Sunday, February 28, 2010

Non-clinical fellowship opportunities for physicians

When we speak of fellowships, we often refer to specific medical subspecialties. However, have you considered some of these types of fellowships that may open up some non-clinical opportunities for your career?
  • Biomedical informatics
  • Faculty development
  • Administrative medicine (health management)
  • Medicolegal (legal medicine)
  • Research medicine
  • Applied epidemiology
  • Pharmacology research
  • International health
  • Wilderness medicine
  • and more...
We often don't think of these types of fellowships, but they may be of interest if you're determined to spend little time practicing clinical medicine and having direct patient care. 

Are you looking for a career coach?

Perhaps you're thinking about a career transition. Maybe you're ready to leave clinical medicine but you're not entirely sure how to make the leap. Could you use a career coach?

In general, physicians like to be self-sufficient and we don't like to ask for help. Some of you may be very miserable with your current career and perhaps you recognize the fact that you will quickly burn out or grow very unhappy with your career as the years go by.

Some people have the right skills and talents to easily transition from the clinical world to a non-clinical industry. Others may lack certain key skill sets and they may feel inadequate because they lack formal training in business, public health, informatics, etc. Do you really need an MBA or an MPH to make a successful transition into the non-clinical world? How strong is your CV? Is your resume getting thrown into the "discard" pile?

Maybe you've been on a few job interviews but you haven't gotten an offer. Perhaps you may benefit by getting some candid feedback about your interviewing skills. Need help negotiating your next salary?

A professional career coach can help in many areas. I work with several professionals to offer a variety of career coaching services for physicians who are interested in pursuing non-clinical careers in different sectors of health care such as the pharmaceutical industry, medical education, consulting, public health, etc. If you've been thinking about a career transition, maybe we can help. Learn more about some of our career services by clicking here.

Saturday, February 27, 2010

Should you leave clinical medicine?

Leaving a career in clinical medicine is often a one-way path. There are ways to return to clinical medicine after you leave, but it can be difficult (and costly). I often spend quite a bit of time speaking with people about this critical question because although the grass may look greener on the other side, that may not be the case.

As the health care system evolves, you may consider pursuing a non-clinical career. Remember that you may have the option of a blended career where you spend a part of your time in the clinical space (perhaps moonlighting or working an occasional weekend shift in the ER),  or you may wish to transition to a part-time schedule and fill the rest of your time with some writing, blogging, consulting, teaching/tutoring, etc. There are ways to keep your feet in both the clinical and the non-clinical worlds of medicine and if you choose to make a slow transition, this is often an easier way to make that switch.

Friday, February 26, 2010

Getting ready to travel to Atlanta next week

I'll be in Atlanta next week for HIMSS10! Hope to see you there as I blog about health IT, electronic health records (EHRs), computerized physician order entry (CPOE), smartphones, tablet computers, gadgets, and much more.

I plan to publish most of my HIMSS-related blog posts on MedicineandTechnology.com since the majority of topics will be related to health IT, ARRA, HITECH, "meaningful use," interoperability, clinical decision support, EHR implementation, and much more.

However, I'm sure I'll also add relevant blog posts to MedicalSmartphones.com and MobileHealthComputing.com as I meet with vendors and explore new products and gadgets.

Job-related blog posts will obviously get published here on NonClinicalJobs.com

So, make sure to follow all my blogs next week!

Seriously considering business school this year

I'm seriously considering business school this year. I've blogged about this topic quite a bit and I fortunately live in a region of the country where I'm surrounded by several really great B-schools. I've wanted to take some business courses for a while now, but every year something significant came up in my personal life (kids, moving, etc.), so I've been delaying my pursuit of an MBA. Now, I think that it's time.

2010 is going to be a really busy year for me since I'm taking my blogging to a new level. Plus, I'm getting involved in some little ventures here and there, so in some ways it's a great year to enter B-school where I can be surrounded by entrepreneurs and professors who may be able to guide me through some major decisions I'll have to make as some of these ventures potentially grow into something much more significant. I'll keep you posted.

If you've been thinking about business school, make sure to follow this blog next month. I've decided that the month of March will be focused on the topic of business school.

Healthcare Research Jobs in Business

I may have confused some of you with the title: "Healthcare Research Jobs in Business." How can you combine healthcare research with business?

When you speak with medical students and physicians about "research jobs," they often think about clinical research or basic science research. There are other types of research jobs in the world of health care. For instance, you may work in a market research company. Or, you may have a job focusing on medical education research. 

Here's an example of a market research job at Harris Interactive (posted on 10/14/2009, so I doubt it's still vacant, but you never know):
VP, Research - Healthcare Research

Overview:

Harris Interactive is a global leader in custom market research. With a long and rich history in multimodal research, powered by our science and technology, we assist clients in achieving business results. Harris Interactive serves clients globally through our North American, European and Asian offices and a network of independent market research firms. For more information, please visit http://www.harrisinteractive.com/.

Responsibilities:

Develops and manages existing research capabilities, establishes a significant market presence in the healthcare/pharmaceutical industry for the organization.

    * Develops and executes comprehensive plans and programs, short and long term, to support significant sales and revenue objectives of organization.
    * Develops and recommends product positioning, marketing, and pricing strategy to produce the highest possible long-term market share and profitability.
    * Oversees and evaluates market research and adjusts marketing strategy to meet changing market and competitive conditions.
    * Establishes and maintains relationships with industry influencers and key community and strategic partners.
    * Recruits and manages research staff.
    * Establishes and maintains an overall strategic marketing plan designed to build awareness of research capabilities.
    * Present research findings at industry conferences and events on a regular basis.
    * Provide direction on new research product development.
    * Lead the effort to build normative databases.


Thursday, February 25, 2010

CSO Medical Affairs Director


What's a CSO? Commercial Solutions Organization (CSO)

Innovex is an example of a CSO and here's a job description that you'll find if you visit the "careers" section on the Quintiles website. Or, you could just click on this link to get right to this specific job post.
Job Description 
Medical Affairs Director, 6315-0904554


Description

Innovex is the world's leading commercial solutions organization (CSO), providing our pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device customers with innovative commercialization options, including high quality sales and medical support teams, and the flexibility that is required in today's unpredictable marketplace.
We are excited to announce that at this time we are looking for a Medical Affairs Director to join our team of over 25,000 professionals around the world, supporting several pharmaceutical and biotech clients.   In this role, the successful candidate will be providing US medical support to Biovitrum, a global specialty biopharmaceutical company, as they expand to the US market.   Biovitrum recently acquired global rights to three products and is now developing strategic and operational plans that will maximize the value of these newly acquired assets.   The right candidate will have the potential to join Biovitrum as a member of the senior leadership team at the end of contract. 
Medical Affairs Director
The Medical Affairs Director will provide all medical functions including interacting with key opinion leaders (KOLs), key customers and Medical Directors of major payer organizations, regulatory and healthcare coverage organizations, and collaborating on the development of  company strategy in all medical and clinical research efforts for scientific publications, product investigations (e.g., Investigator Initiated Studies) and regulatory submissions.  The Director will serve as a medical/scientific brand expert while facilitating the development of, execution of, or driving support for scientific/educational strategies and tactics such as clinical and disease area publications, advisory boards, slide libraries, advocacy development, review of product advertising and promotional materials, and professional/continuing education programs.  The position will also provide support and training to field based personnel such as Medical Science Liaisons and will work closely with Medical Affairs, Clinical and Global Brand Management colleagues in Sweden. This position reports directly to the Commercial Director, North America with informal reporting to the Scientific Communication Director based in Sweden.

