Medical Scientists
Official O*NET title: Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists (19-1042.00)
Also called: clinical laboratory scientist, clinical pharmacologist, clinical research scientist, medical researcher, physician scientist
Do you do this at work?
Answer each card — it takes about a minute.
Do you do this at work?
Teach principles of medicine and medical and laboratory procedures to physicians, residents, students, and technicians
Swipe right for yes, left for not me. On a keyboard: → yes, ← not me, Z undo. +2 XP per answer.
How AI is changing medical scientists work
5 of 8 measurable main tasks for this job show up in real AI-use data, so we rate it Red (lots of AI use) — 62%.
This shows where people already use AI, not whether the job will disappear. How we measure this.
Tasks in this job and recorded AI use
- Teach principles of medicine and medical and laboratory procedures to physicians, residents, students, and technicians (main task) — some recorded AI use
- Write applications for research grants (main task) — some recorded AI use
- Evaluate effects of drugs, gases, pesticides, parasites, and microorganisms at various levels (main task) — some recorded AI use
- Conduct research to develop methodologies, instrumentation, and procedures for medical application, analyzing data and presenting findings to the scientific audience and general public (main task) — some recorded AI use
- Write and publish articles in scientific journals (main task) — some recorded AI use
- Follow strict safety procedures when handling toxic materials to avoid contamination (main task) — no recorded AI use
- Plan and direct studies to investigate human or animal disease, preventive methods, and treatments for disease (main task) — no recorded AI use
- Prepare and analyze organ, tissue, and cell samples to identify toxicity, bacteria, or microorganisms or to study cell structure (main task) — no recorded AI use
- Standardize drug dosages, methods of immunization, and procedures for manufacture of drugs and medicinal compounds — some recorded AI use
- Study animal and human health and physiological processes — some recorded AI use
- Consult with and advise physicians, educators, researchers, and others regarding medical applications of physics, biology, and chemistry — some recorded AI use
- Investigate cause, progress, life cycle, or mode of transmission of diseases or parasites — no recorded AI use
- Use equipment such as atomic absorption spectrometers, electron microscopes, flow cytometers, or chromatography systems — no recorded AI use
- Talk with health departments, industry staff, physicians, and others to develop health safety standards and public health improvement programs — no recorded AI use
Tasks: O*NET 31.0. AI use: Anthropic Economic Index (exact or close text match).
Your first steps (guidance)
- Week 1: Open a free AI assistant and say hello. Follow our “Getting started with AI” guide. Ask it one simple question about your work.
- Week 2: Use AI on one task you do often. Try the prompt for: “Teach principles of medicine and medical and laboratory procedures to physicians, residents, students, and technicians”. Try the prompt for: “Write applications for research grants”.
Tick your own tasks above to get a plan based on what you really do. The first 2 weeks are free; Premium (coming soon) adds weeks 3–12. New to AI? Read our beginner’s guide.
Questions about AI and medical scientists
Will AI replace medical scientists?
Our data can’t predict job losses, and we don’t try to. What it does show: 5 of the 8 main tasks for this job match tasks people already use AI for (Anthropic Economic Index), giving a Red rating (lots of AI use). Using AI on a task is not the same as AI doing the whole job, and 6 of the 14 listed tasks show no recorded AI use yet.
Which medical scientist tasks is AI used for most?
In the data, the most AI use among this job’s tasks is for: teach principles of medicine and medical and laboratory procedures to physicians, residents, students, and technicians; write applications for research grants; evaluate effects of drugs, gases, pesticides, parasites, and microorganisms at various levels.
Which medical scientist tasks show little or no AI use?
For example: follow strict safety procedures when handling toxic materials to avoid contamination; plan and direct studies to investigate human or animal disease, preventive methods, and treatments for disease; prepare and analyze organ, tissue, and cell samples to identify toxicity, bacteria, or microorganisms or to study cell structure. These are good places to keep building your own skills.
How does this job compare to others?
In Microsoft Research’s “Working with AI” study, this job’s AI applicability score is equal to or higher than 67% of the occupations they scored. That measures overlap with AI chat use, not risk of job loss.
How can a medical scientist start learning AI?
Start small: open a free AI assistant, try it on one task you do often, and always check facts and numbers yourself. The plan on this page is guidance, not professional advice.
See how this job ranks
Medical Scientists ranks #81 of 572 jobs for the share of main tasks with AI use (#1 = most), and #6 of 45 in Science & Research.
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