Medical Librarians

Overview

Medical Librarians

Introduction

Medical librarians, also called medical information specialists, help doctors, patients, and other medical personnel find health information and select materials best suited to their needs. These specialized librarians work in hospitals, medical schools, corporations, and university medical centers. There are approximately 142,200 librarians employed in the United States; a small percentage are medical librarians.

Quick Facts


Median Salary

$64,370

Employment Prospects

Fair

Minimum Education Level

Masters Degree


Experience

One to three years experience


Skills

Information Management|Interpersonal|Research


Personality Traits

Helpful|Organized|Realistic

Earnings

Salaries depend on such factors as the location, size, and type of library, the amount of experience the medical librarian has, and the responsibilities of the position. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, median annual earnings of all librarians in May 2023 were $64,370. Salaries ranged from less than $38,960 to more than $101,970. ZipRecruiter reports that the median salary for a typic...

Work Environment

Medical librarians must do a considerable amount of sitting and reading to keep informed in order to serve library patrons. They must also spend a lot of time staying up to date with constantly changing technology. Some medical librarians may find the work demanding and stressful when they deal with users who are working under deadline pressure. Medical librarians working in technical services ...

Outlook

The U.S. Department of Labor reports that employment for librarians will grow by 3 percent through 2033, which is about as fast as the average for all careers. Librarians who work in research and special libraries will have more job opportunities, however, due to the increased availability of electronic information. Individuals trained to catalog and organize medical information will be in stea...