Health & Medicine
Research & Development
Degree plus
Clinical Scientist
Lead specialist scientific investigations in NHS labs to diagnose disease, develop tests and improve patient care.
A day in the life
Validate new diagnostic assays, analyse patient samples, interpret complex results, and train clinical staff.
Entry routes
- A-level Physics + Maths + Biology/Chemistry
- Biomedical Science, Physics or Medicine-related degree
- NHS Scientist Training Programme (STP)
Typical salary
£28,000-£35,000 to £80,000+
Mid-career: £45,000-£65,000
NHS banding; consultant clinical scientists earn more.
UK employers
- NHS
- Genomics England
- Public Health England
- Siemens Healthineers
Worldwide employers
- Mayo Clinic
- Johns Hopkins
- Roche Diagnostics
- Quest Diagnostics
Useful route links
These links are good starting points for courses, apprenticeships, graduate routes and professional training. They open the official or specialist sites rather than another summary page.
UCAS course search: healthcare science
Compare degree prospectuses, entry requirements, open days and course structures.
ucas.com
NHS Scientist Training Programme
Structured graduate training route for clinical scientist careers.
nshcs.hee.nhs.uk
NHS Health Careers
Explore healthcare science, medical technology and NHS career routes.
healthcareers.nhs.uk
UKRI studentships and research funding
Explore UK research councils and postgraduate research funding routes.
ukri.org
UCAS Physics and astronomy courses
Search UK undergraduate physics, astrophysics and related degree options.
ucas.com
Prospects: what can I do with a physics degree?
Independent overview of careers that physics graduates enter.
prospects.ac.uk
Key skills
Explore related careers
Sources and further reading
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