Anyone in MedComms

[cheesetree]

Hi everyone,

I am a mature student and will be graduating with a BSc in biological sciences next year. I am interested in medical communications so have been keeping my eye on jobs boards etc.

The main issue I am having is that the vast majority of the associate medical writer roles I am seeing require a PhD or 2 years experience - even the alleged entry level jobs, with relatively low pay.

Are any of you in MedComms and, if so, how did you get there? Is there anything proactive I can do between now and graduation, to improve my chances? Is it just unrealistic to think I can secure a role without a higher degree?

TIA

I think the sector is slowly waking up to the fact that requiring a PhD for an AMW role is somewhat unrealistic. I see plenty coming in with master's degrees. Fewer, admittedly, straight from a bachelor's but as a mature student you presumably have the advantage of previous work experience, which is definitely worth something even if it was in a very different sector. Also, quite a few consultancies now run graduate training programmes that will include a med comms element, so worth looking out for those.

I suggest following some consultancies on LinkedIn and try making contact with some recruiters or talent acquisition bods. firstmedcommsjob.com/ is great and EMWA have some good resources too. Finally, anything you can do to demonstrate your writing skills is good - student newspaper, science blog, etc etc.

I'm in MedComs and do not have a higher degree (BSc only). I am with a company in which the majority have PhDs but it can be done!

I applied via recruitment agencies and they seemed to know which companies would be more willing to take on people that didn't fit their advertised criteria.

Any writing experience would be helpful, as the previous poster suggested (blogs, forums, newsletters). Many companies will ask you to do a writing test so if you can persuade them to give you that chance then you'll be able to show what you can do.

I was also willing to start right at the bottom in a trainee role, but worked my way up pretty quickly once I proved myself. Good luck

I am in med comms and know someone with a degree in biology who has just been taken on in a client services role rather than a writer - however they do want to write and think it will help them get in.

the industry is desperate for med writers so talk to some savvy recruiters - some agencies have issues so need to start looking at more types of people.

Ashfield Health have a programme specifically for entry level associate medical writers - you do 8 weeks training and then two 5-month placements within the company before graduating as a medical writer. Requirement is a 2:1 in a relevant life sciences degree allegro.ashfieldhealth.com/programmes/allegro-write/

I've NC for this as I work for Ashfield and didn't want to out myself - it's a great company to work for and the Allegro programme has been really successful. I work with a number of people who have worked their way up through the programme and are now at SD level.

Oh and also this website is a great resource: medcommsnetworking.com/index.html

Thanks so much everyone - for the resources and the advice. I was beginning to wonder whether it was some sort of exclusive club I just don't have an invite to! I have researched a lot and mostly reached no conclusions, so it's really reassuring to hear that it is possible - even if it's a case of starting from the bottom.

I will contact some recruiters ASAP

One option might be to join a PR or government affairs agency which focuses on pharma clients (this is tangentially my world, not med comms).

If you can communicate and understand science you’d be snapped up, and no one would ask for a phd.

May not be what you’re interested in though.