“I found the Clinical Professionals Academy experience to be extremely valuable. The training sessions were fun, and engaging, with plenty of challenges along the way. The skills that I was taught at the Academy gave me the confidence to go into my first role as a Clinical Trial Administrator- a year down the line, and I still love my job! I was given all the guidance I needed to ace the interview, and was promoted within my first year. Thanks to everyone at Clinical Professionals, this is a brilliant program, and I hope many more graduates can benefit from it!”
Graduate CTA
October 2018

“The rigorous training that the Graduates Academy offer allows Clinical Professionals to whittle down the selection process to individuals that have genuine interest and passion in regulatory affairs. This was very evident during my interview of one of their candidates who really stood out amongst others with her well-researched and intelligent questions asked during the interview. She has since joined Mundipharma, no doubt, and not only hit the ground running but also over-delivering on all tasks and challenges presented. I would like to point out that this candidate was also trained by an older intake of the graduates academy who after only a year of being with MRL is considered one of the star employees of the department at large”. Snr. Reg Affairs Mgr – Submission Planning

Talwinder, joined a leading commercial trials unit within an established Academic research facility as a Feasibility Assistant:
“After completing Clinical Professional’s Life Science Training Academy, I was successfully recruited in a role focusing on data and feasibility; I was able to utilise the knowledge learned throughout the graduate scheme and incorporated it into my daily tasks.  I was able to produce reports to identify and answer specific queries; combining attributes from numerous databases to present useful information regarding different commercial studies.  I was also able to understand the issues around failing studies and what could be done to rectify them.  Building on this, I successfully transitioned into my current role; providing support to the Clinical Research Department, Project Teams and their assigned clinical projects.  I am responsible for studies ranging over three different therapeutic areas; I really do love my job – I’m grateful that I was offered this excellent opportunity, and I’m glad that I was able to be a part of Clinical Professional’s graduate scheme – it was definitely an experience that I wholeheartedly enjoyed.”

Erisa, gained a role as an entry level CTA at a small CRO in Oxfordshire after successful completion of the graduate Academy: “I was quite lucky to have been part of it. I did enjoy those two weeks of active training. Had great support from the trainers in every aspect. Had the opportunity to meet great people who attended the Academy. It helped me a lot to successfully secure my current position, and also inspired me for future plans on my career in clinical research. I would definitely recommend it to new and post graduates, who are struggling to find the right door to clinical research.”

Sara, placed as a Drug Safety Associate within Pharma sector after successfully finishing the Academy: “The Clinical Professionals Academy helped to launch my career in clinical research. I learned so much in just two weeks from experts in their field who were incredibly knowledgeable and who also made the course a lot of fun. It was not long before I was placed in a pharmacovigilance role and was supported by Clinical Professionals throughout the whole process. I would highly recommend the Academy to other graduates looking for their first role in the industry.”

Ted, secured a role as a junior Med Info Officer at a large, global pharma client, having completed our Academy program: “The graduate academy was an amazing opportunity for me to learn and get a foot in the door of a highly competitive industry. The training covered every aspect from Regulatory to Quality, TMFs to ICH-GCP, and the many years of industry experience the trainers had really gave us a unique insight into a career working in clinical trials. After the course finished I was in regular contact with my Clinical Professionals recruiter, who supported and guided me through the minefield of interviews and assessments. Within 3 months I’d started my first role working in Medical Information for a global pharmaceutical company. This has given me the opportunity to work with a diverse range of products, become more familiar with the different areas within the industry, and continue to learn & develop myself. I would definitely work with Clinical Professionals again in the future, and would highly recommend the graduate academy to any student interested in this ever-changing but highly rewarding industry.”

Josh, successfully graduated from our Academy and was offered a permanent position with Pilatus Pharma: “The training a Clinical Professionals was a great opportunity for me. Coming from a technical degree and having very little work experience, the graduate academy gave me insight to the commercial, technical and ethical sides of clinical trials and allowed me to hit the ground running when starting my first role as a project manager in comparator supplies. The atmosphere at the academy encouraged the graduates to be interactive and ask questions. I particularly found this helpful as I am naturally a quiet person.  
Following from the academy I knew a friendly voice was just one call away and that the team at Clinical Professionals have my best interests at heart. I received a number of calls asking how I was settling in to my first role and into my new home.
My job title is project manager of comparator supplies. The purpose of my role is to source drug products from the pharmaceutical wholesale market or directly from manufactures and supply them to companies running clinical trials such as CROs and pharmaceutical companies. There is a lot of quality involved in my job as I have to ensure the pedigree of the products that I supply.
As the company that I work for is a start-up, there is a “all hands on deck” approach to work. Thus, I have been given many additional responsibilities that have allowed me to learn many new thing and develop new skills. Examples of this include; setting up a new CRM system for the company, reviewing all of our suppliers and working closely with the quality department to verify new suppliers and working on business development projects.
Finally, I have been in contact with the team at Clinical Professionals to catch up and understand how I can best align my career in future for where I want to end up. I received good advice from people I know

