Pursuing a Pharmaceutical Fellowship: Advice From a Fellow

Author: Jordan Fortunato, PharmD
Editor: Brentsen Wolf, PharmD

It’s no secret that pharmaceutical fellowships increased in popularity over the past few years, with the number of PharmDs participating in fellowships reaching a new high of 941 in 2023-24, a 259% increase over the last 10 years.¹ With the increased demand for new medication approvals, career growth opportunities, and diverse roles, it’s no wonder why many pharmacy students and professionals alike pursue this exciting career path. As a result, fellowship positions subsequently became more competitive year-over-year, with students exhibiting both strong technical and soft skills to land their dream roles.

Whether you’re applying for a fellowship position this upcoming cycle or interested in learning about application strategies, below are some insights into successfully kickstarting your professional industry journey. 

1. Choosing a Functional Area
   1. Similar to choosing a specialty in clinical practice, functional areas provide pharmacists with diverse opportunities to train and practice in. Some of the main functional areas include: Medical Affairs, Health Economics and Outcomes Research (HEOR), Market Access, Clinical Development, Pharmacovigilance, and Commercial. When entering recruitment season, it’s important to choose your ideal functional area and tailor experiences and skills to that specific role. 
   2. One of the easiest ways to learn more about a functional area is to connect with a current fellow or pharmacist working in that role. Networking via LinkedIn, pharmacy alumni, or conferences provides priceless learning opportunities to truly understand an individual’s daily responsibilities, journey, and ways to give back. IPhO also provides ample resources for students to learn more about diverse functional areas, skills needed to succeed in each role, and local/national leadership opportunities.² 
2. Narrowing Down Positions
   1. One of the most common questions students ask when applying is, “How many positions should I apply for?” Almost every fellow will provide a different magic number, but the most common range is 6-12. It truly depends on your priorities and comfort level, as everyone will come from unique backgrounds while searching for opportunities. Keep in mind that all interviews will take place during your final-year rotations, so practicing time management is crucial to stay organized and well prepared while succeeding at your practice sites. It’s important to understand that many functional areas, such as Medical Affairs, are broad and include numerous roles/positions (medical information, communication, publications, field medical, etc.). Reading company brochures, networking with current fellows/alumni, and collaborating with peers will help narrow down your search to your best fit while staying true to your passion. Below are some considerations to include when narrowing down positions/companies: 
      1. Specific Role/Responsibilities/Opportunities
         1. One of the main advantages of pursuing a fellowship is stronger job opportunities, so it’s important to understand what experiences you will obtain at each position. Some positions offer rotations whereas others are within one specific area. These are all important considerations and questions to ask when deciding the best fit. 
      2. Affiliation (independent vs. SJU, Rutgers, MCPHS, Northeastern, USC, Purdue, etc.)
         1. There are pros and cons to each pathway, but an affiliated university may offer additional opportunities, such as teaching certificates, research, Master’s tuition reimbursement, alumni network, etc. However, they tend to be longer programs as well (see below).
      3. 2-year vs. 1-year
         1. Similar to affiliation, there are pros and cons to both pathways; one-year fellowships allow a quicker entry to a full-time role, whereas 2-year fellowships provide more time to explore other areas and build additional experiences. Fellowships, especially those that are affiliated, often pay much less than a full-time pharmacist in the industry, so a risk-benefit discussion is required to determine the right approach for you. 
      4. Therapeutic Area
         1. If you have a passion for a specific specialty, such as oncology, neurology, immunology, etc. this is an easy way to narrow down programs. Many positions involve a specific therapeutic area to sharpen understanding and better prepare for post-fellowship roles. 
      5. Launch Experience
         1. A unique opportunity to support an innovative therapy to reach patients in need. It’s important to research the company’s pipeline and follow news reports to ask meaningful questions and show passion for the position. 
      6. United States vs. Worldwide Exposure
         1. There are unique differences depending on goals and opportunities post-fellowship. There are pros and cons to both, so definitely connect with individuals and fellows to better understand the position’s roles and responsibilities. 
      7. Location
         1. Most of the industry hubs include the East Coast (New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, etc.), New England region (Massachusetts) and West Coast (California). Some programs may offer relocation support, but cost of living is another factor to consider when budgeting/choosing programs. There are other programs in the Midwest in cities like Chicago and Indianapolis as well.
      8. Culture
         1. Arguably the most important consideration is how you feel when interacting with colleagues/fellows. This will determine your overall well-being and happiness at a program. When interviewing or networking, maintain a separate list of each meaningful interaction with the teams. Communicating with someone both inside and outside of the team you're applying for will help you obtain unique perspectives.
3. Leveraging Skills
   1. Some of the best pieces of advice I heard when interviewing for positions involved: 
      1. Understand the specific position you are applying to 
      2. Understand what skills are needed to succeed in the role
      3. Understand how to leverage your experiences to highlight the skills needed to succeed in that role
   2. These involve acquiring both hard and soft skills. Hard, or technical, skills are those that are directly related to the role that you are applying for. Did you complete a rotation within Medical Information and were involved in creating response letters to unsolicited requests? Were you involved in developing investigator brochures at an Investigational Drugs Services rotation and/or helping enroll patients in clinical trials? Especially when applying for full-time roles, having direct-industry experience will assist you when truly understanding the role/responsibilities.
      
      On the other hand, soft skills are those that showcase more of your personality and work ethic: communication, project/time/conflict management, teamwork, problem solving, leadership, etc. These are more difficult to teach but apply to most, if not all, roles within the industry. The United States Department of Labor offers a productive resource to those seeking to improve soft skills, so make sure to highlight these during interviews.³ Additionally, tailor your CV and letter of intent to the specific role that you are applying to. Most fellows or alumni are more than happy to review CVs and help guide you to showcase specific skills and experiences to the role.