Career Options for Pharmacy Graduates - Part IV

Continuing with unconventional career options, i will be highlighting another two career options available to a pharmacy graduate.

Medical Writing : I am sure many of the graduates have not heard of this offbeat career option. This is for those who have a flair for writing. Medical writing involves preparing documentation for scientific activity and who essentially is not the researcher or a scientist or a doctor. The medical writing requires knowledge of the medical sciene subjects viz. pharmacology, microbiology, anatomy, physiology etc.
Medical writing in pharmaceutical field is important as the information provided should be accurate and without any ambiguities. For example, if a pharmaceutical company wants to prepare a literature highlighting the benefits of a drug over competitors, a medical writer would be in a position to draft it properly and in a language which is understood by the receiver. Medical writing can be for documents that are required for submission to regulatory agencies or preparing material for Continuing Medical Education or other educating aids.
Though pharmaceutical cmpanies as such do not hire medical writers as this is one of the outsourced functions of the industry. Some firms specialize in providing services related to medical writing and provide customized services.

International Marketing : Essentially this function requires knowledge of marketing and understanding dynamics of globalization. As most of the countries regulate import and sale of drugs in their home country, it involves understanding the regulatory regime of the country where company intends to export products. As most of the Indian companies irrespective of their size have expanded to foreign markets, pharmacy graduates with a little knowledge of marketing dynamics coupled with their knowledge of pharmacy can opt as one of the preferred career options. I would also like to emphasize that it is not very easy to enter this field, as companies do not take people with a sizeable amount of experience in domestic marketing. Nonetheless, those who want to make a mark in international marketing, sky is the limit.

I am sure these blogs would be useful to all graduates and encourage them to take an untrodden path in their career. My personal opinion is that you should take a path less travelled, which is equally applicable when one chooses a career. If you select a career that is unconventional, you have better chance to excel and face a less competition.

More on other unconventional career options in next blog.