Sales Rep asking if Masters Degree helps
"I am currently a pharmaceutical sales rep with a reputable company. I want to advance my career as an MSL in the diabetes field. I am a Registered Dietitian (RD) and Certified Diabetes Educator (CDE) and have more than 10 years of clinical experience. I'm looking for a Masters program that fits into my work schedule and family (2 children)."
- Note: question has been edited for clarity and to preserve anonymity.
Jane's Answer:
You may be aware that most MSL positions require doctorate level education. If you are looking to advance your career by means of acquiring more education, it may be more strategic to consider a doctorate level degree instead of a masters level degree.
I know this is not what you wanted to hear. It does takes much more time and resources, but if you are going to invest in schooling, going after a masters degree may not help you very much in the long term plan as a MSL.
That said, I am concerned about the feasibility of the whole situation. Embarking on any education is a big deal - it takes a tremendous amount of resources (time, energy) - not just an issue of tuition and finances. Depending on the age of your children, getting into any degree program where you would need to either attend classes or fulfill coursework requirements in addition the research needed to posit a thesis / dissertation - it is no small feat.
I am obviously going to project my own experiences here, but when I was working on my dissertation (once I finished all my PhD experiments) - that felt like a full time job. Back then, I was working as a sales rep, during my pre-MSL days. It was tough to juggle - and I had NO kids at the time.
Now, I'm in the process of writing a book that is the length of a dissertation and I approached it somewhat like a PhD research topic using qualitative research methods. This time, I have 1 kid and a business, which runs like a full time job. And it feels like an even tougher juggle.
What I'm concerned about is the total sacrifice and risk that you must make to get to "goal". Maybe it warrants looking at a different path to goal, if indeed your ultimate goal is to transition from sales to medical affairs.
I asked 2 of my medical affairs colleagues who currently work in the diabetes field. Here is what each said:
Senior MSL's Response:
I agree with your assessment - don't waste time on a master's when most (if not all) companies are looking for a "terminal" degree as a minimum entry requirement - exceptions are becoming harder to come by. She would still hit the "non-doctorate" ceiling. The diabetes field is not much different from other disease states - same or similar companies (and their directors and vp's) operate there.
Online programs are becoming more accepted, so a possibility that may accommodate her family time would be a PhD (or EdD or Sc.D) in a physical or psycho-social discipline (from conversations with executives, the degree is the first thing; if you can justify why you chose the particular area of study, then that's okay too).
Without knowing more of the specifics, it sounds that she has experience with a branded company; coupling that with her RD/CDE background is probably the next issue. A training program like yours would help in that regard. In addition, she should start building/enhancing her resume/linkedin account with letters of recommendation and appropriate projects/extra assignments.
MSL Director's Response:
I think your advice is sound in that an advanced degree (Ph.D.) is going to be required by most or all companies at some point. That's a shame because some of the best MSLs I've ever had were BSN, RNs. An RD, CDE does not seem to hold much cachet with KOLs but is acceptable for some roles with companies that have a diabetes focus. If she wants to go after another degree to better position herself as an MSL candidate, a Ph.D. would be best.
There is one caveat I'd offer. She may want to talk with the Director over the MSL program for her company and fine out what would be required for her to be a candidate for an MSL role. Get it in writing. That way, she can focus on meeting that goal. Once she has MSL experience, the degree becomes less important.
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July 10th, 2010 - 10:47
Hi there. I am an RD, CDE and have been an Senior MSL for a diabetes biotach for 7 years. i had over 10 years clinical experience and started with a position in sales and after a year was promoted into an MSL position. I was in the process of completing my masters but was a few credits short when i took the position and the traveling never allowed me to finish. I would also rec to speak to the MSL directors and recruiters to find out what these companies are looking for. I personally believe experience is better than adavnced education but now a days it is much easier to get an advanced degree if it woudl benefit you in the future.
July 10th, 2010 - 11:03
I am going to go in a different direction than this posting.
It depends on the nature of the product and your degree. If you are highly trained in diabetes. A nurse educator in diabetes with a certification in diabetes as a BSN, it is quite acceptable. Nurse Practitioners and PA’s are highly sought out by companies.
Many pHd programs are research.lab based. Your fellowships and post docs do not prepare you for an MSL role. A great part of the MSl role is the ability to act as a resource to field reps, understand the regulations, direct your contacts and coordinate multiple field activities. The skill set is different from a pHd with lab focus in molecular biology.
Big pharm wants the pharm D for a reason. Unless you are a pharmacist you may be working hard for a pHd for the wrong reason.
The role of a sales rep and MSL are different. If docs view you as a sales rep the transition in that same region will be difficult. They will alwys view you as sales. The MSL role is different. So if you are a sales rep and hope to be an MSL, you should think of the long term image. In addition, as a sales rep you aqquire “sales skills.” You may take sales courses that become an integral part of your interactions with docs. This set of skills is quite different than that of an MSL. As an MSL, your role is high level clinical information not sales. Can you make the transition from the salesperson that has now developed.
Why not look at clinical research. Learn the FDA regs, writing protocols and drug/pharma submissions. Make yourself an expert in this area and you will never be without work as a masters prepared person.
