Activities	Create material designed to facilitate the recording and dissemination of medical and scientific knowledge through visual communication media.
Outlook	Average job growth
Median Income	$42,700 per year in 2008
Work Context & Conditions	Medical illustrators usually work indoors and work regular hours. They use their hands to handle, control, or feel objects, tools or controls.
Minimum Education Requirements	Bachelor's Degree
Skills	Quality Control Analysis, Equipment Selection, Judgment and Decision Making, Operations Analysis, Speaking
Abilities	Visualization, Originality, Visual Color Discrimination
Interviews	Don Bliss

Job Category		Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, & Media
Job Description		Medical and scientific illustrators combine drawing skills with knowledge of biology or other sciences. Medical illustrators draw illustrations of human anatomy and surgical procedures. Scientific illustrators draw illustrations of animal and plant life, atomic and molecular structures, and geologic and planetary formations. The illustrations are used in medical and scientific publications and in audiovisual presentations for teaching purposes. Medical illustrators also work for lawyers, producing exhibits for court cases.
Working Conditions		Medical illustrators usually work indoors and work regular hours. They use their hands to handle, control, or feel objects, tools or controls. Most artists work in fine or commercial art studios located in office buildings, or in private studios in their homes. Some fine artists share studio space, where they also may exhibit their work. Studio surroundings usually are well lit and ventilated; however, fine artists may be exposed to fumes from glue, paint, ink, and other materials. Artists who sit at drafting tables or use computers for extended periods may experience back pain, eyestrain, or fatigue. Artists employed by publishing companies, advertising agencies, and design firms generally work a standard 40-hour week. During busy periods, they may work overtime to meet deadlines. Self-employed artists can set their own hours, but may spend much time and effort selling their artwork to potential customers or clients and building a reputation.
Salary Range		Median annual earnings of salaried fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators, were $42,700 in 2008. The middle 50 percent earned between $29,200 and $60,700. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $20,800, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $83,400. Earnings for self-employed artists vary widely. Some charge only a nominal fee while they gain experience and build a reputation for their work. Others, such as well-established freelance fine artists and illustrators, can earn more than salaried artists. Many, however, find it difficult to rely solely on income earned from selling paintings or other works of art. Like other self-employed workers, freelance artists must provide their own benefits.

Education Required		Training requirements for artists vary by specialty. Although formal training is not strictly necessary for fine artists, it is very difficult to become skilled enough to make a living without some training. Many colleges and universities offer degree programs leading to the Bachelor in Fine Arts (BFA) and Master in Fine Arts (MFA) degrees. Coursework usually includes core subjects, such as English, social science, and natural science, in addition to art history and studio art. Independent schools of art and design also offer postsecondary studio training in the fine arts leading to an Associate in Art (AA) or Bachelor in Fine Arts (BFA) degree. Typically, these programs focus more intensively on studio work than the academic programs in a university setting. Formal educational programs in art also provide training in computer techniques. Computers are used widely in the visual arts, and knowledge and training in them are critical for many jobs in these fields. Illustrators learn drawing and sketching skills through training in art programs and extensive practice. Most employers prefer candidates with a bachelor's degree; however, some illustrators are contracted based on their portfolios of past work. Medical illustrators must have both a demonstrated artistic ability and a detailed knowledge of living organisms, surgical and medical procedures, and human and animal anatomy. A 4-year bachelor's degree combining art and premedical courses usually is preferred, followed by a master's degree in medical illustration. This degree is offered in only five accredited schools in the United States. Evidence of appropriate talent and skill, displayed in an artist's portfolio, is an important factor used by art directors, clients, and others in deciding whether to hire or contract out work. The portfolio is a collection of hand-made, computer-generated, photographic, or printed samples of the artist's best work. Assembling a successful portfolio requires skills usually developed in a bachelor's degree program or other postsecondary training in art or visual communications. Internships also provide excellent opportunities for artists to develop and enhance their portfolios. Many artists freelance on a part-time basis while continuing to hold a full-time job until they are established. Others freelance part-time while still in school, to develop experience and to build a portfolio of published work. Freelance artists try to develop a set of clients who regularly contract for work. Some freelance artists are widely recognized for their skill in specialties such as magazine or children's book illustration. These artists may earn high incomes and can pick and choose the type of work they do. Fine artists advance professionally as their work circulates and as they establish a reputation for a particular style. Many of the most successful artists continually develop new ideas, and their work often evolves over time.
Recommended High School Courses		Computers and Electronics, Biology, Design, Fine Arts
Postsecondary Instructional Programs		Fine Arts, Design, Biology, Medicine and Dentistry
Certification and Licensing		None

Interest Area		Artistic Involves a degree of self-expression and working with forms, designs, and patterns and without a clear set of rules.
Work Values		Achievement Get a feeling of accomplishment. Independence Work alone.
Skills		Quality Control Analysis Conduct tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance. Equipment Selection Determine the kind of tools and equipment needed to do a job. Judgment and Decision Making Be able to weigh the relative costs and benefits of a potential action. Operations Analysis Analyze needs and product requirements to create a design. Speaking Talk to others to effectively convey information.
Abilities		Visualization Able to imagine how something will look after it's moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged. Originality Come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem. Visual Color Discrimination The ability to match or detect differences between colors, including shades of color and brightness.

Related Jobs		Curator, Health and Medical Science Museum
Job Outlook		Employment of artists and related workers is expected to grow about as fast as the average through the year 2018. Because the arts attract many talented people with creative ability, the number of aspiring artists continues to grow. Consequently, competition for both salaried jobs and freelance work in some areas is expected to be keen. The need for artists to illustrate and animate materials for magazines, journals, and other printed or electronic media will spur demand for illustrators and animators of all types. Growth in motion picture and video industries will provide new job opportunities for illustrators, cartoonists, and animators. Competition for most jobs, however, will be strong, because job opportunities are relatively few and the number of people interested in these positions usually exceeds the number of available openings. Employers should be able to choose from among the most qualified candidates. Artists held about 221,000 in 2008, of that total, Medical Illustrators held about 23,600 jobs. More than half were self-employed. Of the artists who were not self-employed, many worked in advertising and related services; newspaper, periodical, book, and software publishers; motion picture and video industries; specialized design services; and computer systems design and related services. Some self-employed artists offered their services to advertising agencies, design firms, publishing houses, and other businesses on a contract or freelance basis.
More Information		National Association of Schools of Art and Design, Association of Medical Illustrators
References		Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-11 Edition, Artists and Related Workers, on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos092.htm O*NET OnLine, on the Internet at http://online.onetcenter.org/link/summary/27-1013.01