What to do with Bio Med Degree
Discussion
My Daughter is in last year of Uni doing Bio medical Science and is unsure what to do for a job and I don’t understand enough to give advice. Should get a 2 - 1 from Lancaster
She knows she doesn’t want to be in a lab full time. I think she would like to go on and do post grad but the cost may be restrictive.
Likes dealing with people and is good at it and has looked at gene counselling but I suspect needs experience (catch 22 can’t get experience without experience)
Has thought about medical sales but has been put off by her mum who has said that is just a sales job!
I put her off teaching by saying years ago that those that can do and those that can’t teach (pillock)
Any help for me to understand options would be great
Thanks
She knows she doesn’t want to be in a lab full time. I think she would like to go on and do post grad but the cost may be restrictive.
Likes dealing with people and is good at it and has looked at gene counselling but I suspect needs experience (catch 22 can’t get experience without experience)
Has thought about medical sales but has been put off by her mum who has said that is just a sales job!
I put her off teaching by saying years ago that those that can do and those that can’t teach (pillock)
Any help for me to understand options would be great
Thanks
What about working in clinical trials?
A Clinical Research Associate (CRA) job is what I did after Uni with similar qualifications. It has good career prospects, various routes for progression and there is employment available in the UK. Salaries vary widely but start at about 19K raising to 30K+ after a couple of years experience.
It's a face to face job that involves travelling to hospitals and ensuring that trial protocols are followed and the data is of good quality.
Its involves a fair bit of administration, management of hospital staff, and data verification. She'll get to use her degree every now and again as well when she has to solve the inevitable problems that occur.
The route to being a CRA is either to be a Junior, or start as a Clinical Trials Administrator and serve your time.
The NHS and Universities also now recruit for this role as they increasingly try and fall into line with the rest of us if she fancied the public sector.
Just ask if you want to know more.
ETA: Just for your interest, medical sales is where the money is. Pharmaceutical companies spend approximately twice as much on sales as they do in research and development. The reason for the increased costs are generally considered to be the costs of misleading the public and doctors (who may take claims of a drugs efficacy at face value) and to ease the conscience of successful sales reps.
A Clinical Research Associate (CRA) job is what I did after Uni with similar qualifications. It has good career prospects, various routes for progression and there is employment available in the UK. Salaries vary widely but start at about 19K raising to 30K+ after a couple of years experience.
It's a face to face job that involves travelling to hospitals and ensuring that trial protocols are followed and the data is of good quality.
Its involves a fair bit of administration, management of hospital staff, and data verification. She'll get to use her degree every now and again as well when she has to solve the inevitable problems that occur.
The route to being a CRA is either to be a Junior, or start as a Clinical Trials Administrator and serve your time.
The NHS and Universities also now recruit for this role as they increasingly try and fall into line with the rest of us if she fancied the public sector.
Just ask if you want to know more.
ETA: Just for your interest, medical sales is where the money is. Pharmaceutical companies spend approximately twice as much on sales as they do in research and development. The reason for the increased costs are generally considered to be the costs of misleading the public and doctors (who may take claims of a drugs efficacy at face value) and to ease the conscience of successful sales reps.
Edited by Prof Prolapse on Wednesday 30th January 16:27
She should look at industrial grad schemes
GSK as mentioned
Abbott Laboratories
Mars
Proctor & Gamble
Unilever
Cargill
They start people in the labs, product testing and suchlike two years then rotated into plant/factory projects to see the operational side and then into management. Great training and leads to some fantastic careers.
Law conversion and specialise in medical law? Not talking about ambulance chasing but there are plenty of niche firms that deal with, for example, development of new drugs and the associated legal challenges- patents, testing, payment and royalties and global market of these products. Having a biomed degree could get her a foot in the door
Medical sales, I highly recommend!
I train surgeons how to use new technology, sell said new technology to hospitals, and earn a decent living.
Inc. bonus, I earn 100K a year here in the UK. Spent some time is America. Top people in my company in the US earn up to $500k pa.
I get paid to travel the world business class, and absolutely love it.
If she is a 'people person' with a bio science degree, it's fairly easy to get into.
I train surgeons how to use new technology, sell said new technology to hospitals, and earn a decent living.
Inc. bonus, I earn 100K a year here in the UK. Spent some time is America. Top people in my company in the US earn up to $500k pa.
I get paid to travel the world business class, and absolutely love it.
If she is a 'people person' with a bio science degree, it's fairly easy to get into.
The industrial grad option is a great one. Good solid companies who a not likely to go under any time soon.. Also add GE to that list as they have a healthcare division.
