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Medical Illustrators and Photographers

Employment Prospects

Employers

Approximately 26,300 fine artists, including medical illustrators, and 151,100 photographers, including medical photographers, are employed in the United States. Both medical illustrators and photographers work at hospitals, medical centers and schools, veterinary schools, academic institutions, and Web, multimedia, and animation firms. Medical legal or law firms, laboratories, pharmaceutical companies, publishers of medical and scientific textbooks, and advertising agencies also employ illustrators and photographers.

Starting Out

Graduates of medical illustration programs should develop a portfolio of their work to show to prospective employers or clients. Most schools offer career counseling and job placement assistance to their graduates. Job ads and employment agencies are also potential sources for locating work. Likewise, aspiring medical photographers should assemble a professional portfolio of their best photos to show potential employers.

Medical illustrators and photographers can also find job placement assistance with the Association of Medical Illustrators and the BioCommunications Association. Beginning illustrators and photographers should consider joining one of these professional associations not only for job leads, but also to meet other workers in the field and stay on top of trends and advancements in the industry.