Adam, placed as a Pharmacovigilance Associate within a global pharmaceutical business having completed our Academy:
“I learned a lot during the 2 week Clinical Professionals academy. During the academy I developed knowledge and an understanding of all aspects of clinical trials. I made some close friends whilst at the academy and I’m in touch with some of the regularly. The academy allowed me to expand my horizons in terms of the area I wanted to work in and develop my employability. I would highly recommend this course to any bioscience graduate, not only those who know they have a focus on clinical trials.
My current role is Pharmacovigilance Associate at GW Pharmaceuticals, the world leader in cannabinoid medicines. This involves reporting of adverse events and signals related to investigational drugs and drugs that are on the market. Pharmacovigilance (PV) is hugely important for patient safety and we try to provide a safety profile for both the drug we have on the market and our investigational compounds. This role allows me to use my transferable skills and my knowledge of PV developed during the Clinical trials academy to use company systems in drug reaction/event reporting. I really enjoy my role at GW, it is interesting work and also requires me to be focussed on accuracy and attention to detail. Clinical professionals helped me gain employment in this role and are in contact regularly which makes me feel valued. I enjoy my current role in PV and will be looking to continue my career in the pharmaceutical sector.”

“Excellent speakers, valuable information and insight to the pharmaceutical industry”

“I found myself thinking about entering pharma for quite some time before I finally plucked up the courage to make those first calls, and despite having made the decision, I found myself still in need of some reassurance, the so called “best practice evidence”. What I found so wonderful about the physician to pharma day is that it was full of people just like me – those that were also pondering over the same decisions and anxieties (the “what if’s”) and those that had already taken the leap and navigated their way into successful and rewarding careers as medics in pharma.
 The day was structured so well, on so many levels; it gave me the opportunity on a personal level to engage with those who understood my motivations, my anxieties, the complexities involved with the process of moving into pharma. On a professional level, the workshop sessions, mentored by industry medics replicated the work we could expect to be doing in our future roles as Medical Advisors, being highly engaging, interesting, stimulating and reassuring all at the same time.
 I thoroughly enjoyed the day and could not recommend it highly enough to anybody seriously considering entering pharma. I learnt so much in one day, through the structured activities and networking with the other medics there that it really was invaluable. To my surprise, the icing on the cake was a phone call the following morning, which was followed up by an interview and job offer within the week. 3 months into my new job, there is no looking back, no regrets, a job I love, in a great company.”

“As a hiring manager, I found the ‘Physician to Pharma’ event a fantastic opportunity to meet with around 20 candidates over the course of a full day and was able to understand their skills and background together with their motivations for joining industry.
 There were plenty of opportunities for them to ask questions to the hiring managers and I think the candidates also got a really good feel for what its like making the transition from clinical medicine into industry and whether it was right for them. I really enjoyed meeting them all and there was a huge amount of talent in the room – the candidates had been well screened by Only Medics. On the day, for me, there was one stand out candidate. I hired her within the week”

“I specifically enjoyed getting an insight into what companies were looking for when recruiting. Having constructive feedback in a safe environment was also incredibly useful.”

“I really enjoyed meeting other people in the same situation who are looking to obtain their first MSL role. Drawing on the colleagues’ experience of applications and interviews was most useful, and training on how to prepare any presentations which may be required at assessment centres.”

“I enjoyed the very interactive nature of the course. Useful skills to help pass interviews and get an idea of what to expect. Learnt about my gaps in knowledge/skills that I can work on to improve my chances of appointment. I know now that companies will define the MSL role in a variety of ways, unique to each company. I will know what to look for and be aware of when considering a company to satisfy myself that we will be a good fit.”

“The MSL academy gave me an in-depth insight into the role of an MSL within the pharmaceutical industry and helped me to appraise how my skills profile could be improved to further suit the position. The course not only increased my confidence as an MSL candidate but also confirmed in my mind that this was the role for me, whilst providing the tools to secure my first MSL position. The members of staff running the course were extremely approachable and knowledgeable within their subject areas and went to great effort to give tailored feedback to all attendees. Overall, I very much enjoyed the course and was very happy that I was offered the opportunity to attend, as such I would highly recommend this course to anybody who is wanting to secure their first MSL position. For me, the most beneficial aspect of the course was gaining understanding of several of the subtle but key differences between academia and industry, allowing me to better prepare for my transition.”

“I found the MCP Junior assessment centre useful for discussing the different positions within MedComms companies and obtaining more information about each role. The day was very relaxed with a welcoming environment, the consultants were all very friendly and I enjoyed every aspect of the day.”

“I found the beginning presentation that gave information about medical communications particularly useful and especially enjoyed the group work and the ice breaker game at the end. Overall I really enjoyed this day and would recommend it to anyone who is thinking about getting into the medical communications industry.”

“The whole day had a friendly atmosphere with fun and informative activities. I particularly found the details on the job roles and how a MedComms agency works was especially useful. It was interesting to also meet others that want to go into the same industry and learn from their experiences and knowledge. The feedback from the day was also very useful to take away.”