"WIBGI"

WIBGI = wouldn't it be great if...

On the airplane the other day, I was reading a very interesting article on Harvard Business Review about a company called Intellectual Ventures. This is a company started by Nathan Myhrvold, former Chief Technology Officer at Microsoft and Edward Jung (a colleague from Microsoft).

Here's a brief description of Intellectual Ventures:
Founded in 2000, Intellectual Ventures is built on the belief that combining capitalism and invention will benefit the world with more and better inventions as well as create financial rewards for investors.
So, where does WIBGI fit in? In this article, there's a story where an invention session involved heart, chest, bone, and brain surgeons. These surgeons were asked to draft a WIBGI wish list and they came up with some innovative product ideas including new designs for surgical toos that are self-sterilizing... tools that can snake their way around delicate areas of the brain rather than passing through them...  novel ways to make implantable devices that can intelligently dispense medicines... smart shunts that signal when they are clogged or that can clean themselves... and much more.  That's innovation!

If you've been thinking about inventing something in the biomedical field, do you know how to get started? Do you know how to secure a patent? I love these types of articles in Harvard Business Review. They really get my creative juices flowing.

More CME jobs on LinkedIn

Are you using social media to look for non-clinical jobs? Here are a few examples of some CME jobs you'll find on LinkedIn:
  • Associate Medical Director
  • Medical Writer
  • Medical Education Manager
  • VP, Grant Development
  • Medical Directors
  • and more
Don't forget to join the "NonClinicalJobs.com" group while you're on LinkedIn.

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

BioSpace Pharm Country Career Fair rescheduled

Due to inclement weather in the tri-state area, BioSpace has been forced to reschedule the Career Fair. The Pharm Country Career Fair will now take place next Thursday, March 4th from 11am – 4pm at the Bridgewater Marriott, exactly one week after the originally scheduled date.

Physician salary negotiation services

Don't forget that we currently provide a career service for physicians who are looking for salary negotiation coaching. Do you know how to position yourself to ensure that you'll receive the best compensation package as you negotiate salary? Perhaps you'd like to gain some insight from HR professionals who have worked in pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. Here's an example of some of the services we provide:

  • Financial Services: You will have an unique opportunity to work with a former Investment Banker on Wall Street who transitioned his career into Human Resources (HR), specializing in Staffing and Recruiting. Within this field, he has 10+ years experience as an internal HR recruiter, and external executive recruiter, across a variety of different industries ranging from Finance, Management Consulting, Pharma, Bio-tech, IT, etc... He can provide you with guidance/coaching from the pre-interview stage to post-offer stage. He has experience both as an internal HR recruiter, and external executive recruiter managing total compensation packages up to $750K. He can provide valuable insight as to how "HR" operates, and how you can successfully navigate around 'HR" to maximize your compensation package.
If you're looking for a career coach, make sure to read this.

    Medical Scientific Director, Endocrinology

    Here's another pharma job description for a medical director. Notice how it says, "Three or more years experience in an equivalent Field Medical Affairs role required strongly preferred." Not required, but preferred. Do you think you may have a chance at this opportunity even if you lack any industry experience?

    2827BR
    Medical Scientific Director, Endocrinology
    Clinical
    Within Medical & Scientific Affairs (MSA), a Medical Scientific Director, Endocrinology (MSD-ENDO) functions as highly trained medical expert for Novo Nordisk Incorporated (NNI) and key external customers to further scientific exchange on the Area level. S/he provides field-based clinical and scientific support to Medical, Sales, Marketing as well as Market Shaping teams consistent with Novo Nordisk strategies and therapeutic interests by using academic credentials, clinical expertise and scientific knowledge to communicate with the top Endocrinologists and relevant professional organizations on the Area level. The MSD-ENDO assists in coaching and developing other members of the MSA team as directed by MSA management and contributes the establishing the scientific/clinical leadership of MSA in the field.

    8 steps to launching a start-up

    There's a nice article in the March 2010 edition of US News and World Report titled, "Kick-Starting a Business of Your Own." The author describes 8 important steps that are important for anyone starting a new company:
    1. Find a mentor
    2. Do the prep work
    3. Write a business plan
    4. Line up sources of funding
    5. Purchase health insurance
    6. Hire an accountant
    7. Don't neglect retirement savings
    8. Accept what you can't have
    When it comes to step #4 above, this is where many people get stuck. How do you find sources of funding for a new business venture?
    • Savings
    • Credit cards (use with caution!)
    • Home equity loans 
    • Friends and relatives (use with extreme caution!)
    • Banks and credit unions
    • Angel investors and venture capital firms
    So, are you ready to embark on a new adventure? I'm a bootstrapper (defined by Wikipedia as: to start a business without external help/capital). Perhaps you've been thinking about starting a new business. Would you call yourself an entrepreneur?

    Medical Director CME

    As the month of February comes to a close, I'd like to say that it's been an interesting month blogging about the topic of CME or Continuing Medical Education. Here's another job post from Monster for a CME medical director:

    Medical Director CME
    Continuing Medical Education (CME) Company that services strategic development and implementation of long-term medical education programs is searching for a Medical Director. The Medical Director is responsible for the development and management of scientific program(s) that fall under his/her responsibility. The Medical Director is a scientific coordinator, interacting internally with Program Directors and externally with Clients, key opinion leaders and faculty.

    Responsibilities:
    • Lead strategy-planning sessions in-house and with Clients to develop the scientific goals and content of business proposals, and ongoing programs.
    • Attends Scientific Meetings and Symposia with the goal of analyzing and identifying potentially influential data from competitors, and it is his/her responsibility to make strategic recommendations for appropriate product positioning based on these analyses.
    • Develop publication strategies and to supervise and participate in the generation of all enduring materials required to fulfill the publication program or meeting needs.
    • Medical Director is expected to reexamine the scientific programs and publication strategies periodically to make recommendations for modifications as needed based on the evolving market and the upcoming scientific literature.
    • Provide scientific guidance, strategic support and assistance in the development of scientific materials required for the elaboration of new business pitches, and to serve as the scientific advisor in new business presentations.
    Requirements:

    • Medical degree (MD or DO), with five or more years of clinical practice;
    • Experience in CME accreditation, certification and credit systems;
    • Expertise in performance and quality improvement methodologies in healthcare
    • Experience in client consultation with in-depth knowledge of CME, medical practice and healthcare.

    Tuesday, February 23, 2010

    Three Distinct Career Paths for Innovators

    I love reading Harvard Business Review. It's probably my favorite business magazine. There's a great article in the December 2009 issue titled, "Create Three Distinct Career Paths for Innovators."

    What are those three career paths?
    1. Discovery: creating or identifying high-impact market opportunities.
    2. Incubation: experimenting with technology and business concepts to design a viable model for a new business.
    3. Acceleration: developing a business unit it can stand on its own.
    Over the years, I've probably played a big role in discovery and incubation, but I haven't spent a lot of time in acceleration. I love innovating new concepts and exploring new options for myself as well as for various business organizations. 