MSLs demand extensive travel. If you have little one’s at home. Is it a reasonable plan or should you look at the big picture.
regarding docs impression. Impressions are all individual. i KNOW MANY DOCS WHO CANNOT UNDERSTAND WHY A PERSON WOULD SPEND SO LONG IN TRAINING FOR A PhD, MD OR PHARM d TO BECOME A MSL AND NOT USE THEIR FULL SET OF SKILLS. THEY ACTUALLY DO NOT RESPECT THE MSL AND FEEL THEY ARE WASTING THEIR SKILLS AS A MSL.MANY EQUATE THE MSL WITH A SALES REP.
I know MSL with BS degrees that are highly sought out because of their relationships. do not be overthrown by the title and perceived role.
Being a MSl is very different than academics earning your pHd. Very different than being approached by a pharma company to give a series of lectures.
Think about internal core. Talk directly to medical affairs people.
July 10th, 2010 - 11:36
I agree with Jane. A terminal degree represents entry level in nearly every group today. I too have known great MSLs who did not have terminal degrees, but it would be difficult to hire them in today’s market. Sales reps did not necessarily have degrees when I entered the industry, but that changed a number of years ago.
On another note, a PhD is a long arduous path with few rewards at then end. I would look long and hard at what I really wanted before embarking on this to become an MSL. Most MSLs did not pursue a terminal degree for the job, but changed horses somewhere along the line.
July 10th, 2010 - 12:35
Karen and Jim brings up valid points (although off tangent to this original topic – but relates to a project that one of our MSL Quarterly interns is doing)… that is, THE PERCEPTION OF THE MSL PROFESSIONAL by the key opinion leaders.
First, I am glad to hear from Dawn, who offers a personal example that experience DOES matter and is respected by her company. One source of frustration that I have with the general “degree or no degree in MSLs” argument is that it was born first from an ASSUMPTION that has never been robustly tested. That assumption is, “doctors trust others who are like them – doctors or similarly degreed professionals”.
Next, this assumption was then further perpetuated by the series of lawsuits that were brought onto pharma companies due to off-label promotion accusations. Lawyers then decided that for the ease of navigating these compliance gray zones, “let us just go ahead and demand the absolute requirement for doctorate degrees”. This is further compounded by the reality that today, there are plenty of advanced degreed professionals looking to enter the MSL profession – not to mention all those who are already working in this profession. Companies have more candidates to choose from, so they can be picky. It’s a simple law of supply and demand.
Now, Karen and Jim are talking about how KOLs perceive MSLs – and why those MSLs became MSLs in the first place. It may be true that some KOLs start out biased and thinking that anyone who got a doctorate degree and chose an alternative career must be “less than”. Well, those KOLs should pray that their cozy academic or clinical environments don’t force them to reconsider their career paths! Most of the MSL candidates I know, did start out in the sciences or in medicine with high ideals of wanting to make a difference with their scientific or medical expertise.
If you have been reading the literature on the state of the medical and scientific professions (the so called “pure” paths), you’ll be immediately aware of how ridiculous and unsustainable these paths have become for most of the extremely INTELLIGENT minds that have invested decades of their lives getting those degrees. Who could survive coming out of grad/med school with 6 figure debts and then have to work 16+ hour days to break even? Maybe grad students get stipends that allowed them to have less debt, but I personally came out of grad school with 5 figure debt because I wasn’t smart enough to survive on $15,000 a year stipend. And I was already eating snickers bars for breakfast lunch and dinner (maybe ramen would have been cheaper).
So many of my colleagues were forced to choose a different path. And frankly, some of them discovered that they actually enjoyed speaking with people and not rats or cells on a petri dish. Hence, the MSL path becomes an attractive alternative, as does careers in medical writing, medical education/communication, and so forth.
Yet I will admit that yes, we do have some lousy MSL professionals who are incompetent in their jobs and therefore set a poor tone in the KOLs’ minds. Maybe they shouldn’t have been hired in the first place. Maybe they could have been trained better. Maybe they just couldn’t cut it for one reason or another. I don’t know what the reasons may be, but it would be more complex than a carte-blanche “they were rejects from the pure profession”.
July 11th, 2010 - 13:29
This topic hits home particularly hard. I’m and MBA and was an MSL for 9 years with a company, excelled in the job and received ‘superior’ ratings for the last 6 of those 9 years. I was recently let go as the MSL group was ‘restructured’ to include only those with terminal degrees and/or medical education backgrounds as the company moves toward being a commercial entity. Now I’m struggling to find my niche in pharma – tons of recruiter interest in my resume, but once they find out that I’m ‘only’ an MBA I’m out of luck.
Long story made short – an MBA doesn’t mean much at all if you’re pursuing a career as an MSL. If you’ve a terminal degree AND an MBA, however, you can write your own ticket in Pharma.
July 16th, 2010 - 13:44
Another alternative would be to consider a Clinical Science sales positions. More pharmaceutical companies are now hiring sales representatives with clinical backgrounds. This is a relatively new division within pharmaceutical companies.