r/MedicalScienceLiaison

Hi everyone,

I have 5 years of experience in pharmaceutical competitive intelligence and one year of experience as pharmacist. However, I completed Bachelor of pharmacy. I am planning to switch to MSL. What is the the possibility of switching to MSL from my field and also given that I have only Bachelor degree.

I am asking this for Canada because I will move there next year. Moreover, Pharmacy Examining Board of Canada (PEBC) has recognised my bachelor degree equivalent to a master or professional degree.

What are my chances to switch. Any guidance would be much appreciated.

Hi all

I’m in rare disease and I have 1 product that is on the decline in use and popularity. I have no threat of getting let go. However, my TA is extremely hard to get meetings with my providers. My territory is also known to be hard, but still I’m at the lowest of the low feeling like I’m not making any difference. (I know I know).
What IS the therapeutic area that can get meetings with HCPs easily? I have a lot of other factors keeping me at this company but I am starting to look for other positions.

Derm? Is there a huge difference between medical vs aesthetic clinics in terms of access?
Ophtho? I hear mixed opinions saying it’s so easy vs it’s really hard
Onc? I thought this TA was all easy but it seems it depends on what specialty within onc?

Any clarification and help would be appreciated.

What is your opinion about taking a MSL role in a small company? I think the obvious downside might be the pipeline or lack of pipeline. But apart from that? If the salary is good is there anything else to be considered before taking the job?

Due to a company restructuring, I’ve been made redundant only a few months into my first MSL role. It feels awful because it took me a long time to break into field medical.

For those who’ve been through something similar:

How did you deal with the uncertainty?
How did you stay motivated?
How long did it take you to find something else?

Keen to hear others’ experiences. Thank you!

As the title says, I’m interested to hear how do MSL moms particularly those with toddlers handle all the traveling especially those with double digit territories with also full time working partners? How do you juggle nights away from home? Conferences?

I have an opportunity to transition from a clinical role (M-F no weekends/holidays 7-3:30 PM) to a MSL role that I’m genuinely so excited about but the traveling with this size of a territory is making me really pause and evaluate if this is possible. Part of the appeal of the role is not only the growth opportunities but the flexibility of the schedule. With this size of a territory, I’m starting to think this role may actually be more less flexible that I’m anticipating. Outside of outsourcing, what is everyone else doing to juggle it all? How do you prevent travel burn out? Clinician moms who transitioned—I’m interested to hear it all!

Hi everyone, I’m a 4th year medical student at a T30 medical school in the US and have made the decision to pursue MSL/Medical Affairs rather than residency for family/personal reasons. I am towards the top of my class with good board scores and grades (AOA, GHHS , Step 2 of 263) as well as leadership experience in global health policy and research running an organization of 20+ medical student and resident researchers. I also have substantial basic science and clinical research experience with 10 publications and around another 10 submitted, with half of those being first author. I previously wanted to apply to a highly competitive surgical subspecialty but after a long talk with my wife we have decided that clinical practice is not for us.

I have done some basic research but had a few questions:

Is a BCMAS certification worth completing during my final year of med school?

Shoot for big pharma vs small pharma?

Are there any drawbacks to remote roles? Currently own a house next to a major airport and would rather not sell if we don’t have to

And finally, what type of salary should I negotiate for my first role? I’ve done some research and seems like 180ish is fair?

Thank you all so much for your help!!

*** also, do my med school stats even matter/should I speak on them during interviews??

Hello, I have an interview coming up for Pfizer FMD role where I have to present on a contemplating journal article. The topic and article are my choice. My questions are following:
- Should I present on an article that’s around the therapeutic area (or even product) that the team covers?
- How recent can the article be?
- Are there any examples, tips, etc. that anyone can share? It’s my first interview and I’m very nervous :(

Thanks so much!

I am a scientific director and given LTI probably am on higher end of comp (~440k). I like the role but it’s very heavy on the work and the possibilities to VP as a PharmD are tough through strategy. Can anyone describe their experiences of taking a pre-IPO role as a senior MSL? Want to see if potential big upside makes sense to take a step back into field as cemented IC.

TIA!

Hi everyone,
I’m currently in the interview process for an MSL role at BMS and have an upcoming panel interview. I wanted to ask if anyone here has gone through a BMS MSL panel interview and would be willing to share their experience.I’d really appreciate any insight on what to expect, especially around the presentation format, types of behavioral questions asked, how long the interview lasted. anything you wish you had known beforehand.Any general tips or things worth noting would be very helpful. Thanks in advance!

