Frequently asked questions
Here are some frequently asked questions that we received.
- What is a medical science liaison?
- What are clinical science liaisons?
- How do I become a medical liaison?
- What kind of medical science liaison training is available?
- Are doctorate or PhD degrees required for medical science liaisons?
- A career dilemma for PhD scientists
- PharmD ex-MSLs: not all roses either
What is a medical science liaison?
Medical Science Liaisons or MSLs serve as catalysts of collaboration between pharmaceutical companies and thought leaders. Medical science liaisons are essential conduits to the quality and success of transmission of timely information, research resources, and business intelligence. Source: MSLs, an overview.
What are clinical science liaisons?
Some will say these are the same roles, some will argue that these are "clinical trial liaisons" or MSL-like functions that focus primarily on the clinical trial programs. Perhaps the correct answer to this question is, "what do you mean by your question?"...
More on the many job titles describing the medical science liaison role.
How do I become a medical liaison?
The unhelpful answer is: "you need prior MSL experience", but I'm not trying to be funny or mean about it - if you ask a typical aspiring MSL what the #1 roadblock to getting that coveted MSL position, he or she will tell you this very answer!
If you asked this back in the year 2001, I may encourage you to network with pharma industry colleagues and show concrete proof of interpersonal skills and project management results. The reality is that we're in 2009, and the market is now full of highly educated healthcare professionals with their eye on the MSL job. The competition is really tough.
So tough, in fact, I created a LinkedIn group specifically for those who want to become MSLs. Not to discourage you, but to help you see how tough the competition is, and not to give up so quickly.
What kind of medical science liaison training is available?
My answer to this question would depend on who you are, and why you're asking this question. If you are a current MSL, for example, the answer you're looking for would be very different from the answer that a prospective MSL is looking for.
For the most part, I'm asked this question by prospective MSLs, who really mean to ask, "what educational offerings are there that will help me become a MSL" or "what can I do to improve my chances of becoming a MSL?"
For the first question, I'd recommend that those of you still in school get in some clinical coursework. Preferably hands-on clinical experience, but I understand that if you're a PhD student, clinical experience is hard to come by. By clinical, I mean "dealing with human beings", not monkeys or rats. Remember, in the pharma world, animal models don't count as clinical experience - they consider this preclinical experience.
For the second question, I'd give you the answer that we all loathe to receive: "It depends." Not to give you a hard time, but seriously, it depends. If you ask 10 MSLs how they got their foot in the door, you may get 10 different answers, and none of these may be THE right answer for you. That said, no matter what the approach, the time-tested "networking" is still #1. You can't beat a personal referral, and you can't develop personal referrals without developing personal relationships.
Are PhD degrees required for medical science liaisons?
The first ever MSLs back in the late 1960s were the most scientifically savvy sales representatives who wanted to talk more science at a deeper level. Back then, doctorate degrees were not a requirement, and it was only in the 1980s that doctorate-degreed MSLs became en vogue. Today most companies require a doctorate degree because of compliance considerations, as supporting evidence that the company is serious about using MSLs in a scientific - not sales - function. Companies hire MSLs with PhDs, PharmD, and MD degrees.
This doesn't mean that without a doctorate degree, you can't be a MSL. In some therapeutic areas, nursing experience is highly valued, because of the patient care experience that accompany this.
A career dilemma for PhD scientists
Back when I started writing about MSLs in 2000, when I was a MSL and for two companies the very first PhD hired into the MSL role, I encouraged other PhDs to look into the MSL career.
You see me doing very little of this now, because I've been around long enough to see an issue rarely addressed for PhDs who go into a career like the MSL career.
When you're a pharmacist and trained as a PharmD, you have good contingency plan. If something bad happens, you can always apply for a job as a pharmacist and still make a pretty good living. You won't make as much as a MSL, but you aren't going to deviate too much from your standard of living (unless you're living beyond your means).
Same goes for nurses, physician assistants, those with prior sales experience, and board certified MDs. These professionals all have established "plan B" should the time calls and they need to take it.
PhDs, on the other hand, leave labs and they should see this as the final exit. I'm not saying that you can't go back to researching whatever you were researching before you left the lab and transitioned into an industry career, and particularly a non-research, non-lab career like the MSL career. I'm saying that you will have an extremely difficult time doing what you were trained to do, because you would already be far behind amongst your peers.
I'm writing this in 2009, but I've been seeing MSL programs eliminated and entire teams laid off ever since late 2006. There are many MSLs who have experience and don't have jobs right now. There are many more who are worried about their jobs. The reality is that at most companies, the MSL function is seen as a cost-center, and a heavy one at that. It can be easy to justify cutting heads from the MSL team to save the company money, or when the company's drugs go generic, or when an investigational drug approval process gets interrupted.
Any PhD who enters the MSL career should consider the "what if's", especially in today's times. What if I lose my job as a MSL? What are my alternatives? If an academic track has been this difficult for postdocs, what additional difficulties will this route present now that I've been out of the academic scene for a few years?
This is why you won't see me eager to encourage every single PhD into this MSL career. I know the long term career risks as a PhD, and I have been around long enough to see the way companies hire and lay off MSL teams. Those of us who have PhDs and have worked as MSLs will know that once we chose this path, we are setting ourselves for a lifetime of alternative career paths. For some who have no plan B should their MSL careers become interrupted, now is the time to consider what plan B's may be available.
I thought PharmD ex-MSLs would have it better but...
I got this via email from a PharmD and want to share it:
"Dear Dr. Chin,
There was a comment made at some point regarding persons with PharmD's being able to go back and practice when the MSL or other positions are no longer available, as is applicable in today's market. There is only problem, and that there is a steady influx of new pharmacists and once you stop practicing you are no longer really considered for a position that you might have left. There is no need for a company to take a pharmacist that has not practiced in X amount of years when they can take a new graduate or even someone currently working. The effect is essentially the same as a PhD who left the bench to pursue a career in the industry. "
FREE SPECIAL REPORT!
5 Deadly Mistakes Aspiring MSLs Make When Applying for MSL Jobs -
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5 Deadly Mistakes Aspiring MSLs Make When Applying for MSL Jobs - Why these can Kill your Chances of Becoming a Medical Science Liaison and How to Avoid Them!
From: Jane Chin, Ph.D. Founder, MSL Institute
Dear Aspiring Medical Science Liaison Professional:
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