Medical illustrators are professional artists “with specialized training and advanced education in medicine, science, art, design, visual technology, media techniques, and in theories related to communication and learning.” These artists work together with a variety of other professionals to visually demonstrate certain medical concepts and situations to some particular audience. If this career sounds interesting to you, follow along as we take a look at some of the places in which medical illustrators work today. Here are five vocational roles in which medical illustration abounds.
Patient Education
You’ve likely been in a doctor’s office or some other type of medical facility and seen various medical illustrations placed throughout that establishment. These are all likely to be the work of a medical illustrator. While these illustrations demonstrate any number of valuable health and anatomical concepts to patients, doctors and nurses often refer to them as well in patient explanations and even in their own contemplative efforts on the job.
Courtroom Exhibition
In many court cases, the need can arise in which the judge and/or jury needs to become keenly familiar with a certain medical event or anatomical concept. It is at this point where lawyers will often present illustrations in order to convey the information clearly. Sometimes medical experts called as witnesses will also rely on these illustrations to tell a story in the courtroom. Behind it all is the medical illustrator, working to create these highly relied upon forms of media.
Trade Show Exhibition
Trade shows are essentially conventions in which a large group of service or good providers get together and show off their products in mass. In the medical world, many of these trade show exhibitions take place presenting new procedures, medical tools and devices, and more. While verbal explanations do provide some justice, the complete story is almost always better told via expert medical illustrations. For this reason, medical illustration work is quite pertinent here.
Veterinary, Pet Market Illustration
The veterinary and pet markets are also quite heavy subscribers to the offerings of medical illustration. This can be seen in veterinary and pet care facilities throughout the world. It can also be seen in advertising and other media devotions to the pet and animal industries. If you are a medical illustrator who enjoys working with animals, this may be just the right vocational subset of the discipline for you.
Mobile App Illustration
Finally, the massive world of mobile apps also has a sizeable place for the medical illustrator today. Many app development firms come to rely greatly on medical illustrations for varying purposes. These can be for educational, marketing, or even entertainment purposes within said apps. As a medical illustrator working in the world of app development, you will find plenty of projects needing your particular brand of applied expertise.
It’s often said that a picture is worth 1,000 words, and the field of medical illustration is a perfect example of that exact assertion. These five above-mentioned job roles using this particular skill are just a few examples of the many to be found out there. For even more guidance on medical illustration work today, the Association of Medical Illustrators is a fantastic resource with which to query further.