Got to the final round of a MSL role for a big pharma. It was between me and another MSL with 10 years more experience.

Today the company contacted me for another meeting. I wasn't selected, but they were gracious enough to tell me I'm on the short list for next time and connect with them on LinkedIn. That is a victory in itself.

I plan on following up on that offer and send individualized thank you emails in a day or two but is there anything left to do afterwards for future relationship building?

Thank you

Should it be leather to look more presentable? Is canvas ok?

Hey everyone,

My team is currently looking to upgrade or replace our current setup for traking HCP engagements and field ops, and I’m looking for some honest recommendations.

Right now we are basically drowning in a mix of basic CRM logging such as standard clunky stuff and endless tracking spreadsheet to manage medical plans, advisory boards, and content. Its a total mess and our MSLs are complaining about having to log the same interactions in three different places just to show metrics to leadership.

We need something that actually manages things from an operations standpoint—not just a database to drop call notes into. Ideally something that handles:

-Clean insight tracking and automated reporting (so we dont have to duct-tape Tableau to it)

-Content/materials management for the field

-Actually user-friendly for field medical so they don't revolt

What is everyone using these days? Is everyone just forced to suffer through Veeva, or are there better, more modern platforms out there that actually bridge the gap between field ops and engagement?

Appreciate any pros/cons!

Hi everyone,
I’m a biomedical scientist with a PhD, and about 8 months ago I started working as an MSL at a pharmaceutical company focused mainly on biosimilars.
To be honest, I’m struggling with the role. I expected Medical Affairs to be much more science-driven, but my experience has been the opposite. It feels very relationship-oriented and highly performance-driven, with a strong emphasis on metrics, visibility, and stakeholder management rather than deep scientific discussion.
I enjoy science, critical appraisal of evidence, and meaningful scientific exchange. Instead, I often feel like my success is measured more by the number of interactions than by the quality of the scientific engagement.
I’m wondering whether this is simply the nature of the MSL role, or if it varies depending on the company. Are Medical Affairs teams at larger, innovation-focused pharmaceutical companies (with novel products rather than mainly biosimilars) different? Do MSLs in those environments generally have more opportunities for genuine scientific discussions, research collaborations, and medical strategy?
I’d really appreciate hearing from people who have worked in different companies or therapeutic areas. I’m trying to understand whether I dislike the role itself, or just the environment I’m currently in.

I am a PhD student in human nutrition with over a decade of experience in renal nutrition, dialysis facility management, and quality improvement. (I am a registered dietitian.) My planned graduation date is December 2027. I am trying to decide if MSL is a path I want to pursue when I finish. My expertise is in renal, but I have a great deal of interest in and experience with diabetes, obesity medicine, and related metabolic disease.

Question 1: Are there any MSL positions you are aware of that I may be especially qualified for? Are there any specific companies you would recommend I look into?

Question 2: Is the salary range for someone with my background significantly different than someone who has a PharmD or MD?

Thank you in advance for sharing your knowledge!

I work as an APP in an academic hospital in Florida. I am considering looking to branch out to apply as an MSL.

I am just curious how MSLs handle MDs who really just seem to know more about this drug than even an MSL would. I just can’t imagine talking to some
Of the top Physicians on a drug I feel like they know more on and present these data themselves

Thanks for insight

Hi everyone,I’m a medical doctor transitioning into the Medical Science Liaison role. I recently reached the third interview stage for an MSL position at AstraZeneca Europe.

This step is a 30‑minute session:

– 15‑minute scientific presentation

– 15‑minute Q&AI will receive the case/materials 1.5 hours before the interview. From what I understand, the goal is to evaluate how I structure and communicate scientific information to a KOL, not clinical decision‑making.

For those with MSL experience:

– What structure do you recommend for a short scientific presentation?

– What do interviewers usually look for in this type of assessment?

– Any common mistakes to avoid?

– Is there any sites that I can view some examples of this case or the research that I need to present?

Thanks in advance for any insights.

Hi everyone,
I recently applied for an MSL position and had the recruiter and hiring manager interviews. I am scheduled for another interview with a senior MSL. What should i expect?
I dont have prior msl or industry experience but have clinical hospital and retail experiences. I have researched the drugs, read the clinical trials and became familiar wiyh them.