Medical illustrator: Job description

Medical illustrators produce resources such as photography and graphic images for professionals involved in patient care, teaching, education and research. There are four specialist areas: 

• clinical photography;
• graphic design;
• medical art; and
• videography.

All demand advanced technical ability and an understanding of anatomy. Medical illustrators are categorised as healthcare scientists and are employed primarily by hospitals, medical schools, research establishments and specialist publishers.

Photographers and video producers are involved with delivering visual records of patients' conditions, operations and treatments for medical files, education and research. Graphic designers and artists create artwork for posters, leaflets, audio-visual lecture material, websites and corporate publications.

Typical work activities

The work varies according to the size of the hospital department or private company. A hospital department usually has a number of medical illustrators and perhaps one member of staff (or more) who specialises in video filming and production.

Activities for clinical photographers and videographers typically involve:

• taking photographs or films of patients (often concentrating on just one part of the body that has been affected by illness or injury) and processing the images or film;
• undertaking 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;
• arranging the necessary consent from patients;
• taking photographs or films of medical equipment to be used by clinicians for teaching purposes;
• taking photographs of hospital personnel, buildings and events for use in publicity materials and using desktop publishing packages to produce materials such as the hospital trust's newspaper or annual report;
• specialising 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);
• using computers to download, edit and process digital images or films, using software packages such as Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator, or Kodak Photo Desk;
• at more senior levels, managing and training staff.

Activities for artists and graphic designers typically involve:

• producing artwork and designs for posters and patient information leaflets;
• producing presentations, posters, illustrations and slides or overhead transparencies of patients and treatment procedures for use in lectures, conferences and medical journals;
• designing websites, such as hospital trusts' websites, for patients, doctors and the general public;
• designing the layout for annual reports and other corporate material.