I didn't do a degree, took a gap year and ended up working here for 3 years;
http://www.sanger.ac.uk/
There is a fair bit of lab work but most of it is automated now, and there is quite a bit of mundane computer work, but generally it was a great place to be. I then went on to lab consumable sales, to be honest, I hated it. If you don't have the gift of the gab, don't mind the pressure of targets etc, then it's very lucrative. Now I'm older and have had more experience in customer service, I may do better, but at 21/22 I didn't have enough confidence and only lasted 2-3 years.
I didn't do a degree, took a gap year and ended up working here for 3 years;
http://www.sanger.ac.uk/
There is a fair bit of lab work but most of it is automated now, and there is quite a bit of mundane computer work, but generally it was a great place to be. I then went on to lab consumable sales, to be honest, I hated it. If you don't have the gift of the gab, don't mind the pressure of targets etc, then it's very lucrative. Now I'm older and have had more experience in customer service, I may do better, but at 21/22 I didn't have enough confidence and only lasted 2-3 years.
Prof Prolapse said:
What about working in clinical trials?
A Clinical Research Associate (CRA) job is what I did after Uni with similar qualifications. It has good career prospects, various routes for progression and there is employment available in the UK. Salaries vary widely but start at about 19K raising to 30K+ after a couple of years experience.
It's a face to face job that involves travelling to hospitals and ensuring that trial protocols are followed and the data is of good quality.
Its involves a fair bit of administration, management of hospital staff, and data verification. She'll get to use her degree every now and again as well when she has to solve the inevitable problems that occur.
The route to being a CRA is either to be a Junior, or start as a Clinical Trials Administrator and serve your time.
The NHS and Universities also now recruit for this role as they increasingly try and fall into line with the rest of us if she fancied the public sector.
Just ask if you want to know more.
ETA: Just for your interest, medical sales is where the money is. Pharmaceutical companies spend approximately twice as much on sales as they do in research and development. The reason for the increased costs are generally considered to be the costs of misleading the public and doctors (who may take claims of a drugs efficacy at face value) and to ease the conscience of successful sales reps.
Good post.A Clinical Research Associate (CRA) job is what I did after Uni with similar qualifications. It has good career prospects, various routes for progression and there is employment available in the UK. Salaries vary widely but start at about 19K raising to 30K+ after a couple of years experience.
It's a face to face job that involves travelling to hospitals and ensuring that trial protocols are followed and the data is of good quality.
Its involves a fair bit of administration, management of hospital staff, and data verification. She'll get to use her degree every now and again as well when she has to solve the inevitable problems that occur.
The route to being a CRA is either to be a Junior, or start as a Clinical Trials Administrator and serve your time.
The NHS and Universities also now recruit for this role as they increasingly try and fall into line with the rest of us if she fancied the public sector.
Just ask if you want to know more.
ETA: Just for your interest, medical sales is where the money is. Pharmaceutical companies spend approximately twice as much on sales as they do in research and development. The reason for the increased costs are generally considered to be the costs of misleading the public and doctors (who may take claims of a drugs efficacy at face value) and to ease the conscience of successful sales reps.
Edited by Prof Prolapse on Wednesday 30th January 16:27
And OP just think of the Freebies you can blag off her. I was given an Anusol pen once. Best pen I ever had for attracting odd looks from people in meetings.
steveT350C said:
Medical sales, I highly recommend!
I train surgeons how to use new technology, sell said new technology to hospitals, and earn a decent living.
Inc. bonus, I earn 100K a year here in the UK. Spent some time is America. Top people in my company in the US earn up to $500k pa.
I get paid to travel the world business class, and absolutely love it.
If she is a 'people person' with a bio science degree, it's fairly easy to get into.
I have tried to explain how important money is and not to underestimate how hard it is living on 30k a year.I train surgeons how to use new technology, sell said new technology to hospitals, and earn a decent living.
Inc. bonus, I earn 100K a year here in the UK. Spent some time is America. Top people in my company in the US earn up to $500k pa.
I get paid to travel the world business class, and absolutely love it.
If she is a 'people person' with a bio science degree, it's fairly easy to get into.
I am a little worried that my views on medical sales is due to me wanting to have done it rather than sell Trucks (although I make a good living, only allowed to fly eco though).
I see good looking women driving very nice cars in Armarni or Chanel and think thats the sort of Job to do
joema said:
It depends if she wants to make a bit of money, or enjoy research.
I'd take the paid post grad, see where that goes if its available. I would have liked to have been an academic. Plenty of options being a doctor!
being an academic requires a lot of commitment, flexibility and tolerance for not being paid anything.I'd take the paid post grad, see where that goes if its available. I would have liked to have been an academic. Plenty of options being a doctor!
my wife quit her job so we could move to germany, and I don't even have a permanent position... we're early thirties and have no prospect of owning a house any time soon. imfact i'm still paying back my student loan... and we have just one income because we live abroad.
i know loads of people who live in different cities, countries or even continents from their partners...
the problem with it as a career path is that you are competing against people who have no life and will give up everything for their job...
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