    Are you surrounded by innovative people? Do you have some ideas that you'd like to incubate? Perhaps you consider yourself a medical entrepreneur, but you don't really know how to get started in entrepreneurship.

    Pharma Medical Director (no industry experience required, but...)

    So, one frequently asked question is: "I'm a physician and I want to work for pharma. How do I break into pharma if I lack pharma experience? All the job posts indicate they want someone who has (x) years of industry experience!"

    Well, here's an example where one pharma/biotech company has declared that they will entertain physician candidates who don't have any industry experience:
    Applicants without industry experience will be considered based on experience working with the pharmaceutical industry on study development, advisor, and presentation at company related events
    The basic job qualifications for this job are listed like this:
    • MD board certified/board eligible in Hematology/Oncology
    • 5 years experience in both clinical research and patient care
    • 3 years experience in biotech or pharmaceutical industry
    So, do you qualify? If you don't, then we need to talk so that I can find someone to help you map a career course so that you can eventually end up in pharma. There's always a way to break in - you just need to know how to find that door.

    Monday, February 22, 2010

    10 fastest growing jobs over the next 10 years

    According to a recent article in US News and World Report, the occupations projected to grow fastest between 2008 and 2018 are:
    1. Biomedical engineers (72% projected growth)
    2. Network systems and data communications analysts (53%)
    3. Home health aids (50%)
    4. Personal and home care aids (46%)
    5. Financial examiners (41%)
    6. Medical scientists, except epidemiologists (40%)
    7. Physician assistants (39%)
    8. Skin care specialists (38%)
    9. Biochemists and biophysicists (37%)
    10. Athletic trainers (37%)
    That's a very interesting list. They source the Bureau of Labor Statistics and remark that some of the median income levels for some of these positions (such as home care aids) is less than $20k. Half of the top 20 fastest-growing careers are related to healthcare (no surprise there).

    Physician salaries in the CME industry

    This month is CME month here on NonClinicalJobs.com and as the month wraps up, I'll be publishing the results from an informal salary survey that I conducted. The purpose of this survey was to collect data on "medical director" physician salaries in the CME industry. I realize that some physicians work as medical writers, but I'm not including medical writer salaries since AMWA already has a nice salary survey.

    I'm also focusing my survey on positions within medical education and communication companies, also known as MECCs. How much do you think physicians can make in various "medical director" positions? By that, I mean that some companies have the "medical director" position broken down into different levels such as:
    1. Associate Director of Medical Affairs (or, simply: Associate Medical Director)
    2. Medical Director (or, Director of Medical Affairs)
    3. Senior Medical Director
    4. VP of Medical Affairs (in some cases, the title is: VP and Medical Director)
    5. Senior VP or SVP of Medical Affairs
    6. Executive VP or EVP of Medical Affairs
    7. CMO or Chief Medical Officer (in some cases, the title is combined: EVP and CMO)
    8. President or CEO (yes, some physicians own and run CME companies) 
      The most common title I've ever seen within a CME company is simply "Medical Director."  Within large corporations, you're likely to find that physician positions are broken down into the 7 positions listed above. In the world of CME and medical education, I don't think you'll see many physicians who hold titles such as #6 or #7 in many education companies. For that matter, some small companies only have a single medical director who reports directly to the CEO and that individual is called the "Medical Director." Other companies may have over 10 medical directors who are all called "Medical Directors" and they may have a managing VP above them or they may report to a CMO or an EVP.

      To further confuse matters, in many CME companies, the term "Medical Director" is often used for non-physicians (such as pharmacists, nurses, NPs, PAs, or people who have a PhD). This doesn't necessarily change salary ranges, but it's an interesting point because in the clinical world, non-physicians generally don't make the same type of salary compared to physicians. However, in the world of CME, many non-physicians make more than physicians working in CME based on their levels of experience and management responsibilities.

      Stay tuned to see the results of the survey. To ensure that you don't miss any new posts or articles, subscribe to updates by e-mail or by RSS. If you're an executive recruiter or an experienced CME professional and you'd like to offer your input on this survey, contact me.

      Networking is critical when looking for a job

      We've all heard that networking is vital when looking for a new job, but how much do we really believe it? How actively are you growing your social network? Are you using social media? Are you on LinkedIn? On Facebook? On Twitter? Perhaps you don't believe that these tools can really help you professionally.

      A story on the Wall Street Journal might catch your attention. It's titled, "Internal Hires, Referrals Were Most Hired in 2009." Here' what you'll read:
      For the 49% of jobs that were filled with external recruits, referrals accounted for the most hires -- 27%... On average, these yielded one hire for every 15 referrals received. Meanwhile, company Web sites and job boards accounted for 22% and 13% of external hires, respectively.
      So, how do you get referred? You have to know people. They've got to be thinking about you and mentioning your name as opportunities arise.

      To read this article on the Wall Street Journal, click here.

      5 key innovation skills

      There's a great article in Harvard Business Review titled, "The Innovator's DNA." How are innovators wired? How do they think? They're constantly asking questions and exploring new options.

      The authors of this article highlight 5 key innovation skills that are acquired and honed by innovative entrepreneurs. There's what they are:
      1. Associating
      2. Questioning
      3. Observing
      4. Experimenting
      5. Networking
      The article ends with this challenge: Try spending 15 to 30 minutes each day writing down questions that challenge the status quo in your company.

      Perhaps you need to be innovative in your organization. Maybe you need to be innovative to find a new job or to make a career transition. Are you willing to take some risks to make change happen? Have you been asking the right types of questions?

      Sunday, February 21, 2010

      Top Executive MBA Programs

      Which list do you think of when you hear someone say "Top Executive MBA Programs"? Do you think about BusinessWeek? U.S. News & World Report? The Wall Street Journal? Financial Times? Forbes? The Princeton Review? The Economist? What's interesting is that some schools appear on almost every list of "top executive MBA programs." Do you know which schools I'm referring to?

      Here are the top 5 according to BusinessWeek:
      1. Northwestern (Kellogg)
      2. Chicago (Booth)
      3. Pennsylvania (Wharton)
      4. Columbia
      5. USC (Marshall)
      Here are the top 5 according to U.S. News & World Report:
      1 Northwestern University (Kellogg) Evanston, IL
      2 University of Pennsylvania (Wharton) Philadelphia, PA
      3 University of Chicago (Booth) Chicago, IL
      4 Duke University (Fuqua) Durham, NC
      5 Columbia University New York, NY
      Notice that Kellogg, Wharton, Booth, and Columbia are on both lists when you look at the top 5 programs?

      Saturday, February 20, 2010

      Why Women Don't Make It Up The Ladder

      An interesting article published on Forbes.com called, "Why Women Don't Make It Up The Ladder." Bain & Company recently conducted a survey of more than 1,800 businesspeople worldwide, and nearly 80% of them--women and men--said they were convinced of the benefits of gender parity at all levels. Do you think this is true in medicine as well? Some medical specialties are dominated by a large volume of women physicians. I'm talking specifically about pediatrics and family medicine. What happens in the corporate setting? How does gender impact your ability to advance as a leader?

