It doesn't matter where you start as long as you are headed in the right direction. My first job in Canada was at a CRO (Contract Research Organization) as a #Medical #Screener. My responsibilities included explaining the study to the subjects, taking their consent, detailed #medicalhistory and establishing their #eligibility for the #study. This was far from what I wanted to do but it was a #start. It got a "Canadian Experience" stamp on my #resume. Following that, I secured a role at GSK as a #MedicalAdvisor. Many factors went into successfully landing a role of my #choice, some of which I have mentioned in my previous #posts but my first role was definitely a contributing factor.
We all want to pick up from where we left off in our #country of #origin and wish that all that #experience would hold its value in Canada as well. However, sadly that is far from the truth, especially for healthcare graduates. I do agree with needing Canadian experience but that's a discussion for another day. As long as you are closely related to the #healthcare field, it's time well spent. I have seen some individuals venture into different career paths like real estate, financial advisors etc., while they try to get into a role in Medical Affairs but that will just take you further away from your goal. So this begs the question, what else can one do as an alternative.
Below is a list of roles and organizations you can look at:
- Contract research organizations: Medical screener, Medical Associate, Medical #Writer, Clinical research coordinator, #quality control of source documents.
- Medical education agencies: Medical writing, Medical materials development etc
- Hospitals: Clinical research coordinators, clinical research associates.
- Physician assistants
- Life sciences consulting agencies
and many more.
Be #humble with the beginning and accept that you have a lot to #learn in a new professional and healthcare environment. Have a learner's approach to everything and use the time to really understand this new space. All experiences matter and every role you take on the #journey to your goal will add something special, be it #knowledge, #connections, or both and who knows you may #discover a new #passion altogether. The bottom line is to ensure the role aligns with your core #qualifications and #background.
If you would like to know more, book an introductory appointment and let's talk!