trial results
- Ability to sit for long periods of time
- Ability to communicate effectively and efficiently with coworkers and patients for best results
- Experience working successfully with limited supervision
Preferred:
- Project management experience
- Experience with BioArray Software Environment BASE, MediSave and HybridAI
Medical Scientist Job Responsibilities
While writing your medical scientist job description, it’s important to review the best techniques for approaching each part, especially the job responsibilities section. Since it’s the longest one in the document, it has the most opportunity to grab the attention of qualified candidates. Let’s review some of those best practices so you are ready to make full use of the opportunities the medical scientist job responsibilities section offers and avoid the common missteps that can make it harder for jobseekers to understand what you are getting at.
The best way to approach this section is by brainstorming the 6-8 key duties that define the job. Once you do that, prioritize them so the tasks most vital to the role are near the top. Duties shared with other positions and those the candidate performs less frequently reside further down the list. For the individual bullet points, make sure you write in active voice. Start every line with a specific verb, too.
Here are some examples of well-written responsibilities for this job that you can reference or adapt to your own medical scientist job description:
- Design tests and experiments to answer specific research questions
- Oversee experimental processes, supervising both data collection and data analysis
- Refine laboratory processes in line with cutting-edge methods that allow for greater precision in measurement and execution
- Review data and write lab reports
Medical Scientist Job Specifications
Just as the responsibilities section provides you with the opportunity to grab a jobseeker’s attention, the job qualifications and skills section of the medical scientist job description brings its own opportunities. In this case, a complete set of medical scientist job specifications residing in this section means you can receive more qualified candidates in your final applicant pool. That’s because complete and detailed specifications in the skills section give jobseekers a more comprehensive idea of the job’s prerequisite abilities.
If you’re not familiar with the job, talking to someone who has supervised the role is the best way to be sure you have all the right credentials and skills listed among your job specifications. Before you do that, though, it helps to do some research. That way, you can compare a few lists of skills needed for the role, giving you a better chance to select the ones that work for your organization. As you write each bullet point, make sure you use the terms that will be most recognizable to your audience. That way, you will be more likely to communicate clearly to jobseekers.
Here are a few sample specifications to consider as you write your medical scientist job description:
- Advanced degree in chemistry, biology, physics or a related field
- At least two years of experience supervising laboratory settings
- Strong quantitative reasoning
- Well-developed inductive and deductive reasoning skills