      To read the story on Forbes, click here.

      Over 300 fans on our Facebook fan page!

      We now have over 300 fans on Facebook on our "Non-Clinical Medical Jobs, Careers, and Opportunities for Physicians" fan page. We launched this fan page back in October 2009. Who knew there were that many physicians on Facebook!

      Thanks for spreading the word! Let's see how many fans we can get on the Facebook fan page by October when we will celebrate a one-year anniversary for the fan page.

      Social networking websites like Facebook can be very instrumental in helping you make some contacts in the non-clinical medical industry.  If you haven't become a fan yet, I hope you'll join the others to show your support of this website. Click here to become a fan on Facebook.

      Friday, February 19, 2010

      Pharmaceutical Medical Director, Clinical


      Here's a job post on Monster.com that might be of interest to internal medicine or family medicine physicians who wish to enter the pharmaceutical industry:

      Job Title
      • Medical Director, Clinical
      Position Description
      • Identify, assess and appropriately manage safety signals Phase 1- Phase 4.​ 
      Position Responsibilities
      • Review safety reports and safety sections for labels.​ Possess familiarity with biostatistics and computer data processing techniques.​ Must have strong interpersonal and leadership skills, self motivation, integrity, ethics and a solid commitment to drug safety.​
      • Review and evaluate serious event reports
      • Communicate safety assessments 
      • Medical review for safety sections of protocols, study reports, labels and investigator brochures.​ 
      • Work with Quality Assurance, Document Management, Clinical teams, Legal,and Regulatory Affairs
      Position Requirements
      • Associate Director- 1 to 3 years of clinical experience within a private practice or academic medical setting.​ 
      • Medical Director- 2 years of drug safety experience: 
      • Senior Medical Director requires 5 years.​  
      • MD/​DO board certified in internal medicine or family medicine is preferred.​ 
      • Clinical pharmacology or clinical trial experience is also preferred.​

      What happens if you type "CME jobs" into Google?

      I did a little experiment today. I typed "CME Jobs" into Google. To my pleasant surprise, NonClinicalJobs.com came up on the first page of Google!

      Now, if you type "continuing medical education jobs" into Google, this website appears on the second page of search results. Looks like I have to work on some SEO (search engine optimization) strategies to improve that.  Search engines are dynamic and they are constantly changing. Websites that rank #1 for specific keywords may rank #5 after a few months if they don't maintain SEO.

      If you type "cme jobs for physicians" or "continuing medical education jobs for physicians," or then NonClinicalJobs.com comes up on the first page of Google.

      I realize that you may not find a CME job while you're visiting this site, but I hope you'll find valuable information about the CME industry and about potential job opportunities that relate to the CME industry.

      To view all the articles related to CME, click here.

      Global Health Fellows Program

      I often meet individuals who are interested in global health opportunities. How many people do you know who are working in some type of global health organization? I know an infectious disease physician (MD, MPH) working for the WHO in China. I also know a few individuals working in international continuing medical education (CME) companies. CME rules and regulations are very different when you go outside the United States.

      If you have an MPH and you're thinking about international health opportunities, consider the Global Health Fellows Program. 
      The Global Health Fellows Program (GHFP) is a five year cooperative agreement implemented and managed by the Public Health Institute (PHI) in partnership with the Harvard School of Public Health, Management Systems International, and Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. GHFP is supported by the US Agency for International Development (USAID).

      GHFP’s goal is to improve the effectiveness of USAID Population, Health and Nutrition programs by developing and increasing capacity of health professionals in Washington, DC and overseas. This is accomplished through the recruitment, placement and support of junior, mid- and senior-level health professionals; a diversity initiative focused on providing internship and mentoring opportunities in international public health to under-represented communities; and professional and organizational development activities to bolster USAID’s ability to maximize results and strengthen its leadership role in global health.
      There are currently two fellowship openings:

      Number Title Location
       GHFP-10-162  Private Sector Technical Advisor  Washington, DC
       GHFP-10-160  Demographic and Health Surveys and Evaluation Technical Advisor  Washington, DC

      To learn more about the Global Health Fellows Program (GHFP), visit: http://www.ghfp.net/

      Thursday, February 18, 2010

      Health Care: Rx for MBA Job Blues

      There's an interesting article on BusinessWeek titled, "Health Care: Rx for MBA Job Blues."

      To grab your attention, you'll see this under the title: Health care is one of the few bright spots in an otherwise dismal job picture for b-school grads, and reform, if it happens, has the potential to make it brighter still

      So, what types of opportunities are opening up for MBA graduates as the nation prepares for some significant health care reform? The article places a considerable amount of focus on health IT (health information technology) and electronic health records. After all, we're going to see $25.8 billion (or is it $36.5 billion?) set aside for health IT through the HITECH (Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health) provisions found within American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). 
        Click here to read the BusinessWeek article.

        Senior Medical Director, CME

        Since February is CME month here on NonClinicalJobs.com, I thought I would show a job post for a "Senior Medical Director, CME" from Monster.com

        Senior Medical Director, CME

        The Senior Medical Director will lead and manage a team of Medical Directors in the research and development of continuing education programs for health care professionals, whose content meets the highest standards of sponsoring institutions and academic partners.

        Responsibilities:
        • Developing needs assessments
        • Communicating with thought leaders and program faculty members
        • Identifying learning objectives and ensuring accuracy and scientific validity and fair balance of content.
        Requirements:
        • Advanced degree in the life sciences: MDs, PharmDs, Advanced Practice Nurses, and PhDs preferred
        • At least 3 years experience in medical education ideally in neuroscience or oncology preferably
        • Excellent communication and presentation skills, including strong leadership and people management skills
        • Analytical skills and strategic thinking
        • Continuously expanding medical and scientific knowledge as well as market knowledge
        • Thrives in a fast-paced, deadline/detail-oriented environment
        • Experience in working on a medical team in support of one or more pharmaceutical products
        • Experience in working on medical symposia
        • Prior experience in medical affairs and interfacing with commercial operations in local markets; international experience a plus
        To find this job post, search for "79996679" in the Monster.com search box.

        Freelance Medical Writing Workshop (AMWA-DVC)

        Have you considered a freelance medical writing career? Maybe you'd like to meet some current freelance writers and hear their stories. Well, the Delaware Valley Chapter of the American Medical Writers Association (AMWA-DVC) is holding its 8th annual freelance workshop on Saturday April 17 and it may be a great opportunity for you to learn about the world of freelance medical writing. Here are some details:

        CONTENT

        Full-day workshop packed with:
        * Morning session: Four presentations with Q&A
        * Networking luncheon
        * Afternoon session: Two sets of roundtables

        Exciting and informative content will cover:
        * Knowing the job markets for freelances
        * Getting the job: Personal profile and portfolio
        * Writing specific healthcare materials
        * Running your freelance business
        * Working smarter and more efficiently
        * Marketing yourself effectively

        REGISTRATION

        Deadline: Thursday, April 1, 2010
        Early Bird Discount: Register before March 12 and save!

