In the past, MSL jobs have been dominated by doctors of pharmacy (PharmDs). The number of research scientists (PhDs) have consistently increased over the past few years due to various factors, including research funding freezes, sluggish academic career prospects, and an increased interest in research scientists to enter alternative scientific careers. Recently, the pool of medical doctor (MD) applicants to the MSL profession has increased.

This has created a flood of prospective MSL candidates for any given medical liaison position. Recruiters and headhunters aim to recruit experienced MSL candidates, but are inundated with calls and emails from MSL hopefuls who do not have prior MSL experience. Most companies want to fill their MSL positions with job candidates who already have demonstrated a successful track record as a field medical liaison. This makes the competition even more intense for the few MSL positions that are open to “entry-level” MSL candidates without prior MSL experience.

Dr. Jane Chin speaks with a MSL trainer who interviews prospective MSLs and trains MSL teams at a global pharmaceutical company, and who has worked at the company that created the original medical science liaison concept. This 68-minute CD contains a rare insider’s perspective on the formation of the MSL role 40 years ago, how the MSL role evolves today, and what key competencies all medical science liaisons must have to be successful at what they do.

Key Program Topics include:

• 4 services that MSLs provide to the life science industry
• 2 industry forces that caused the creation of MSL jobs
• What exactly do medical science liaisons do?
• How do MSLs do what they do?
• 3 key partnerships of the MSL role
• 2 strategic roles of the MSL function
• 3 key competencies that all MSLs must have
• Which MSL competencies may be trained?
• Which MSL competencies must you already have as a MSL candidate?
• Where do your competencies stand as a MSL candidate?
• What will get you that interview?
• What should your resume contain?
• 6 crucial elements of verbal communication
• How do you network successfully?

As compliance concerns increasingly separate MSL programs from commercial involvement, demonstrating the value of MSL programs will involve internal stakeholder support that may also include appropriate commercial support. This often involves appropriate and documented interactions between MSL teams and their sales and marketing colleagues.

“If you ask medical science liaisons who their stakeholders are, most MSLs will immediately talk about thought leaders in a therapeutic area,” said Jane Chin, PhD, President of Medical Science Liaison Institute. “Internal stakeholders may not be at the forefront of MSLs’ minds, and in many cases, MSLs may even resist interacting with commercially-driven internal stakeholders out of compliance concerns.”

However, based on an annual survey of 18 field-based medical science liaison programs, internal stakeholder support is a critical component of MSLs’ annual objectives, and therefore a critical component when formulating MSL program metrics.

QUANTIFYING AN INTANGIBLE: 2007 Medical Science Liaison Metrics Survey, available at http://www.MSLmetrics.com/ is a report by Medical Science Liaison Institute to assess current practices in field-medical science liaison program organization, deployment, and strategies in quantifying and communicating measurements of value that are by nature, intangible. This report distills primary- and secondary source collection from a web-based survey, one-on-one confidential interviews with constituents and executives of field-medical programs at 18 biopharmaceutical companies, published information sources on trends in field-medical affairs, and Medical Science Liaison Institute’s proprietary collection of MSL program intelligence and best practices.

To learn more about this 7-chapter, 98-page report, visit http://www.MSLmetrics.com/ . For more information on Medical Science Liaison Institute, please visit http://www.MSLinstitute.com/ or contact info@msliq.com .

CONTACT INFORMATION
Medical Science Liaison Institute LLC
info@msliq.com

Medical Science Liaison Institute (MSL Institute) conducted two independent and anonymous surveys to prospectively collect information on the current state of compensating medical science liaisons. These surveys were made available on Medical Science Liaison Institute’s network (MSL-IQ) websites, as well as to over 1200 members of MSL Institute’s proprietary mailing list. Data was collected over a 3-month period.

According to MSL Institute’s surveys, more than half of medical science liaisons with less than 2 years of experience report earning a base salary of $100,000 to less than $125,000. Medical science liaisons with 2 to 5 years of MSL experience report to earning a similar range, although their base salaries may trend toward the higher end of the $100,000 to $125,000 range. As these field medical professionals gain tenure beyond 5 years, it is not unusual for seasoned MSL professionals to earn $125,000 or more.

“In the past few years we have seen an increase in the base salary of medical science liaisons with less than two years of experience,” said Dr. Jane Chin, Ph.D., President of Medical Science Liaison Institute and author of the Medical Science Liaison Salary Survey Report. “Many companies use base compensation as a means to attract and retain experienced candidates. Industry-naive professionals who enter the MSL profession are benefiting from this salary trend.”

Because of an attractive six-figure pay that has recently attracted media attention, Dr. Chin cautions prospective candidates to thoroughly research what the field medical science liaison role truly represents.

“This is not a ’science-only’ position,” said Dr. Chin, “these professionals are employed to fulfill specific business objectives through scientific means. Medical science liaisons are one avenue of scientific representation for a biopharmaceutical company, but MSLs are not there just to ‘talk science’ , but to help their companies achieve clinical-based business objectives that ultimately affect healthcare standards.” Dr. Chin has seen an increasing focus by pharmaceutical companies to measure MSL value with numbers-driven metrics, an trend that many MSL professionals view as controversial.

The 2006-2007 Medical Science Liaison Salary Survey Report is useful for MSL program directors and corporate staffing consultants to aid in compensation benchmarking to best compete for a limited talented pool of medical science liaisons. The report contains data that covers Medical Science Liaison Tenure and Associated Base Salaries, Therapeutic Areas of MSL Employment, MSL Educational Background by Tenure, Medical Science Liaison Employer Types, Medical Science Liaison Target Bonus, and MSL Compensation by Therapeutic Area. The report is available through the MSL Institute store at MSLMARKETPLACE.COM.

A new 2007-2008 Medical Science Liaison Salary Survey will open on September 1, 2007 at website MSLSALARY.COM.

Medical Science Liaison Institute focuses on serving and advocating for field-based MSL professionals, and is an industry source for continuing MSL education and MSL program research initiatives.

CONTACT INFORMATION
Jane Chin, Ph.D.
Medical Science Liaison Institute LLC
info@mslinstitute.com

The 2006 PharmaVOICE 100 pays homage to individuals who contributed and influenced corporate strategy, business development, research and development, marketing and creativity, technology, leadership, and innovation in the life sciences industry.

“I am honored to be recognized among outstanding industry leaders,” said Dr. Chin, “especially because this is peer-nominated.” Dr. Chin was recognized for her contribution through MSL Institute to provide the industry’s MSL professionals with newsletters, forums, training programs, and career resources that previously did not exist for MSLs.

Chin sees her inclusion with PharmaVoice’s Inspiring “Risk Takers” as particularly fitting, because many aspects of today’s medical science liaison profession embody risk.

“There is the risk of conducting MSL activities compliantly in the field,” said Dr. Chin. “There is also a risk with where the MSL profession is heading and how the profile of today’s medical liaisons is changing.” Dr. Chin notes that value demonstration and differentiation for industry’s MSL programs will remain critical. Dr. Chin also emphasized that today’s MSL hiring practices and career development strategies will shape the face of next generation’s medical science liaisons.

About Medical Science Liaison Institute LLC.
Medical Science Liaison Institute aims to establish professional standards of excellence for field-based medical science liaisons by facilitating exchange of best practices within the MSL community.

Medical Science Liaison Institute provides consulting and training to MSL programs, including MSL competency training and MSL compliance services. Medical Science Liaison Institute is member of a broad network that provides MSL resources in training, career development, competitive intelligence, metrics, and compliance.

For more information please visit www.MSLinstitute.com .