| tific jobs usually involve some research. The jobholder | | | | requires the application of professional knowledge and |
| would have specialized training and experience in a | | | | experience in the relevant scientific field. |
| field, and the ability to draw on it to conduct field or | | | | Environmental health practitioners might have to be |
| laboratory research. For example, a clinical research | | | | community workers and change agents in addition to |
| assistant working for a clinical research organization | | | | their roles of identifying and preventing environmental |
| can be required to go out into the field and record | | | | health problems. Possessing knowledge alone might |
| the findings of clinical trials for medical devices or | | | | not help them provide valuable services in their field. |
| medication. | | | | They will have to work with an environmental health |
| In such cases, in addition to knowledge in the field of | | | | team to create awareness about environmental |
| science, the job holder will also have to be familiar | | | | health issues among the community, and show how |
| with research methodology to ensure adherence to | | | | the locality can be made a better place to live and |
| quality research practices, so that the research | | | | work. |
| findings will be acceptable to practitioners in the | | | | Scientific jobs can also involve working in areas other |
| relevant field. | | | | than the primary scientific field of the jobholder. For |
| Furthermore, the jobholder might also be required to | | | | example, a healthcare specialist with Information |
| keep track of the costs of the research, which | | | | Technology experience might be employed to |
| require some administrative experience. Scientific jobs | | | | develop clinical information models. They might have |
| could thus involve much more than doing theoretical | | | | to do requirements studies to develop the kind of |
| research in a laboratory. | | | | clinical information models that clinicians need. The |
| Roles of Career Scientists | | | | requirements study in this case is more IT work than |
| We saw in the previous section that even when | | | | clinical work. |
| research is involved, scientific jobs could involve | | | | Another example is a specialist who works in the |
| administrative and quality control roles. Many scientific | | | | sales and marketing department helping the |
| jobs might not involve research as such. Instead, it | | | | department explain product benefits and other |
| might involve applying the jobholder's knowledge to | | | | technical aspects to prospective clients, or for |
| do practical work. For example, physicians apply their | | | | creating product literature. Many specialists might be |
| knowledge of healing science primarily to cure sick | | | | attracted by commercial work, and can use their |
| patients rather do research with medication. | | | | specialist know-how, say in wound care, in marketing |
| Another example is the clinical psychologist engaged | | | | wound care products effectively. |
| in providing clinical and forensic psychology service to | | | | Then there is the science teacher who is engaged in |
| patients, and advice and consultation to | | | | developing the scientists of tomorrow. The teacher |
| non-psychologist colleagues in the medical profession. | | | | must be able to create an enthusiasm for the field |
| A forensic toxicology expert might be primarily | | | | among students in addition to teaching them science. |
| involved in providing testimony in courts about the | | | | Scientific jobs thus involve being more than just |
| effect of alcohol on human body and driving skills, | | | | scientists. In fact few scientific jobs require you to |
| and explaining the significance of the results of a | | | | be a scientist these days. |
| defendant's breath and blood tests. Such a function | | | | |