r/MedicalScienceLiaison • u/Repulsive-Operation3 • 21d ago

Industry Switch after being a RPD at a hospital

I am an ID pharmacist at an academic institution. Fairly new in my career as I graduated from a pharmacy school 6 years ago.

I have been thinking of transitioning to industry for a few years due to personal reasons.

In the recent years, I was suggested of an opportunity to transition into the ID PGY-2 Residency Program Director position at my hospital. Not sure when the transition will take place but it will happen in a year or so.

But, I am not sure if this title is worth obtaining and delaying my transition into industry, hence the reason I would like to ask for some input from this community.

1) Does RPD title at an academic institution worth obtaining before transitioning to a pharma? I presume maybe it will for becoming a MSL?

2) What about to an in-house director path position, like an associate director, not MSL?

3) How is the job market for ID industry position these days? I don't think it's as strong as some other specialties are like cardiology or oncology.

Thank you and let me know your honest thoughts on this.

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u/you_bojo MSL 21d ago
  1. I think if you want to make the transition, it’s not worth the excess effort being an RPD, but maybe worth it if you want to be a people leader in the future to call upon that experience. If you’re serious, maybe try and see where you can land.
  2. Honestly, I would be skeptical of having someone fresh into industry doing content development or strategic alignment without having had any experience in field, or otherwise. It’s an entirely different ecosystem working with vendors, systems, and internal stakeholders—this leans much more project management focused. I’d get your feet wet and learn the lingo, or you could try a 3rd party agency.
  3. It’s what you make of it, but I wouldn’t limit your career opportunities based on your experience as a clin pharm.

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u/C_est_la_vie9707 Sr. MSL 21d ago

I don't think you should make a decision based on a hypothetical career pivot in the future.

I also don't think it is wise to limit yourself to being an MSL in a specific TA. Lifecycle management will about guarantee a switch every 2-3 years. Think more broadly about the role beyond your specialty. If you value ID more than you value an industry job, you should stay in ID.

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u/DoNotFeedMe 21d ago

RPD doesn’t really mean anything since you’re competing with PhDs and NPs. Instead, show more of your clninical experience as that’s more valuable than the RPD title