Industrial = working for pharmaceutical industry, where many roles are possible, including some very clinical ones
While most fellows tend to have industry experience, not all do. Generally, the way it works out, if you are from the Connecticut-New York-New Jersey-Pennsylvania area, not having industry experience will be held against you, because it is fairly easy to obtain here. If you are from other parts of the country, especially Midwest, the Rockies, the South, with little or no pharmaceutical industry presence, lack of direct industry experience will not count against you. However, if the candidate has not done an internship or a rotation in industry, the candidate has to show what else he/she has done to explore their interest in whatever function they are applying for, and what experiences they do have that will prepare them to function effectively in that role.
Use proper spelling, for one thing.
Generally, the actual department will not matter, most if not all companies I am aware of (except, possibly, the very small ones) determine pay by putting a position within a certain pay range. So exact department won't matter in most companies. Where you land within the pay range for the position is determined by your personal qualifications, from years of experience, to graduate degrees, to negotiating skills.
The higher end is for those who become MSLs. And don't forget that these people have one (mostly two) years of direct experience in their position, rather than coming fresh from school.
I am no expert in research, but isn't translational science something that deals with very early/discovery stage compounds? That does not correlate very well with your interest being primarily clinical research. What exactly do you mean when you say "clinical research"? What do you enjoy (or you think you would enjoy) about it? Working with actual, live patients? Writing protocols? Analyzing study data? Also, when you say the program's goal is to offer trainign in both clinical and bench research, does that refer to the PhD component? Because PharmD, unless it changed dramatically since I was in school, does not offer much training at all in terms of research. In fact, none, other than critical reading of published studies.
What specifically is the role of PharmD students? Taking medication histories? That's not research per se. Though back when I was in school, that was a fairly common way for PharmD students to make some money and get some additional experience.
A word of caution for you. NEVER assume what someone means. Not with patients (especially with patients, because your recommendation can be completely wrong if you don't dig deeper), not with doctors, not with coworkers. I have been burned more than once early on.
OK. I think one of the Rutgers fellowships is focused specifically on the translational science. That would be a logical entry point for you...
All the big pharma already have a presence in China. But generally they hire locals (whether US educated or not) for their Chinese offices. There are some expats, but generally in managerial positions, not entry-level. Financially, it makes no sense to bring someone from abroad for an entry-level position, and generally it is not necessary given the number of well-educated Chinese.
Well, managed care is a major player in healthcare market, and has a significant effect on pharmaceutical industry. You can talk up what you learned at PBMs and how you could apply it to your position as a fellow.
I think it is certainly an important field that is not going away any time soon.
Well, because you are in New Jersey, you are spoiled by the variety of opportunities many students in other parts of the country lack entirely (such as choice of industry rotations, most schools don't offer any at all). However, it can be held against you (because your interviewers know how many opportunities you could have taken - and did not).
A great CV makes a reader excited about the candidate. It showcases his/hers best experiences, skills and achievements in a very clear fashion. It should also be something the candidate him/herself feels great about, because a good CV provides a confidence boost for the interview.
If you have a low GPA and no leadership work, I am afraid you are going to have a very tough time trying to get a fellowship, simply because there are a lot of stellar candidates. There are more applicants than there used to be, and the applicants are higher caliber.Hi. First of all, THANK YOU!!!! you have no idea how helpful youve been with this thread. i am hoping to switch pharmacy fields soon, i graduate in 2010 and have been working in retail for 1 year, but ive always had interest in working for a pharmaceutical company. at this moment i am looking at a couple of fellowships to apply for. one of them is a medical affairs fellowship by USC. im not sure if you spoke about medical affairs, but i would like to get an in-depth explanation regarding that field. I read what USC site had about it, and did some google search, but i was hoping you may be able to tell me more about it. like i said, ive been interested joining the pharmaceutical industry, but im not sure what fellowship would suit me the most. i believe i have excellent communication skills. i am very interested in learning more about the business side of the pharmaceutical industry. i enjoy doing teamwork and also work independently. unfortunately, my GPA is below 3.0, and i havent done leadership work during pharmacy school. I am hoping my letters of recommendation and my constant research to understand the different fields in the industry would help show how serious i am about this. any advice would be appreciated. and sorry for such a long message
I don't think this thread is an appropriate place to ask this question (or discuss Rutgers program specifically, anyway). Create a specific thread, call it something like Rutgers Fellowships 2012, in the Fellowship subforum, and you will be far more likely to get a response.
Certainly. Work abroad is not an opportunity offered to everybody, just to those who are "rising stars" (expats are expensive!). Though you can certainly look for positions abroad with other companies, just like you would for positions in the US - though it would be difficult as well, those are usually options for people fairly high up and/or with specific experience sought. Travel abroad is quite common, depending on which position you end up in and which company.
Well, pros and cons are specific to each person, so mine would be entirely different from yours and therefore useless to you.
Fellowship would be the most certain route, if you can get one. Drug information residency will probably be helpful too. And you might still be able to find a position straight out of pharmacy school, if you are really lucky, but it's rather unusual nowadays. Not like it used to be.
Learning to spell would be the best advice I could give you at this point.
Intern license has nothing to do with work in pharma - license is required for direct patient care activities, something that absolute majority of positions in pharma do not involve. Your best option would be to obtain an internship at a pharmaceutical company the summer after your P2 year. This may be easier if you are on the East Coast versus in the middle of the country. At the very least, you need to speak to people who work in positions you are interested in, so by the fall of your P4 year you have a pretty clear idea of whether you want to be in industry, and if yes, what department.
Again, there is too much variety... but just as my best guess, I would expect a PharmD with 5 years of experience to be a Manager or Sr. Manager and have salary somewhere in the $110-140K range plus bonus.
There is A LOT of difference in what titles mean between companies. And I personally never put a lot of value on the titles. That's just about the last attribute on my personal totem pole of work attributes. Job responsibilities and salary mean a lot more to me.
Sorry, I am not familiar with certifications that may or may not be common in regulatory. I know there is even a master's degree in regulatory affairs, but I have never met anyone who got it. Most people I know in regulatory just have been doing it for a while... and for the rest, I simply don't know their work history.
