preview

Scientist-Become-A-Geneticist Career

Better Essays

Biology is a huge, constantly expanding field that requires advanced degrees and specialization in order to be in a position to make discoveries. A personal area of interest is the practice of genetic research. Someone in this field would investigate heredity characteristics in order to predict risks for health conditions, develop specialized pharmaceuticals, organize clinical trials for experimental treatments, as well as helping doctors administer personalized genetic treatment (http://study.com/articles/Genetic_Scientist_Job_Description_Duties_and_Requirements.html). At least a master's degree is required, although a docorate is preferd. The appeal of this career path is understanding the underlying mechanisms which have physical implications …show more content…

In order to get a close human analogue, experimentation on plants and animals is required. An advanced education is necessary in order to know how to set up experimental protocols as well as knowing what to do with the aquired data. A solid foundation in research and data analysis are invaluable skills for the position. A master's degree is required in this field in order to be a senior-lelvel researcher, while a doctorate if there are hopes of running a lab or getting involved in academics (http://www.academicinvest.com/science-careers/biology-careers/how-to-become-a-geneticist). Example of some respected organizations in this area would be the National Human Genome Research Institute or the Dronamraju Krishna Rao - Foundation for Genetic Research located in Houston, …show more content…

A typical work day for, say. a prenatal genetic researcher could involve testing to see if the prospective child is at a risk for disease X. The mother mentions having a family with a history for the condition, but fortunately there is a test for it. The two major questions that need answering would be "Is the child going to have condition X?" and "Is he going to be a carrier for condition X?" Once the results are in, the client may ask "How do I go abut making the right decision regarding the health of my child?" Genetic testing can be done by extracting some of the child's blood from within the mother and testing for certain markers. Once the tests are ready, the geneticist would assist the parents on what possible choices are available to make. It is important to note that the decisions vary in size and scope depending on the characteristics of condition X. If it was something like Huntington's dease, where symptoms don't show until middle age, then there is presure on the parents to let the child grow up and decide what to do with their life on their own. If it was a disease with a much lower age expectancy, then the decision must be made considering different aspects. This is the type of reason that a professional in the field would have to brief their clients on. A researcher could turn to statistics regarding quality of life and life expectancy

Get Access