        Click here to learn more about this

        Wednesday, February 17, 2010

        Writing a CME "needs assessments"

        Have you ever written an educational needs assessment for a hospital, a medical education company, or a medical specialty society? In the world of certified continuing medical education or CME, the educational needs assessment is a critical component that is used to justify the need for continuing education on specific topics. Certified CME has to begin with a set of identified educational needs that are based on clinical gaps and root causes. After all, what good is CME if it doesn't address relevant practice gaps?

        So, why are we talking about CME needs assessments?  Medical education companies often look for physicians and other writers to assist them with the needs assessment process. For instance, if a company wishes to propose an educational initiative on the topic of new biologic agents used in oncology, they need to come up with a specific needs assessment that identifies clinical gaps that can be bridged with continuing education. You need to generate a proposed list of learning objectives, a program agenda, and a list of references to support your gap analysis. How many different sources of information can you leverage to support the need to educate health care professionals about this topic?


        To learn more about non-clinical opportunities in the world of CME, click here to view a list of blog posts related to the topic of "CME."

        Help Wanted: Pharma Bloggers

        That's right. Pharmaceutical companies are starting to recognize how they may leverage social media and blogs to market their products.  According to this PharmaVOICE story titled, "Help Wanted: Pharma Bloggers,"
        Blogging is the latest job function in the marketing tool kit for some pharma companies.
        The world of social media is rapidly evolving and we're seeing many new job positions titled, "social media specialist." You don't necessarily need to have a degree in social media to understand how to leverage social media effectively. Major hospitals and other health care organizations are leveraging bloggers to write about their services and programs. Pharmaceutical companies are also cautiously using social media to communicate their messages. Many of these companies now have Twitter accounts, blogs, and YouTube channels.

        Perhaps you'd be interested in finding a job as a social media specialist. Do you consider yourself to be a social media expert? How have you leveraged Twitter to boost website traffic? Do you know how to manage responses to negative and positive feedback? What level of experience do you have generating buzz in various forms of digital media?

        To read this interesting article on PharmaVOICE, click here.

        Tuesday, February 16, 2010

        Accenture is looking for a Physician Informaticist

        According to a job post discussion on LinkedIn, Accenture (Accenture is a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company) is looking for a Physician Informaticist. As many consulting jobs, this one probably requires close to 100% travel. Here's the scoop (from the LinkedIn job post):
        Accenture's Health & Public Service operating group seeking Physicians with backgrounds in Informatics. The Physician Informaticist provides the essential interface between information technology and clinical care processes. The Physician Informaticist must help lead Accenture's Provider Clinical Solutions Practice and our client teams in the following areas:
        • The role of Healthcare IT (HIT) in improving quality, safety, and efficiency of healthcare delivery.
        • Design and implementation of clinical HIT systems.
        • The use of HIT systems as part of an overall health information exchange.
        • Additionally, the Physician Informaticist must play the following roles on client projects:
        • Act as the translator between physicians, clinicians and IS across the continuum of care.
        • Promote HIT system usability, process improvement, change management and ensure that clinicians are engaged in the entire consulting process.
        • Provide clinical consulting direction as to the design and implementation of the clinical systems.
        • Create the clinician change champion strategy for the clinical community in partnership with medical staff leaders to ensure value realization with technology investments.
        • Educate, involve, and support physicians and other users of clinical information systems.
        • Demonstrate Accenture core values of Stewardship, Best People, Client Value Creation, One Global Network, Respect for the Individual, and Integrity.
        • Understand and import best practices in clinical informatics from other organizations.
        Work with Accenture team and clients to:
        - develop and recommend a clinical informatics strategy and specific tactics that support the clients' vision.
        - lead development of information technology roadmap's and tactics that support the clients' vision.

        - ensure that clinicians are effectively involved in all IT related decisions which impact clinical processes.

        - create and manage a physician technology adoption program to ensure high adoption rates of clinical applications.

        - collaborate with medical staff leaders to bring standard, evidence based order sets in support of CPOE.

        - lead efforts to constrain medical vocabulary and align with national standards for the regional clinical applications

        Ability to travel 100%
        Basic Qualifications:
        M.D. degree. A degree in Informatics is preferred but not required.
        5 years clinical experience
        5 years leadership or consulting experience
        5 years experience with one or more of the following advanced clinical system applications: Computerized Physician Order Entry, Physician documentation, clinical decision support.

        Preferred Skill Requirements:
        Proven ability to build, manage and foster a team-oriented environment
        Proven ability to work creatively and analytically in a problem-solving environment
        Desire to work in an information systems environment
        Excellent communication (written and oral) and interpersonal skills
        Excellent leadership and management skills

        All of our consulting professionals receive comprehensive training covering business acumen, technical and professional skills development. You'll also have opportunities to hone your functional skills and expertise in an area of specialization. We offer a variety of formal and informal training programs at every level to help you acquire and build specialized skills faster. Learning takes place both on the job and through formal training conducted online, in the classroom, or in collaboration with teammates. The sheer variety of work we do, and the experience it offers, provide an unbeatable platform from which to build a career.
        To view this job post on LinkedIn, join "The Medical Informatics Physician" group on LinkedIn and visit the "Jobs" tab.

        5 steps to shorten your job search

        Jeff LeFevre, Managing Partner and Founder, JTL Services, Inc. is holding a free preview call tomorrow titled, "5 steps to shorten your job search."  I've never participated in any of his classes, but when something is free, what's there to lose? Here are some of the details:
        Register for the free preview call and THEN decide if you want to take the full class! If you do, you'll receive special value added services and products, a recording of each module, and a handout for each module as well!

        Getting to the finish line in your job search isn’t easy. There are myriads of hurdles along the way.

        * If you’re sending out resumes and getting very little response it might be the ads you’re answering.
        * Or it might be that you’re not fully utilizing all available resources.
        * Or it might be your cover letter.
        * Then again, it might be your resume....or your interviewing skills.
        Now, in a 5-module teleseminar of one-hour sessions created based on the questions and issues our clients are currently facing, you’ll receive that in-depth information. You’ll have access to the knowledge 5 career experts will be providing you.

        Thursday, February 18: Judi Perkins - 4 ways to jumpstart your job search
        Tuesday, February 23: Donna Sweiden - Optimizing your online presence
        Thursday, February 25: Debra Wheatman - Building An Effective Resume
        Tuesday, March 2: Jeff LeFevre - Understanding Recruiters for effective working relationships
        Thursday, March 5: Melanie Szlucha - TODAY: A better way to prepare for job interviews
        These are very important topics for anyone who is currently involved in a job search.  To learn more, visit:
        http://freepreviewcall5steps.eventbrite.com/

        Monday, February 15, 2010

        Physician jobs in the CME industry

        Physicians who choose to pursue non-clinical jobs in the CME industry probably find themselves doing one of a few things ranging from business development, content development, project management, to executive leadership. Here are some of the job titles you may see:
        • Medical writer
        • Grant writer
        • Director of medical education
        • Medical education manager
        • Medical director
        • CME director
        • Compliance officer
        • VP of medical affairs
        • Chief medical officer
        • President 
        • CEO
        These are not listed in any particular order, but they should give you an idea of some of the types of opportunities that exist within the CME industry.

