A medical librarian is one of the most diverse nontraditional career paths available in health care today. Considering they work wherever biomedical or health information is needed, medical librarians have a much larger variety of working environments and tasks to choose from in contrast to many health care professions. As a result, you must obtain a master’s degree in library sciences (MLS) or information sciences in order to pursue this occupation. The American Library Association has several MLS programs within the United States. Along with earning your MLS, it’s recommended to have some other background or experience in the sciences. For example some related sciences include; allied health, bioinformatics, health sciences or even general
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Some of these numerous work settings3 include; hospitals, clinics, colleges, universities, research centers, academic medical centers, medical schools, insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies, and even federal, state, and local government agencies. These settings will have a large impact on most workplace conditions, such as; job requirements, personality traits, average salary earned, working hours, vacation days, working environments, and even dress code. For example, taking the hospital, setting you might be working in the emergency room2 answering a surgeon’s call for rush information. Here you will mostly be working in a typical office setting, which could be large or small depending on the size of the hospital, working from a computer and phone. You will probably not have a uniform though expected to look professional and presentable at all time, and probably will be given a lab coat and badge for appearances. Depending on how many people are dependent on your work, you will be working extra hours, graveyard and even holidays from time to time. You will need to be able to handle an extremely high stress environment and be able to deliver information efficiently while in such a situation. Personal qualities2 a medical librarian should have or strive to achieve include; critical thinking, excellent communication skills, organization, problem-solving, teaching ability, creativity and curiosity, technological aptitude, and being able to thrive in a constantly changing
Some of these numerous work settings3 include; hospitals, clinics, colleges, universities, research centers, academic medical centers, medical schools, insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies, and even federal, state, and local government agencies. These settings will have a large impact on most workplace conditions, such as; job requirements, personality traits, average salary earned, working hours, vacation days, working environments, and even dress code. For example, taking the hospital, setting you might be working in the emergency room2 answering a surgeon’s call for rush information. Here you will mostly be working in a typical office setting, which could be large or small depending on the size of the hospital, working from a computer and phone. You will probably not have a uniform though expected to look professional and presentable at all time, and probably will be given a lab coat and badge for appearances. Depending on how many people are dependent on your work, you will be working extra hours, graveyard and even holidays from time to time. You will need to be able to handle an extremely high stress environment and be able to deliver information efficiently while in such a situation. Personal qualities2 a medical librarian should have or strive to achieve include; critical thinking, excellent communication skills, organization, problem-solving, teaching ability, creativity and curiosity, technological aptitude, and being able to thrive in a constantly changing