Pharma opportunites

[Zara00]

Hi, I'm a Pharmacist from the UK with several years of hospital and retail experience. I am also a Pharmacist in NY currently working in retail, and have also had a few years experience as a hospital Intern. After making the move from London to NY, I was out of the work force for a couple of years due to trying to complete the exams and starting a family etc etc. However, after working a couple of years in NY, I was wondering about making a career change and applying to jobs in the Pharma Industry. I feel like there are a wide variety of fields that will interest me, such as Regulatory Affairs, Pharmacovigilance and R&D. I have been doing my research and also asking around, and a lot of people have mentioned that although it may be difficult to get a foot in the door, it is doable. I can't apply for a fellowship as I don't have a PharmD (in the UK we graduate with a Masters of Pharmacy) and also I believe they are especially catered to fresh Pharmacy graduates...which I am definitely not!

So my question is, is this a silly attempt for me to even consider a shift in career? I understand there may be a lot of competition, and unfortunately due to my lack of experience in the Pharma industry, this will make it even more challenging, but I am willing to work hard and work my way up. Do Pharma industries like if a candidate has dual licensure in different countries? Will it give me an edge to have a Europe link lol Does it even count to anything? I am still registered in the UK and pay my license fees.
I hope this is not a ridiculous question, any help/info would be greatly appreciated! Thanks

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[Hels2007]

A fellowship is definitely off the table, but a career in pharma is certainly not. You can look for positions in medical information/medical communications and safety/pharmacovigilance as the most natural fit for your degree... you can also look for positions in the many agencies that serve pharma (medical education, hire-a-rep, hire-an-MSL, marketing, advertising, PR, market research/insights, competitive intelligence just to name a few) and many are willing to take people 'off the street' with no experience and train them (especially the larger ones) - though you can expect a pay cut vs. retail. You can leverage your retail and hospital experience and your knowledge of UK healthcare system during interviews and in your cover letters... all depends on how sharp your self-presentation skills are. License depends on the role, there are a handful that require an active license, but most do not. Though most pharmacists in industry maintain theirs just because... I put all of my licenses and certifications on my resume just because. Some I have never actually needed, but they make for an interesting conversation starter, and that's often a key to a great interview. People want to bring me in because they want to ask 'just how did you come about this unusual credential or combination of experiences' and getting to an interview is exactly what a resume is meant to do.

 

[Zara00]

Thank you so much that's very encouraging!