| Alanna "I work in Continuing Medical Education (CME). In layman's terms, I plan programs, live or online, to help physicians become certified and maintain their certification to practice medicine. I also work with medical trainees within my field to set them up with mentorship programs and encourage them to choose my field as their desired field of practice!" |
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Education
Required License(s)
You can get a certification as a "Certified Health Care Professional," this but only after you've been in the field at least 2 years. (I haven't become certified yet but plan to.)
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Required Degree(s)
bachelor's degree |
Importance of GPA
not very important
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Alanna's Highest Degree: bachelor's degree (Bachelor of Science)
Alanna's College Major: Health Administration
Alanna's College GPA Range: 3.1-3.5
Salary
When I started off as a coordinator, I was making $40,000.
You can work your way up all the way to a director or VP in Education and/or Training. Your salary can only go up from there. Salaries are typically consistent from company to company however you have to understand that working in Medical Non-Profits pharmaceutical money really helps a lot. If you're working in a medical field with lots of pharma money (think oncology!) your company will have a lot more money to play with which might mean better salaries.
Getting the Job
How did you get your job?
For starting off as a coordinator, honestly nothing! It was an entry-level job. All you need to have is good multitasking abilities, great interpersonal skills, and a good sense of organization. I've worked off my experience from my coordinator position to get to be an Assistant Manager. Professional development meetings also help a lot!
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How important was networking to landing your position?
Very! I networked with our members (the physicians), networked at professional development meetings, attended other sister society's meetings, and made some great connections through that. Networking helped significantly in snagging my current job. My first job co-sponsored a meeting with my current society and I was able to articulate the fact that I've worked with them previously, understood the way they plan and host meetings, and I even knew some of the same physicians that they work with.
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Life on the Job
What is a typical day (or week) for you like?
For my job, we work on timelines that range from 8-16 months, so a day before our annual meeting is much different than a day 5 months out from the meeting. That being said, I'm on email constantly. I sign into my email, respond to any that need immediate attention, and then work through the timelines and deadlines that need to be done. This often includes talking to our involved members on a planning team, scheduling and leading conference calls, monitoring our online databases that keep all of our Conflict of Interest information, updating our websites, or work on developing slides for presentations.
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How closely does your typical day (or week) match up to the general "job description" for your position?
Probably 80% match. I would say there is a lot more space for innovation that the job description would lead you to believe. Things are always changing in medicine so we have to adjust and adapt with it.
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Does being a woman affect any aspect of your career?
No. About 75% of people who work in CME are women! It's great.
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What is the best thing about your job?
I'm a process-driven person and I love strategic planning. Both of these are HUGE in my job. There's constantly something to be planned, to be coordinated, and we have guidelines and rules that we need to adhere to. I love the challenge that brings to my job on a day-to-day basis.
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What is the worst thing about your job?
Scheduling calls with time zones around the globe.
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How demanding is your job?
The job can absolutely be demanding on your time especially if you are hosting a lot of out of town meetings where you'll need to travel. If you're good at managing priorities and deadlines, you'll be able to handle it though.
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Do you have any advancement opportunities?
Totally! Like I said, before you can start off even as an administrative assistant in CME and work your way up all the way to a director or VP. I'm definitely taking the next steps. I'm actively working towards my promotion towards being a manager. I also want to get a CHCP certification.
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Advice for You
What are the skills, characteristics, or talents that are most important to be effective in your position?
Ability to multitask, prioritize, and communicate well. Being organized is a huge help.
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What advice would you give to someone thinking about pursuing a career like yours?
How did you learn about CME?! Just kidding. I would tell them to really be introspective about what is important to them. There are medical societies for everything and you'll love your job even more if it's something you're passionate about or have a personal connection with. Otherwise, get out there and start working. Doctors are really friendly people and they're great to work with!
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If you could do it over again, would you still pursue the same career?
Yes.
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Follow Up
Want to learn more?
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