Personal Assistant Personal Assistant

2 weeks ago

United Kingdom Thepadoctor Full time
When I expressed interest in the Physician Associate (PA) profession I was excited, nervous, curious, and had a passion to help better the lives of my future patients. I graduated from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) and immediately entered The Wake Forest School of Medicine PA Program just three weeks after graduation from UNC. It is uncommon for applicants to have the patient contact hours required to be accepted into PA school that quickly. However, I worked for a special needs school during a study abroad program in London, England, and worked for the UNC football team as an Athletic Training student. I graduated from the Wake Forest PA Program in Winston-Salem, NC in 2018, and soon entered clinical practice as an emergency medicine (EM) PA. 
Clinical Experience and Going Back to School
In the fall of 2018, I entered the clinical world as a PA in the Emergency Department (ED) in High Point, NC. Here I continued to develop the skills, knowledge, and confidence I needed to provide high-quality care to my patients. 
I surpassed the steep learning curve that is textbook education versus clinical practice and began to evaluate what I wanted to do with my career in the long term. I started as an adjunct instructor at the High Point University (HPU) PA program and really enjoyed my time outside of the clinical setting. I was teaching, which I loved while preparing future PAs to be successful upon graduation. 
In January 2020, just three months before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, I began the Doctor of Medical Science (DMSc) Program at AT Still University concentrating in PA education. In the Fall of 2020, I was promoted to Lead APP within my Emergency Department, two years after beginning clinical practice. 
Starting a doctoral PA program while working full-time as a lead APP during the country-wide shutdown had its pros and cons. I would walk into an ED shift with 25-30 people in the lobby and a 15-20 hour wait, seeing patients in any corner of the department because of admission holds backing up the ED.
After a ten-hour shift, you leave with now 30-35 patients in the lobby and feeling completely drained. On top of that, the “Healthcare Hero’s” mantra and pizza delivery daily turn into yelling, and both verbal and physical abuse, to not only the providers but the entire healthcare team (nurses, CNAs, phlebotomy, etc.). 
I quickly began to realize the impact that hospital administration can have on all healthcare team members. While completing my DMSc, I enrolled in the Master of Business Administration in healthcare management (MBA) program at The University of North Carolina Pembroke. It was tough getting an MBA, finishing my thesis research for my DMSc, and working full-time, while still on faculty at HPU as an adjunct but I knew that getting out of the ED full-time was the push I needed to get across the finish line. I completed my DMSc degree in December 2021 and my MBA in May 2022. 
The Road to the Medical Science Liaison (MSL) Career Change
I officially left the ED full-time in early 2022 and began an assistant professor position at HPU. In the spring of 2022, I learned about the Medical Science Liaison role through social media—a doctorate PA Facebook group. The ability to be challenged by understanding complex diseases and drug landscapes, travel, and working remotely, while still impacting patients but in a different way. 
Breaking into the MSL field can be extremely challenging and is no short feat. I specifically targeted MSLs who were also PAs or NPs as I felt like those who were once APPs could best relate and provide the best advice to breaking into the field. 
I developed a strong LinkedIn page, sent over 30 applications to MSL jobs, and spoke to multiple MSLs over the phone or on messenger. To be honest, I think it was a little bit of luck, the right timing, preparation for interviews, holding both a doctorate and MBA degree, leveraging the oncology experience I do have, and tapping into my network and resources for advice to land the job. All the posts I read on Facebook praising the MSL role were 100% correct. Transitioning from working in a clinic to remote is a huge change in your daily life but is great. My work-life balance is similar in some ways but different in others. 
thus, I would arrive at my shift, work my ten hours, and leave (not taking work home with me). I have PA colleagues who chart frequently at home, pre-chart for the next day, or take call on the weekends. I would imagine the work-life balance would be significantly improved if coming from that type of PA clinical experience. 
I was able to improve my work-life balance all while maintaining a great salary . I rarely work past 5 pm as an MSL as my company values work-life balance. However, with traveling I could work late nights due to flight delays or afternoon meetings. While I leave family more due to travel, the improvement in my mental health is worth it. While every job can come with stressful times, it is few and far between as compared to almost every ED shift. 
Being a practicing clinician will always be the foundation of who I am as a PA. I continue to work in the ED PRN to remain up to date with research, maintain skills, and get back to my roots of direct patient care occasionally.
I can discuss clinical trial data, updated evidence-based medicine practices, adverse event management, etc. These providers then see 15-20 patients in their clinic. It also allows you to develop strong research and statistical skills needed to be able to present complex scientific data to your healthcare providers which are vital to being successful as an MSL. 
An MBA degree can give you a statistical analysis background that can be useful as an MSL as well. While it is important to note holding a doctorate degree is not an absolute requirement to break into the field and if you asked twenty different MSLs the same question, you could get all different answers.
My biggest piece of advice is to network, network, and do more networking. The mentors I had while transitioning into the MSL field were so helpful. Read and do research to ensure you know what an MSL does and their role in the medical affairs and pharmaceutical industry. 
There are books and podcasts about how to transition into the MSL field, interview advice, etc. As I continue to dive into the MSL role I am hopeful and look forward to the vast career growth opportunities within the MSL profession (medical and global affairs, medical director, manager, trainer of MSLs, disease state leads, etc.). O'Hara is a medical science liaison within oncology at Eisai, Inc. 6 thoughts on “ Doctorate-level PA transitions to Medical Science Liaison ”
I am so very thankful for the amazing education I received at ATSU.
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