Whether you’re just starting a medical affairs career or a veteran, you’re going to be impacted by changes across the industry. Here are the top 10 medical affairs tips to serve as a guidepost for medical affairs professionals:

10.  Know what off-label vs on-label means. Know terms like OIG, Sunshine Act and the Anti-Kickback laws. Knowing the ins and outs of what these terms mean will serve you well in your career.

9. Medical Affairs is relatively new in the pharma world. It’s grown leaps & bounds in the last 10-15 years. So their process probably hasn’t caught up with growth yet. You will experience some level of frustration with process. That’s just part of the growing pains. Don’t get too frustrated. 

8. Often you will be debating a scientific point with non-scientific people like compliance officers & attorneys. Be patient. They mean well (most of the time). 

7.  Many senior executives won’t completely understand what you do. This is a common challenge for medical affairs departments. Don’t take it personally. 

6. Be adaptable. If you follow business news, you can see that mergers and acquisitions happen often. So be prepared for change and embrace it. 

5. There is more to medical affairs than the MSL role…and an MSL role isn’t right for everyone. It’s critical to learn about various medical affairs functions and what’s the best fit for you. 

4. Don’t be tied to a particular therapeutic area. Stay nimble & flexible. This will broaden your options. 

3. How effective are your communication skills? Can you present effectively? Being an effective communicator is perhaps one of the most important attributes of a successful medical affairs professional. Often times you will be presenting data to a wide range of people and you will need to know how to tailor your presentation accordingly. 

2. Having a terminal degree isn’t enough.  Can you critically appraise data? Having an MD, PhD, or PharmD is a basic requirement. Companies assume you have a baseline level of intelligence. They’re looking for people who can understand the clinical implications & limitations of the data. 

1. Are you a people person? Can you build relationships? Demonstrate charisma and bring out the dynamic aspects of your personality. Be genuine.