        Medical Science Liaison (MSL) salary

        What type of salary can you expect as an MSL? (Medical Science Liaison)

        Like many positions, salary may depend on your geographic region, cost of housing/living, etc. According to Indeed.com (a search engine for jobs, allowing job seekers to find jobs posted on thousands of company career sites and job boards), the average salary for an MSL is $76,000. Does that seem right?

        Let's check PayScale.com and see what they have to say:
        Seems to confirm the Indeed.com salary range if you're looking at "entry-level" MSL positions. Can you believe that it jumps up to close to $180,000  if you have 10-20 years of experience?

        These types of salary scales and salary calculators are not always accurate because so many different factors impact salary. They don't factor things like a signing bonus, stock options, a performance bonus, etc. If you're working as an MSL, you won't be "selling" anything, so don't expect any sales commissions. The life of an MSL isn't an easy one if you don't enjoy traveling.

        Sunday, February 14, 2010

        Let's connect at HIMSS (#HIMSS10)

        If you're attending HIMSS10, let's get connected. I'll be using Twitter and the hash tag #HIMSS10 to communicate what's going on at HIMSS. This year, I'm attending HIMSS as a blogger and I'll be participating in the "Meet the Bloggers" panel on Wed March 2, so make sure to say hello. Here's some more information:

        Meet me on Wed (March 2) at the Meet the Bloggers session at #HIMSS10

        Looking forward to seeing you at HIMSS10!

        If you don't catch me in the Social Media Center, then I'm sure you'll find me roaming the exhibit halls or at some of the social events.

        Thursday, February 11, 2010

        Medical management jobs on LinkedIn

        Interested in the world of medical management? Then you've probably already joined the American College of Physician Executives (ACPE). Maybe you even have an MBA or a master of medical management (MMM). Unlike traditional job boards, LinkedIn adds an element of social interaction. When someone posts a job, others can post comments to that job post. Before long, you end up having an online discussion and you're able to build an online social community. Some of the jobs listed in the ACPE group include:
        • Medical Director
        • Vice President of Medical Affairs 
        • Chief Medical Officer
        • Chief Executive Officer
        • and others
        The American College of Physician Executives (ACPE) group on LinkedIn currently has over 660 members. Considering that the ACPE has over 10,000 members, where are all the others?

        Speaking of LinkedIn, don't forget to join our "Non-Clinical Healthcare Professionals" group on LinkedIn.

        How to make $50 each day by writing (or blogging)

        Many doctors look for ways to make supplemental income. That's why some doctors spend so much time moonlighting in emergency rooms. Now, suppose you could make $50 every day by doing some short writing. That would be roughly $1,500 each month if you worked 30 days. This equates to $18,000 each year. How much time would it take to earn $50 each day? Are you a fast writer or do you frequently experience writer's block?

        Most of us are probably too busy to write every day, but what if you set aside a chunk of time each week to do some dedicated writing or blogging? Would that be feasible? Would you enjoy writing?

        Some of you may wonder: "Where did $50 come from? How did I come up with that figure?"
        • If you're an entry-level medical writer/blogger, then you can expect to make up to $25 for writing short articles and blog posts for large major publishers. (some publishers will pay as low as $10 per post, but you're likely to find some that will pay as high as $25). If you write 2 blog posts, you've made $50.
        • If you're a seasoned medical writer, then you can make up to $50 or more per short article.
        Interested? Click here to read articles related to blogging and maybe you'll get inspired.

        Wednesday, February 10, 2010

        Access a list of CME companies at the NAAMECC website

        CME companies are all over the United States. There are probably over 100 private companies that focus on developing continuing medical education activities for physicians, pharmacists, nurses, PAs, and NPs. If you're thinking about a career in CME, perhaps you'd like to know if there are any CME companies in your region.

        To view a list of active CME companies, I encourage you to visit the list on the North American Association of Medical Education and Communication Companies, Inc., (NAAMECC) website. This is not a comprehensive list of all the medical education and communication companies (MECCs) that are operating today, but it's a good starting place because these companies are probably committed to staying in the CME industry. As you may know, several CME companies dropped out of the industry in 2009. They either shut down or they decided to leave CME and to focus their efforts on non-CME education (also known as promotional education).

        Click here to view the list of NAAMECC member companies.

        Public Health Medical Administrator I

        Looking for a public health job in California? How about in Sacramento?

        Public Health Medical Administrator I

        Here's some background:

        The Chief of the Chronic Disease Control Branch (CDCB) is responsible for planning, organizing, directing and evaluating statewide chronic disease prevention and control programs, developing public health policy for the state, assuring Branch operations are in compliance with state and federal law and regulations and maintaining relationships with partner, such as local health departments. Demonstrated leadership capability and adaptability, skill in communication/management/technology, knowledge of medicine/public health/research/communities and a solid foundation in the social determinants of health and health inequities are necessary.

        Supervision Received: The Public Health Administrator I (PHMA I) reports directly to the Chief of the Chronic Disease and Injury Control Division.

        Supervision Exercised: The PHMA I, Branch Chief supervises four Section Chiefs in the Branch; Program Development Section, Epidemiology and Health Promotion Section; Medicine and Public Health Section; and the Administration and Policy Services Section. Description of Duties: Manages the overall program, media, budget, administrative and technology efforts of CDCB; handles a broad range of complex and sensitive programs and management issues; is the leader of the chronic disease prevention and control programs and policy, relationships with external partners, with approximately 80 state and contract staff, and a budget of $16 million; functions as the liaison and spokesperson to other state and national organizations; represents the Department.

        Salary $136,800-$160,896 Annually 

        Qualifications:  Possession of the legal requirements for the practices of medicine in CA as determined by the CA Board of Medical Quality Assurance or the CA Board of Osteopathic Examiners. Possession of a valid certificate issued by an American Medical Specialty Board or an American Osteopathic Specialty Board as a specialist in one of the fields of medicine, or eligibility for examination for one of these certificates as evidenced by a written statement from the Secretary of the Board. Five years of increasingly responsible administrative, supervisory experience as either a Board-eligible or Board certified physician in public health.

        Click here for more information about this and other types of public health jobs.

        Tuesday, February 9, 2010

        Career Opportunities with a Medical Informatics Degree

        I'm on the mailing list for the Master of Science in Medical Informatics program offered at Northwestern University School of Continuing Studies. In the most recent e-mail, the subject line said: "Career Opportunities with a Medical Informatics Degree." Seems like a very appropriate topic for this site. Here's a segment from that e-mail:

        The Master of Science in Medical Informatics program offered at Northwestern University School of Continuing Studies is a great platform for discovering new and expanded career opportunities.
        Graduates with a Master's degree in medical informatics will learn valuable information that would be helpful when seeking careers in the following areas:

        • Clinical IT Leadership
        • Research
        • Education
        • Health Care Administration and Management
        • Consulting
        • Product design and development

        Whether your background is in computing, information technology, health care, or the life sciences, this program will build on your expertise and prepare you for the new challenges of the medical informatics field.

        The curriculum is designed for a diverse audience of students, including health care professionals such as doctors, clinicians, administrators, educators, and researchers, as well as information technology professionals and other qualified individuals who wish to transition into this growing field.

