A career as a virologist may be appealing if you love performing tests and want to work in the medical industry. These experts research and create strategies for reducing the spread of common diseases, infections, and ailments in communities. To be effective in this field, you need to have substantial knowledge and experience in medicine and health. In this post, we’ll look at what a virologist is, what their responsibilities are, and how to become one.
What is a virologist?
A virologist is a doctor that specializes in studying illnesses and viruses that affect animals, fungi, natural ecosystems, people, and insects. Many virologists diagnose and research various viral illnesses in order to find strategies to avoid recurrence. They may work at colleges or academic institutions to teach students about the medical subjects they are studying, or they may advise medical team members in various government or health agencies on how to deal with community outbreaks or diseases.
What does a virologist do?
Virologists are medical professionals who study and report on viruses such as Ebola, rubella, HIV, and chickenpox on a regular basis. Some virologists specialize in academic or research environments. Others may want to become doctors so that they may apply what they’ve learned in their studies to treat and cure people. They might possibly utilize this information to build new antiviral drugs or vaccines.
Job outlook
The job outlook for virologists is promising, especially with the daily development of new viruses and the ongoing research process. Virologists work in almost every area, including food, health, agriculture, pollution control, biotechnology, and medicines. They work in government agencies and laboratories as well.
A virologist’s average yearly pay is around $53,000. Salary is highly dependent on degree and training, experience, and the location of employment.
How to become a Virologist
Follow these steps to successfully become a Virologist:
Because virology is a branch of biology, you’ll require a biology bachelor’s degree. At the university level, you will also need to take Physics and Chemistry.
A graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Microbiology is competent to work as a veterinarian microbiologist, research assistant, or food microbiologist, among other research and technical professions. A virologist’s laboratory and clinical experience are crucial, and most virologists get this experience during graduate school.
After graduating from medical school, you can continue to expand your knowledge and experience through three-year residency programs. They can work directly under doctors in the field of medicine that interests them throughout this program. The majority of virologists prefer to do residencies in internal medicine or pediatrics since these fields are more closely tied to identifying and treating common viruses.
You can look for jobs as a supervisor or laboratory manager, research associate, or community college lecturer with a Master of Science in Microbiology. For the highest positions in this profession, such as professor in a college or university, researcher, or research director, a doctoral degree, PhD in Microbiology, is required.