Job Opportunities For Medical Biochemistry Graduates in Nigeria

There are many different job opportunities open to a medical biochemistry major in Nigeria. The right job for you will only depend on your personal skills, values, and interests.
However, to be considered for some of these jobs, an advanced degree such as Master's and Ph.D in a medical biochemistry related field is often required.

Research Jobs

Research job is one of the high-paying jobs a medical biochemist can embark on. To be considered for a professional research job offer, an advanced degree such as M.Sc or Ph.D in medical biochemistry related field is mostly the basic requirement.

Howbeit, one can still work as research assistant with a bachelor degree in medical biochemistry to obtain research experience before applying for postgraduate degree.

A medical biochemist can work as a researcher in the following market segments; Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology companies, Medical Research Institutes, Academic Research, Clinical Research, Food & Food Product Development Companies.

Quality Control Jobs (QC)

The main purpose of Quality Control (QC) in the laboratory is to detect, decrease, and correct deficiencies in a laboratory's internal analytical process before the release of product, vaccine or patient results, with the aim improving the quality of the results reported by the laboratory.

The Quality Control Programme is classified into two(2), namely; Internal Quality Control (IQC) and External Quality Control (EQC). The two are laboratory-based. The difference is that; the Internal Quality Control (IQC) is carried out within a private laboratory by scientists(e.g medical  biochemists) employed by the firm.

While the External Quality Control (EQC) is an evaluation carried out by an outside agency on result of analysis supplied by different laboratories against certain predefined standards. An example of such quality control agency in Nigeria is NAFDAC.

All laboratories must have an Internal Quality Control unit to be
able to provide reliable results.

A medical biochemist can work in any of these two laboratory units effectively.

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Marketing or Sales Job

As a medical biochemist, you can work as a sales representative or a sales executive in any company where biochemical instruments/equipments(examples: Ultracentrifuge, Chromatographs, DNA Sequencers, spectrophotometers, PCR Machines and other Analytical instruments) and reagents are produced.
You can also work with developers who develop softwares for research in biochemistry and other related fields.

Other areas where a Medical Biochemistry Graduate can work includes;

• Forensic Laboratory (carry out chemical and biological test to aid police in detection of crime.)
• Food Industry
• Breweries
• Clinical Laboratory (Carry out biochemistry tests such as; urinalysis, renal function test, glucose, antioxidant, electrolytes tests etc.)
• Educational Institutions (Universities and and Technical Colleges)
• And many others not listed here. 

Some Frequently Asked Questions:

Can a Medical Biochemist own a laboratory in Nigeria?
Unfortunately, the answer is NO. Only Medical Laboratory Science(MLS) majors are deemed fit to own a laboratory in Nigeria and they must be are registered and licensed by Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria (MLSCN) before they can practice.

Is Medical Biochemistry a professional course?
Medical Biochemistry is a good course to study, as a medical biochemist, you'll fit into diverse aspects of research and development in biotechnology, vaccine research and development, food and nutrition, pharmaceutical industries, academic research and molecular biology.

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