Medical illustrator

Duties and responsibilities: take photographs or films of patients (often concentrating on just one part of the body that has been affected by illness or injury) and process the images or film;

undertake more specialised photography, such as 3D imaging or using specialist cameras, to photograph the structures of a particular part of the body, e.g. the eye, photographing the lens, cornea and retina;

arrange the necessary consent from patients;

take photographs or films of medical equipment to be used by clinicians for teaching purposes;

photograph hospital personnel, buildings and events for use in publicity materials and use desktop publishing packages to produce materials, such as the hospital trust's newspaper or annual report;

specialise in specific areas of photography, e.g. bereavement photography (photographing babies that have been stillborn or have died shortly after birth for parents to keep in remembrance) or forensic photography (photographing'non-accidental injuries', such as human bite marks);

use computers to download, edit and process digital images or films, using software packages such as Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator, or Kodak Photo Desk;

manage and train staff at more senior levels

Salary: $62,000

Education: According to the Association of Medical Illustrators (AMI), most medical illustrators have a master's degree from a program accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (www.ami.org). Before enrolling in a master's degree program in medical illustrating, you need to obtain a bachelor's degree. In your undergraduate program, you may wish to focus on biology and chemistry, as well as take some art classes. Some aspiring medical illustrators earn an undergraduate degree in one of the sciences, while others major in fine arts.

Demand or need for this profession: Medical illustration is a unique applied art discipline comprised of professional medical illustrators and animators. It falls within the more general field of biomedical communication.