Medical%20education%20and%20communications:%20an%20agency%20overview

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Medical education and communications an agency
overview

• Mike Gazeley
• Director of Training and Consultancy
• KnowledgePoint 360 Group

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Why do MCE agencies exist?

• To help the pharmaceutical industry effectively
  educate healthcare professionals about their
  products and services
• Assist in provision and maintenance of
  professional education to the healthcare industry
• Ensure highest ethical standards are maintained
  in provision of medical education to the
  healthcare industry

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What services do MCE agencies offer?
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Our key pharma contacts

• Product/brand managers
• responsible for product marketing strategy
• Medical managers
• responsible for clinical and regulatory strategy
• Clinical scientists
• responsible for design and conduct of clinical
  trials
• Other contacts
• Economists
• responsible for pharmacoeconomic assessments
• Corporate
• responsible for company image

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Their goals

• Maximise sales
• Maximise product lifecycle
• Demonstrate medical and marketing competence
• Protect credibility
• Be successful!

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How can agencies help?

• Listen
• Interpret and propose solutions
• Confirm
• Act quickly and decisively
• Communicate regularly - even bad news!
• Deliver on-time and to expectations

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Typical agency jobs?

• Account/Project management
• Project organization and schedule management
• financial management
• progress and status updates
• Client and business services
• client management
• business development
• proposal and service agreement negotiations
• Medical Scientific Services
• scientific consultancy and advice
• medical writing
• Thought leader and client liaison

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Typical entry requirements

• Scientific qualification
• Life-science
• PhD or PharmD preferred for MSS
• Writing ability
• Medical writing test required for MSS job roles
• Good communicator
• Organized and good time management
• Multitasking ability
• Team player
• Positive attitude

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Typical MSS structure
Operations Manager
Team Leader
Senior Scientific Director
Principal MW
Scientific Director
Senior MW
Associate Scientific Director
Medical Writer
Associate MW
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What is an AMW?

• Associate (trainee) Medical Writer
• First step on medical writing ladder
• Work under close supervision of SMW/PW/TL
• Undertake foundation training programme
• Expectations
• Write high quality, scientifically accurate copy
  that consistently meets communication objectives,
  regulatory, styling and audience requirements
• Assessment
• Set objectives and annual review
• Coaching and continual on-the-job assessment
• Formal assessment every 6 months

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Agency medical writing

• Whats it like?

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From first impressionsto

• What is all this jargon?
• Clients, thought leaders, briefs, outlines,
  procedures, timesheets
• What if I dont have any particular therapeutic
  area experience?
• Dont panic lots of us didnt when we
  started!
• What is expected of me?
• Job description, objective setting, appraisals

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gaining experienceand

• Writing, writing and writing
• abstracts
• posters
• papers
• slides
• newsletters
• exhibition panels
• the list goes on!

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getting out and about!
Satellite symposium France 2003
Oncology franchise stand alone Brazil 2001
Prostate cancer stand alone Greece 2005
Advisory board Italy 2006
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Learning to

• Prepare communication and publication plans
• Work with medical experts and clients
• Present ideas, proposals and pitches
• Manage a team

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and progressing

• How fast?
• its up to you!
• Assessment?
• absolutely!
• Support?
• managers, senior staff, training
• Opportunity?
• You bet!
• competitive industry, experience valued
• freelance and home/remote working opportunities
• have laptop, can travel!

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A rewarding career

• For sure!
• Applying science background to something a bit
  different
• Working with international clients and experts
• Pressure and rewards of events, completing
  projects
• Travelling
• Opportunities for creativity
• Identifying opportunities for improvements and/or
  new business
• Learning from and mentoring others
• Variety

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So.consider medical writing if you like

• Scientific rigour
• The challenge of service excellence (the hard
  bit!)
• Language
• Teamwork
• Finding solutions
• Being creative
• Computers and tech
• Being organised
• Commercial application

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Related career options

• Commissioning editors
• Managing editors
• Health analysts
• Pharma company publications and communication
  managers
• Medical information
• Copy editing