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Medical Communications agencies – uncovered !

Explore the diverse departments and roles within medical communications agencies, from sales to editorial, design to finance. Learn about career progression and the essential skills needed to succeed in this dynamic industry.

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Medical Communications agencies – uncovered !

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  1. Medical Communications agencies – uncovered ! Dr Diane Sutherland Editorial Director Fishawack Communications

  2. Introduction to the ‘Office’ • A brief personal history • Medicom agencies – they come in all shapes and sizes! • Small • Medium • Large • Unique mix of skills and personalities

  3. Content overview • Through the agency door – the department mix • A walk through each department • Stopping in the Editorial department: • Roles and responsibilities • Teamwork • Career structure • Getting started

  4. The Department mix Sales/business development Editorial IT/multimedia Account handling Conference/events Finance/HR Design/layout

  5. Bringing in the business Business development/ Sales dept

  6. Sales/business development team New business • Detective work – investigating and identifying potential opportunities in pharma for medicom services • Making contact – establishing introductory appointments • Managing pitches and proposals requested – selling agency services and skills • Maintaining database of contacts/therapy areas and on-going progress • Sales budget and target establishment Repeat business • Same product, new project types • Same company, new products • Same client, new company

  7. Delivering the business • Editorial • Conference • Design • Multimedia • Account management

  8. Meeting and greeting – conference/events department • Managing and delivering all meetings-based projects • venue and 3rd party supplier liaison; speaker, participant and on-site management • Ensuring that projects are delivered to budget, schedule and quality • Advisory boards • Stand-alone meetings • Satellite symposia

  9. Visual appeal and that professional look – design and multimedia • Creative concepts, designs and producing visual materials – internal (e.g. pitches/presentations) and client • Artwork and layouts for written project outputs • Scientific and technical illustrations for the presentations/project outputs • Interactive options – web-based, animation

  10. Keeping us all in line – account/project managers • Project specification and cost estimates • Schedules • Monitoring project status according to specification • Tracking hours and budget • Liaising with client on the above

  11. Behind the scenes Project support IT Human resources/personnel Finance

  12. Getting down to business Editorial dept

  13. Writers Editors Editorial assistants Trainee/junior Senior Principal Manager Account team leader/account director/editorial team leader Scientific director Director/head of department Editorial team: roles/titles

  14. Key tasks of the writer • Developing (through research, writing, editing) high-quality material for a variety of projects • according to the brief • within budget and timelines • with correct use of English and scientific accuracy • Liaising with clients, authors and colleagues to progress projects effectively • Mentoring, training and managing writers • Preparing cost estimates for editorial tasks • Actively participating in account development/ new business opportunities • Managing workload (personal/across team)

  15. No writer is an island – interacting with other departments Conference/Events Design/Multimedia Sales/BD Account/Project management

  16. Career progression within the editorial team – an example Experience (time; range of projects) Skill set ≥5 yrs • Internal: • training • procedures Principal Writer ≥5 yrs 2.5–5 yrs ≥4 yrs 0–3 yrs Senior Medical Writer Editorial Manager Editorial Director Medical Writer Scientific Director • External: • BD support • Account dvlp ≥5 yrs

  17. Getting started

  18. The Process • Application • Covering letter • CV • Writing and editing tests • Interview • Presentation • Editorial • Other departments

  19. What the agency is looking for: Writing skills Attention to detail Therapy area experience/potential Suitability to role Team fit Creativity Enthusiasm! Some considerations for a potential new writer: Do you enjoy writing? Are you a good team player? Do you have an interest in the pharmaceutical industry? Are you enthusiastic about learning a wide range of areas of medicine? Are you able to work flexibly and to tight timelines? Boxes to tick

  20. Never a dull moment! • Variety • Project types • Therapy areas • Team work • Ownership • Job satisfaction

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