As a pharmacist by training, Chelsea Aiudi started her medical information career after working in retail pharmacy. She knew she wanted to have an industry career for life, so she wanted to gain more global knowledge about the different roles within medical affairs. The broad knowledge and skills that the BCMAS provides attracted Chelsea to the certification program in the first place.

"I think the biggest motivator for me was just the knowledge part of it. When I had initiated the program, I had started a new job within the last six months. I wasn't looking to get a new job at that point. But I thought the knowledge would be helpful and I thought that, at some point, when I am ready to go to a new position, that would be attractive to go on my CV. "

It takes dedication to complete an accredited program like the BCMAS while working a full-time job. But working at her own pace, Chelsea was able to complete the 12 modules in two to three months. From there, it was just a matter of passing the board exam before she earned her BCMAS credential.

The testing portion really motivates the individual to know the material and be able to speak to it. I also liked that it had the ability to have that certification that you could share, that you could have those letters after your name. I think that it just added another layer to not just having completed modules but having shown that you learned something, that you were able to pass this accredited exam. I think it gives you another leg up.

"Before going through the certification process, I could function well. But now I have that background understanding to really make me understand what I'm doing, why I'm doing it and how it fits into the whole drug development process."

A few years into her medical information career, Chelsea is now an Associate Director of Medical Information. What she found valuable about the BCMAS were the modules that exposed her to functional areas within the industry that she didn't interact with on a daily basis, such as regulatory affairs, compliance and medical publications.

"I found the most value in those modules that were outside of what I do on a daily basis. I definitely think it was a good fit. I would recommend it and encourage people who were new or trying to break into industry to do it. The BCMAS was a great fundamental knowledge about a lot of departments and basic responsibilities. Before going through the certification process, I could function well. But now I have that background understanding to really make me understand what I'm doing, why I'm doing it and how it fits into the whole drug development process. "