        The online program format is tailored to meet the needs of working professionals. Our flexible scheduling and admissions deadlines help you earn your degree without putting your life on hold.
        To learn more about the program at Northwestern University, visit:
        http://www.medinformatics.northwestern.edu/

        Soji's List of non-clinical physician jobs

        There's a list out there called Soji's list. Who's Soji? If you visit the website, it says: "Chief Soji, MD is not a real person, don't bother looking us up. We are US-trained industry physicians giving just a little back."

        What began in April 2008 has grown to a really nice list of non-clinical jobs for physicians. They used to post PDFs of the jobs, but now the website has changed and you have to subscribe to their e-mails to receive the most current list of jobs.

        According to the website, 100% of all ad posting fees should be sent directly to Doctors Without Borders, American Red Cross, or a 501c3 medical charity.

        Visit: http://www.sojislist.com/

        Monday, February 8, 2010

        Medical education: certified CME vs. non-certified promotional education

        In the world of medical education, there is a huge difference between certified CME vs. non-certified promotional medical education. Are you familiar with the differences? If you're somewhat rusty and you'd like to gain some expertise in this area, I encourage you to enroll and participate in the National Faculty Education Initiative (NFEI). You won't become an expert overnight, but you can consider this a "basics" course that will outline the differences between certified CME and other types of medical education. 
        The National Faculty Education Initiative (NFEI) provides online training on the differences between Certified CME and Promotional Activities, as well as a searchable database of medical education faculty who have completed the program.

        The Alliance for CME and Society for Academic Continuing Medical Education (SACME), in collaboration with the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), and endorsed by AHME, are delighted to announce the launch of the National Faculty Education Initiative (NFEI) that provides online training on the differences between Certified CME and Promotional Activities, as well as a searchable database of medical education faculty who have completed the program.
        Click here for more information about the National Faculty Education Initiative (NFEI).

        Would you benefit from computer training?

        Do you consider yourself to be a technology expert? How strong are your computer skills? Do you feel lost if you're sitting with a group of computer engineers, developers, programmers who start talking about work-related issues? Maybe that's when you fire up your smartphone and jump to CNN Business so that you can see what's going on in the technology sector.  

        Even if you don't plan to pursue a career in the health information technology (or informatics) industry, it can still be very beneficial to receive computer training. What should you learn about? How about virtualization technology? What do you know about virtualization technology? I'm not referring to "virtual reality" here. I'm specifically talking about solutions made by companies like VMware. Maybe you're considering some formal Vmware Training.

        Virtualization technology is growing rapidly. So is the demand for VMware professionals. What do you know about virtualization? Can you utilize VMware to make your servers more secure and easier to maintain? What exactly is VMware? According to Wikipedia: VMware is a provider of virtualization software. The Company is majority owned by EMC Corporation. VMware's desktop software runs on Microsoft Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X. VMware's enterprise software, VMware ESX Server, runs directly on server hardware without requiring an additional underlying operating system.

        What's virtualization software? According to Wikipedia: The term "virtualization" was coined in the 1960s, to refer to a virtual machine (sometimes called pseudo machine), a term which itself dates from the experimental IBM M44/44X system. The creation and management of virtual machines has been called platform virtualization, or server virtualization, more recently.

        Now, do you feel totally lost, or are you following this discussion so far? Perhaps it's time to enroll in some formal Vmware training courses if you're qualified. Are you qualified? If you're an upper level enterprise network administrator, an IT pro or system admin with a strong desire to learn VMware ESX Server & VMware Infrastructure for use at a professional level organization, then you're probably qualified. If you have basic knowledge of server/network operating system like Windows Server or Linux, or have basic networking skills, then you're probably qualified. 

        Get your resume in front of companies at HIMSS

        Are you attending HIMSS? If you're going to be there, then I'm sure you won't have any problems getting your resume out. If you're not attending and you'd like to distribute your CV, perhaps there's a way I could help you with that.

        I'll be attending HIMSS (Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society) in a few weeks and I'll have a stack of resumes that I'll be distributing. These are not copies of my own resumes. Rather, they are CVs from physicians who are enrolled in our career coaching/counseling services and who are currently working with a career coach/counselor as they prepare to transition out of clinical medicine. 

        If you have a strong interest in the health information technology industry, perhaps you'd like to distribute your resume to various health IT companies attending HIMSS as exhibitors. If you're interested in having me distribute your CV, please contact me ASAP. The first day of HIMSS is March 1.

        Sunday, February 7, 2010

        Kellogg Executive Education

        Physicians are often too busy to enroll in full-time business programs, but executive programs can be appealing because they cater to busy schedules. Kellogg has some great programs. Here's a little intro about Kellogg at Northwestern University: 
        Executive Education at the Kellogg School is the most direct way to make an immediate impact on the practice of management. Our unique approach to executive education focuses on creating a collaborative learning environment. This experience inspires program participants to put new ideas into action to meet today’s toughest business challenges.
        They offer an executive MBA, but they also have some open enrollment programs that focus on management, leadership, strategy, and more.  Several of my good friends are graduates of Kellogg and we've explored several health consulting opportunities together. To learn more about some of these executive education opportunities, click here to visit the Kellogg Executive Education website.

        Saturday, February 6, 2010

        January top posts: NonClinicalJobs.com

        Here are the top 5 posts from January 2010:
        1. The non-clinical job market in 2010

        2. Physician Consultant in Health IT (Job Post)

        3. Finding the Right Non-Clinical Opportunity

        4. Jobs for Physicians with No Residency Experience

        5. Non-clinical opportunities for supplemental income

        This article consistently remains ranked #1, so I've stopped including it in my list of "top posts"

        Scientific Affairs Liaison (or MSL)

        The term "Scientific Affairs Liaison" is a phrase used by some companies to refer to individuals who are also known as a "Medical Science Liaison" or MSL. Here's a brief explanation from Wikipedia:
        A medical science liaison (abbreviated as MSL) is a healthcare consulting professional who is employed by pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device, and managed care companies. Other job titles for medical science liaisons may include medical liaisons, medical science managers, regional medical scientists, and regional medical directors.
        Do you know any physicians who are currently working as an MSL?  Maybe you know some pharmacists or PhD grads who are working as MSLs. You can expect to do a lot of traveling if you work as an MSL.

        So what does an MSL do? Let's take a look at a current job post/job description from TheLadders.com:

        Medical Science Liaison
        Hiring Company Industry: Biotech/Pharma
        Number of Employees: 1,000 - 10,000 Employees
        Total Compensation: $150K
        - Base Salary: $130K
        - Bonus / Commission: 20%
        - Other: $15K
        Reports to: Medical Science Liaison Director
        Location: Orlando, FL; Boston, MA; Miami, FL; New York, NY; Philadelphia, PA; Tampa, FL; Washington, DC
        JOB DESCRIPTION

        PURPOSE AND SCOPE OF POSITION

        XYZABC  Pharma, Inc., a XYZABC  Company, is seeking an experienced Medical Science Liaison for the Northeast, Southeast, and Midwest Territory. The candidate must have a doctorate degree (PharmD., PhD, D.O., or M.D) with at least 1-2 years experience as a Medical Science Liaison or equivalent medical/ professional experience. MSL experience and knowledge preferred in one of the following areas: ADHD/ Pediatrics or Men’s Health/ Urology.

        DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

        * Ability to interpret and effectively communicate relevant scientific topics and literature.
        * Ability to present complex scientific ideas fluently to internal and external audiences including, health care professionals, managed care organizations, key health care decision makers, and Executives.
        * Ability to appropriately identify, develop, and maintain strong working relationships of Key Opinion Leaders.
        * Possess doctorate level scientific knowledge and professional demeanor to earn and maintain the respect of all health care professionals.
        * Ability to work effectively across multidisciplinary groups in a timely fashion in support of business outcomes.
        * Attend major conventions, symposiums, advisory board programs, and congresses to provide medical and scientific support to internal and external customers.
        * Complete accurate and timely administrative reports, projects, and required documentation requests.

        CDC Job Opportunity (Associate Deputy Director for Behavioral and Social Science)

        I got this job post through my alumni connections at UMass Amherst School of Public Health and Health Sciences:

        Associate Deputy Director for Behavioral and Social Science

        Office of the Director
        Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention
        National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention
        Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
        Atlanta, Georgia

        This is an exciting opportunity to become part of the senior leadership team in the Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention. CDC is soliciting applications from internal and external candidates to serve as the Associate Deputy Director for Behavioral and Social Science in the Division of HIV/AIDS, Office of the Director. In this role, the incumbent will serve as a senior advisor and report to the Deputy Director for Behavioral and Social Science (Dr. Richard Wolitski). The person in this position will work closely with the Deputy Director to coordinate and support programmatic and research activities conducted in 4 branches: (1) Prevention Communication Branch, (2) Prevention Research Branch, (3) Program Evaluation Branch, and (4) The Quantitative Sciences and Data Management Branch.

        The individual will take on special projects and have the opportunity to play leadership roles in activities designed to improve quality, efficiency, and impact in a number of areas including communications, intervention research, implementation science, program monitoring and evaluation, mathematical modeling, statistical analyses, and cost studies. The individual will be expected to help guide the field in one or more of these areas by publishing reviews and commentaries or presenting at national and regional meetings. The individual in this position will participate in meetings with senior CDC leadership, other federal agencies, and external partners. When the Deputy Director is unavailable, the incumbent will serve as acting Deputy Director for Behavioral and Social Science. This is a permanent full-time position. The salary range for the position is: 101,035.00 - 131,343.00 USD per year.

        Additional information about salary and benefits, qualifications, and application procedures can be found at: USAJOBS.GOV by searching for the following position announcements:

        • HHS-CDC-D3-2010-0193
        • HHS-CDC-T3-2010-0144 (for current and former federal employees)

        This position closes on February 18, 2010.

        Questions about the application process, qualifications, and compensation should be directed to the contacts listed in the position announcement. Informal inquires about the work of the Division and the nature of the position may be sent to Richard Wolitski, PhD at RWolitski@cdc.gov.

        Friday, February 5, 2010

        U.S. Employers Slash 20,000 Jobs

        The Wall Street Journal puts it this way: "U.S. Employers Slash 20,000 Jobs; Jobless Rate Falls to 9.7%"

        According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics:
        • The unemployment rate declined from 10.0 to 9.7 percent in January.
        • In January, the number of unemployed persons decreased to 14.8 million.
        • Health care employment continued to rise in January.
        • Ambulatory health care services added 15,000 jobs over the month.
        It's good to see growth in the health care sector. We're certainly also going to see growth in the health information technology industry as companies and hospitals receive some ARRA stimulus funds related to the HITECH provisions. Will that be enough to stimulate the economy back to life?

        The Pocket MBA for Physicians

        Interested in an MBA, but can't afford to spend the time or money for an MBA? How about a "Pocket MBA for Physicians" from the Boston University School of Management? They offer several unique Executive Education programs including this one.

        The Pocket MBA for Physicians


        April 8-10, 2010
        May 6-8, 2010




        Patient-Reported Outcomes (PROs)- Overview of the Final FDA Guidance Document

        There's a complimentary webinar coming up on this topic: Patient-Reported Outcomes (PROs)- Overview of the Final FDA Guidance Document

        Tuesday, February 23, 2010
        11:00 AM- 12:00 PM ET
        Webinar Overview:
        Attend this webinar to hear an overview of the recently released Final FDA Guidance document on Patient-Reported Outcomes (PROs) with a specific focus on electronic PRO data collection.

        This webinar provides practical and logistical direction to Sponsors related to PRO data collection.
        Issues to be Reviewed Include:
        • Establishing and documenting content validity
        • Determining optimal PRO format and user interface
        • Application of 21 CFR Part 11 within electronic PRO data collection

        Presenters:
        Karin Coyne, PhD, MPH,
        Senior Research Leader,
        United BioSource Corporation Center for Health Outcomes Research

        Sonya L. Eremenco, MA,
        ePRO Program Manager,
        United BioSource Corporation Center for Health Outcomes Research

        Shiela McLaughlin,
        Vice President, Quality Assurance
        Arrowhead Electronic Healthcare
        Sponsored by United BioSource Corporation and Arrowhead Electronic Healthcare

        The Center for Business Intelligence has been reviewed and approved as an Authorized Provider by the International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET).

        Click here to register.

        25 companies that are hiring this month

        According to this story on CareerBuilder, there are 25 companies actively hiring this month. You'll see that 7 out of 25 are linked to health care in some way.

        6. CareFusion
        Industry: Medical devices and healthcare information technology
        Number of openings:  350+
        Sample job titles:  IT, SAP, human resources, program management, R&D engineering, quality engineering, finance and accounting, manufacturing
        Location: Nationwide

        9. Community Medical Centers
        Industry:  Health
        Number of openings: 350+
        Sample job titles: Registered nurses, allied healthcare professionals (including physical therapists, occupational therapist, respiratory therapists), pharmacy, radiology, technicians and information systems
        Location: Nationwide

        10. CORESTAFF Services
        Industry: Staffing and recruitment
        Number of openings: 500+
        Sample job titles: Accountant, engineer, customer service representative, computer programmer, administrative assistant, clinical trial manager, medical writer, records manager, information architect, library director
        Location: Nationwide

        16. Kelly Services, Inc.
        Industry:  Staffing
        Number of openings : 14,000+
        Sample job titles: Quality assurance technical writer, molecular biology laboratory technician, quality control inspector, food laboratory technician, senior financial analyst, network engineer
        Location: Nationwide

        18. Odyssey HealthCare
        Industry: Hospice
        Number of openings: 150+
        Sample job titles: Executive director, patient care managers, registered nurse, LPN/LVN, sales and marketing, medical social worker
        Location: Various

        19. Pacific Pulmonary Services
        Industry: Health care
        Number of openings: 60
        Sample job titles: District managers, outside sales rep. (patient care coordinator), operations manager, driver/technicians, director of reimbursement, help desk technician, training developer
        Location: Nationwide

        25. The Vitamin Shoppe
        Industry: Health and wellness retailer
        Number of openings nationwide: 60+
        Sample job titles: Store manager, assistant store manager, sales associate, district manager, accounts payable associate, loss prevention coordinator, field (regional) human resources manager, IT project manager
        Location: Nationwide