Seven Mistakes Physicians Make When Transitioning to Pharma

Physicians can are hired into pharma in a variety of roles, and the work can be extremely rewarding such as bringing new medicines or devices to patients, supporting a vaccine or monitoring safety data for signals so prescribers understand the risk/ benefit profile accurately are all critical roles. However, there are definitely some differences from clinical practice.

The first is to remeber, a physician in pharma does not give orders as in clinical practice. Your clincial expertise is invaluable and critical, however more often than not, the work is done by teams, and each member is a highly trained and competent contributor who has autonomy and expertise in their specific field. From experienced statisticians, to data management and programming professionals, from operational and commercial colleagues to scientists and regional experts versed in the regulatory requirements that vary from country to country, these roles (and many more!) all complement each other, and the work cannot be done without each and every team member.

You have a boss. For some of us, we may have practiced in a situation where were were practice owners and we had responsibility for every aspect of the practice. In Pharma, that responsibility is shared across a vast number of colleagues (it’s not all on you!) but you will also have a manager that you report to. For some, this may be an easy transition, or one they are familiar with from working in a health system, but for others it may take a bit of getting used to.

You may not contribute right away. The pharmaceutical industry is highly regulated, and that means there are laws that need to be adhered to. Additionally, the company will have Standard Operation procedures (SOPs) in place so certain tasks and approaches are done the same way throughout the comapny. This helps the various pieces of output and analysis come together when needed, makes documents easier to find, and helps team mebers know what the others are doing and what is expected of them to make it all run smoothly. What if in a hospital, no one was clear on who made rounds, who watched patients, who took vitals, changed over rooms, delivered laboratory specimens, created employee schedules, organized the OR and radiology services, administered medications or kept medical records? The hospital would be in chaos. There is a similar concept here, but the tasks are different, therefore how things operate are different. It takes some time for initial training and onboarding before someone can “jump in”, often weeks or months. But don’t worry - you will be a very valuable asset to the team!