Unlocking Opportunities for Entry-Level Positions in Regulatory Affairs

Description: Trained and experienced regulatory professionals continue to be on high demand in the biopharmaceutical, medical devices and other industries as the number of open positions continue to outpace the number of such professionals. Even more critical are entry-level positions in regulatory affairs where there are many potential candidates who possess impressive academic qualifications but lack practical experience in how regulatory affairs professionals function in industry. These prospective candidates might have received a graduate (e.g., Masters) degree in regulatory affairs. Nonetheless, such candidates are often turned away from jobs in which they are likely to be successful, for the so-called "lack of experience." Yet, these candidates may represent the long-term solution for the lack of regulatory professionals needed to fill the void in building a talent pipeline for the regulatory affairs profession.

Although some companies have implemented training programs, such as internships, co-op and postdoctoral fellowships, such programs are either not adequate to prepare a prospective candidate for an entry-level position in regulatory affairs due to the relatively short duration of the programs (e.g., internships) or because the programs are only available to a niche group of individuals (e.g., post-doctoral fellowships for PharmDs), thereby limiting the scale to truly be as impactful as the current situation calls for.

A possible solution would be to enhance existing programs or create new ones that are specifically designed to prepare prospective candidates for entry-level regulatory affairs positions in industry. Such programs would require collaboration among different stakeholders, including, but not limited to, academic institutions that offer training programs in regulatory affairs, organizations that evaluate professional competency (e.g., RAPS), companies seeking entry-level candidates for their open positions, and recruiting agencies.

This panel session seeks to bring representatives from key stakeholder groups to engage in a lively discussion to explore strategies for solving this conundrum.

* One lucky attendee will win a set of RAC Flashcards (devices or drugs).
* A second attendee will win complimentary registration to the RAPS Online Workshop: Business Writing for Regulatory Professionals: Making it Easy, October 30, 1:00 - 3:00 pm Eastern, 2 RAC, presented by Nancy Singer.