How to Become a Medical Librarian

Many medical librarians prepare themselves for their career by first earning a bachelor's degree concentrating on management, medical terminology, biology, medical sciences, and similar topics, though any will suffice.

A master's degree in library and information science is necessary to become a medical librarian.

1. Earn a Bachelor's Degree (4 Years)

First you have to get a bachelor's degree if you want to get into a library science graduate program. While there is no specific major requirements, some schools might look for humanities, social sciences or science backgrounds.

It wouldn't hurt if you decided to take science or pre-med courses during college since you are going into a field where you need to know about subjects related to medicine.

A course load for a library science major could look like the following:

Grade Level	Example Courses
Freshman	English 101, 102 History 101 Foreign Language 101,102 Aesthetic Values (art, music) College Math Psychology Electives
Sophomore	English Communication Studies Foreign Language 201, 202 Physics I & Lab Library Science 201 History 102 Humanities Requirements Electives
Junior	Lib. Science 401 Lib. Science 405 Lib. Science 416 Lib. Science 408 Lib. Science 411 Lib. Science 415 Lib. Science 417 Humanities Requirements Electives
Senior	Lib. Science 418 Lib. Science 445 Lib. Science 491 Lib. Science 489 Remaining Requirements & Electives

Additionally, courses in the following areas could assist your career path:

Medical terminology
Anatomy
nursing
Epidemiology
Biostatistics
Computer science
Database structure, design, and searching
Web design
Adult education or teaching experience

2. Take the Graduate Requisite Exam (GRE)

Most graduate programs require the GRE for admittance. It's a 3 hour and 45 minute, standardized, multiple choice exam that covers analytical writing, quantitative reasoning, and verbal reasoning.

The GRE is broken down into six primary sections:

Section	Section Breakdown
1 Analytical Writing Section	2 writing assignments 60 minutes Tests student's abilities to assess arguments and communicate ideas.
2 Quantitative Reasoning Sections	20 multiple-choice questions 35 minutes per section Tests student's abilities to solve mathematical problems and interpret data.
2 Verbal Reasoning Sections	20 questions per section 30 minutes per section Tests the ability to understand and analyze written material
1 Unscored Section	A duplicate of one of the above sections

You can find study materials, GRE registration, and test scores on the GRE website.

3. Earn a Master's Degree (2 Years)

Medical librarians must have a Master of Library and Information Science degree from a school with an ALA-accredited program.

These programs are typically 48 semester hours of graduate-level course work and focus on the following:

Human Information Interactions (3.0 credits) (suggested for first or second semester)
Information Resources and Services (3.0 credits) (suggested for first or second semester)
Resource Selection and Evaluation (3.0 credits) (suggested for first or second semester)
Organization of Information (3.0 credits) (suggested for first or second semester)
Overview of Research Methods (3.0 credits) (suggested for first or second semester)
Management for Information Professionals (3.0 credits) (suggested for third semester)
Proposal Preparation and Presentation (1.5 credits) (suggested for third semester)
Master's Thesis

There are certain library science graduate programs that give you the option of choosing a health sciences or medical library concentration.

Some colleges have dual degree programs that allow you to get your medical degree and your master's degree in library science.

4. Earn a Doctoral Degree (Optional)

Optionally, a medical librarian can also earn a degree in medical informatics or go on to pursue a PhD in Library and Information Science. Regardless of exact academic details, the universities chosen should be accredited by the American Library Association (ALA).

The degree will also have a specialty track, such as special libraries, public libraries, and so on, and may involve information technology studies to help with current electronic and database management in the medical world.

5. Join a Credentialing Program

Once you become a medical librarian, you may apply for membership in the Academy of Health Information Professionals, a credentialing program for medical librarians sponsored by the Medical Library Association (MLA).