We work on Medical Communications and Medical Education jobs for a range of medical communications agencies in the UK and Europe. Our Med Comms team work across a wide variety of roles from Account Executive level up to Account Directors and Business Unit Directors, and Associate Medical Writers through to Scientific Team Leads.
Find out more about a career in Medical Communications below, take a look at our jobs or speak with our specialist consultant Louise Lavelle for an informal chat: +44 (0)1625 541 037 / louise@carrotpharma.co.uk
What is Medical Communications?
Medical Communications (often known as Med Comms) describes a sector of the marketing mix which, in short, is anything that is not an advert or piece of media coverage. Medical Communications, ranging from publications to promotional medical education, is an important part of the pharmaceutical marketing mix. It is a strategic communications approach that will utilise a variety of channels to convey a consistent, clear and compelling message to support the pharma company and their product throughout the brand lifecycle by use of the following:
This process is instrumental in shaping marketing and creating a receptive and knowledgeable environment for a product throughout its brand lifecycle. It is important in building confidence, experience and market share and can bring together the industry and healthcare professionals with a focus on mutual goals and aspirations. A Med Comms agency is placed to provide clinical evidence in a compelling way, while ensuring this evidence is endorsed by expert third parties.
What does a career within Medical Communications look like?
A career within Med Comms is very rewarding but isn’t for the faint-hearted. Hard work and time pressures are all a part of the job and you must be an excellent timekeeper, have great attention to detail and be able to work quickly and effectively.
It will also give you the opportunity to work closely with eminent healthcare professionals, patient groups, policy makers and journalists at the forefront of medical advances. It’s an exciting and fast-moving profession which requires focus, determination and above all the ability to project manage, especially when working under pressure.
The industry provides a mix of business, science and creativity and therefore is an attractive option for someone looking for variety in their work. To be successful in Med Comms, you need to be proactive, professional and a team player. That majority of people who work within this industry will be educated to a minimum of degree level - and generally within a Life Science – and most people who work within the editorial teams will hold a PhD.
Find out more about how to progress your Medical Communications career here.
What are the typical roles within Med Comms?
Med Comms agencies generally have editorial and commercial teams. The traditional level of positions that exist within these teams are:
Editorial:
Medical Writers will spend much of their day writing, proof reading and editing. A large part of a Medical Writer’s workload will also involve reference marketing every statement in a document with the source from which it has been taken.
Some of the typical projects that a Medical Writer may work on will include manuscripts and review articles, educational slide sets, slide presentations for congress symposia, abstract books, posters, promotional materials, information for company sales reps and website copy.
Commercial:
Account teams are responsible for the delivery of a client account within the agreed time frame and client budget. They will work closely with internal teams to ensure that projects run smoothly and efficiently in the interests of their clients. They’ll develop relationships with their clients by attending face-to-face meetings in order to better understand the objectives and needs to deliver maximum value to the client from both a strategic and tactical perspective.
