Victoria I.
About me
| Victoria I. | |
| Biology | |
| Biology | |
| Undergraduate | |
| Halifax | |
| 2011 | |
| United Kingdom |
My employment
| Medical Associate | |
| Reckitt Benckiser | |
| United Kingdom | |
| Science and research | |
| Large business (250+ employees) | |
| 2013 | |
| £20000 | |
| £25000 |
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A day in the life of a Medical Associate in the United Kingdom
My career goals when I graduated
I wasn't sure what direction I wanted to go in and I tried out a few different ideas to begin with. I never thought about medical writing as a profession, I don't think I even knew what it was.
My career history
Soon after graduation I started out waitressing and working in a gift shop part time for about 6 months. I had a lot of free time on my hands so I tried to pursue some hobbies and began a course in biological recording and wildlife management as I thought I wanted to pursue an environmental career. I also considered a career in dietetics.
I found a job as a school chemistry laboratory technician. I stayed for a year and made the most of being able to get involved with various school activities. I then found my current job on the Yorkshire Post jobsite and had moved to Hull within two weeks following my telephone interview. I started out with a fixed term 6 month contract in the Core Safety department working on drug safety information to send to healthcare professionals and put on the drug information leaflets.
After about 4 months I was able to apply internally for a move across to the Global Medical team at the end of my temporary contract.
What has helped my career to progress
Building strong relationships with colleagues and mentors, being willing and conscientious.
Courses taken since graduation
Postgraduate certificate in biological recording and wildlife management
How my studies have helped my career
A strong grounding in Biology has helped with the medical terminology and in the critical appraisal of scientific literature which forms a large part of my role.
Where I hope to be in 5 years
I am still learning on my current job and I think it will be another year or two before I have really got to grips with it and am confident with the role. The timeframe of developing a new product for market can be years, so I'd like to see a complete cycle through at least before I move on. There are always opportunities to move internally in the company and it is something I might consider for future roles. Otherwise, I don't really know what I want to achieve next in my career. I have thought about medical communications or editorial work but at the moment I just want to make the most of my current position and take as many opportunities presented to me as possible.
My advice to students considering work
Take opportunities even if they aren't exactly what you are looking for, any experience can look good on a CV and you never know where something may lead. Push yourself out of your comfort zone, take the initiative and show yourself to be willing. Work experience is valuable, any job can give you transferable skills and be applied to something completely different.
My advice about working in my industry
Although work experience is probably a bonus, as is a postgraduate qualification, I didn't have any experience in the industry or further qualifications in the field beyond my BSc before I got the job. I think a strong science degree is a bonus, though working your way into a role is also viable and several of my colleagues have no scientific background. If you are thinking of applying for something in this sector I would advise to just go for it. It is an industry that expects you to work hard and the company I work for is constantly growing so new opportunities may be appearing all the time.
What I do
I support the medical aspects of new product development, from feasibility phases looking at the safety of excipients, the possibility of marketing new formulations or different active ingredients, to applications to medical regulatory agencies for a new drug licence by reviewing the safety and efficacy of the product, assessing the claims marketing want to use for the advertising campaign to see if they are based on truth and supportable from a medical point of view, all the way to the drug going to market. I write reports on drug safety, new active ingredients, safety in a specific population or on a specific aspect of a drug on request, usually for internal purposes for the marketing team, but also to respond to queries from local medical teams in different countries or regulatory agencies.
Skills I use and how I developed them
My role is largely based on medical writing. I use skills of searching for scientific literature, reviewing it and constructing a balanced discussion or presenting an argument. Sometimes I have to consider a non-scientific audience and present the information accordingly. All these were skills I used during university for essay writing, writing my dissertation, time management skills to meet deadlines, prioritisation and organisation to keep on top of my workload. Working in a large office and a global organisation is very social so it has been a good way to develop my interpersonal skills just through the process of meeting new colleagues and working with different people on various projects and across different departments.
What I like most
I enjoy the satisfaction of putting together a report, from gathering the scientific literature, constructing a balanced discussion on my findings and getting it out on time to meet a deadline. The ethos at my workplace is quite relaxed as long as you produce good quality work within the appropriate timeframe, and I get to work quite autonomously while at the same time being in quite a buzzy social environment. The company is global so there are some opportunities to travel, and there are always lots of other things going on that you can get involved with like sports teams, lunchtime yoga, bake sales, charity fundraisers.
What I like least
Meeting tight deadlines can be tough though they are never completely unrealistic. Workload can come in peaks and troughs with periods of run-off-your-feet busyness before returning to a steady pace, which can be stressful. Because of the autonomous nature of my job and the ethos of the company, you are expected to take the initiative and be proactive, this can be daunting if you are not sure how to go about something and it has been quite a steep learning curve but has helped me to build my confidence. I work in a large open-plan office which can be distracting if I have a lot of work to focus on, and I try to get away from my desk for lunch so that I have a break from the computer screen.
What surprised me most
The speed at which you can pick up something completely new, just by having a go and not being afraid to make some mistakes
Next steps...
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