Career Path Thread: Money is happiness

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Ask/Tell > Business, Finance, and Careers > Career Path Thread: Money is happiness

DTaeKim: Aug 16, 2009

I figure this is a long shot, but does anyone know or work as a medical science liaison or work in the drug industry? I'm a pharmacist with ten years of experience in oncology and specialty infusions looking for a career change and out of the hospital because I'm fed up post-COVID.

# ¿ Jun 23, 2021 15:39

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# ¿ May 11, 2024 16:31

DTaeKim: Aug 16, 2009

So my wife is figuring out what to do to reenter the workforce. She has an English degree from right around the economic crash in 2008 and hasn't really used it. She studied to be a certified medical assistant and worked for a year, but quit to be a stay-at-home mom when we had twins. After six years, she really doesn't want to get re-certified as a CMA. She would like remote work if possible and open to attending community college for a complete career change if needed.

Any ideas? Maybe computer toucher?

# ¿ May 9, 2022 18:33

DTaeKim: Aug 16, 2009

Basically she likes to write. She's looked into copywriting, copyediting, technical writer, and potentially medical writing but we're not sure how to start.

She said she's basically willing to do whatever though and would like remote work if feasible.

# ¿ May 10, 2022 14:41

DTaeKim: Aug 16, 2009

Still in hospital pharmacy after 13 years but managed to snag a position where I'm now underworked and overpaid. No real opportunities for advancement though and I'm still trying to transition to industry.

Currently studying for an oncology certification which I'm hoping helps my resume. In the meantime, I'm thinking of picking up a position at a community college teaching future pharmacy technicians. What should I expect? Is this a bad idea to add to a full-time workload?

# ¿ Feb 16, 2024 19:07

DTaeKim: Aug 16, 2009

knox_harrington posted:

I can't answer your actual question but I can answer questions about getting into industry. What job are you targeting?

Nothing specific. I'm kind of at a loss because I've been targeting medical science liaison jobs because it seems to be the most logical step but I presume I fail because I lack networking.

I've been told I can break into clinical pharmacology with a PharmD degree but my work experience is more end-user related, not as much research and clinical pharmacology. I am a quick learner and have delved into some reading on the side, but nothing specific as I lack direction.

# ¿ Feb 21, 2024 18:21

DTaeKim: Aug 16, 2009

knox_harrington posted:

Sorry for the delay getting back.

So. You really need to work out what specific niche you want to work in. The pharma industry is huge and broad and has lots of specialisation that does not transfer directly to other specialties. If it's medical affairs / MSL you want to do then fine but you should consider that as the industry you're looking at.

My impression is that you don't have enough relevant experience to get through the initial screen. To work effectively as a MSL you need to be able to discuss the therapy you're working on with physicians who are key opinion leaders, and that means having very good therapeutic area experience (in a medical way rather pharmacy way) and facility with all the research context for competing therapies. A PharmD is a good start but you need to have some way to demonstrate how you will do the above and what value you will bring.

I would not really think clinical pharmacology is a natural fit, they are really stats heavy rather than pharmacy, I may be wrong though.

My own work is in clinical development, so designing and running clinical trials. We get lots of PharmDs coming in to clinical science, but you need to bring something to the table in one or more of: deep therapeutic area experience (eg, heme-onc), therapy experience (eg, cell therapy), clinical research experience, pharma industry experience. A straight PharmD doesn't cut it. I'm not a pharmacist I'm a medical scientist, but what qualified my entry to industry in clinical science was many years of clinical research experience in heme-onc / HSCT and gene therapy, to get a junior clinical scientist position.

I'm not sure what point you're at in your career but a PharmD fellowship is an excellent way to get into an industry job. (I actually don't really like hiring PharmD fellows because their expectations are high compared to their experience, but it is a good route for the individual). Failing that you could look at getting research experience at a hospital (and hospital inpatient pharmacy experience is a different league from retail).

I've actually been working as an oncology specialty pharmacist for 13 years with involvement in running clinical trials, mostly on execution and the pharmacy side. I think I'm falling short because of the lack of networking and the fact I'm working for a less prestigious hospital system in a major city (I had one interviewer tell me that if I had worked at one of the research hospitals in the city as opposed to a suburban one, I'd be a better candidate).

# ¿ Mar 6, 2024 00:00

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# ¿ May 11, 2024 16:31

DTaeKim: Aug 16, 2009

Thanks for the input and insight. I thought about the lateral move, but doing so would significantly increase my work commute (25 minutes to 75 minutes) and lower my pay by 10 percent, which doesn't seem to be worth it. I'm currently pursuing another certification (board certified in oncology) and then plan on networking at professional meetings afterwards.

# ¿ Mar 7, 2024 14:39

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Ask/Tell > Business, Finance, and Careers > Career Path Thread: Money is happiness