Career Pathways for Biomedical Scientists in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

CONTENTS
•	What is a Biomedical Scientist in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine?
•	Why Pursue Pathology as a Career in Biomedical Science?
•	Is a Biomedical Career in Pathology for Me?
EDUCATION
•	Undergraduate Education
•	PhD Graduate Programs
•	Post Graduate Training Programs
THE ACADEMIC PATH
•	The Laboratory
•	The Institution
•	Academic Program
•	Personal Issues
•	Choosing a Supervisor
NON-TRADITIONAL CAREERS
•	Science Writing
•	Biotechnology/Pharmaceutics
•	Science Policy & Administration
•	Clinical Diagnostics
•	Teaching
•	Finance
•	Biomedical Science
SEARCHING FOR YOUR FIRST JOB
•	CV & References
•	The Interview
•	Negotiating
LAUNCHING YOUR CAREER
•	Tenure, Promotions and the First Ten Years


•	About this Booklet
•	The Institutional Challenge to Train and Maintain Biomedical Scientists
•	Links and Resources
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
•	Tara Sander
•	Avrum I Gotlieb
Available in Print, PDF, and HTML Formats. Download PDF Version Request your copy from: Laurie Menser, Director of ASIP Marketing and Development (lmenser@asip.org)

Choosing A Career In Biotechnology/Pharmaceutics

Job opportunities are available in media, professional and scientific societies, textbook publishers, scientific journals, government, not for profit organizations, and industry. When applying for positions, having samples of your writing to show is important, even work produced as a volunteer.

You may continue to be a bench scientist in the biotechnology/pharmaceutical industry. The research may not be different, however usually the topic of your research will depend on the interest of your company. This may change from time to time, often abruptly, depending on outside financial and industrial considerations. Choosing this pathway does not close the door on returning to academia. There are also opportunities to meld the academic with the non-academic. The biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries offer unique career opportunities. Biotech companies develop and market products for commercial sectors, including medicine, human diagnostics, human therapeutics, research instruments and reagents, biomedical devices, food industry, contract manufacturing, and agriculture. Pharmaceuticals specialize in the production of pharmaceutical drugs for the prevention or treatment of illness and disease. In both industries, there are different stages of the process that are equally important for delivering high-quality products to the market. These divisions include Research and Development (R&D), Quality Control and Assurance, Manufacturing and Production, Sales, and Marketing. For example, scientists within the R&D division will conduct research with state-of-the-art technology to discover innovative products and services that meet the needs of their consumer. If the product is successful and makes it into the market, the Sales division is responsible for going into the field and selling the product to the consumer. As mentioned above, this field is often at the cutting edge of science and can offer many perks with regard to salary and lifestyle. However, this industry is in the market to make a profit, so changes may occur within the company as the focus shifts to the most productive projects at any given time.