MSLs may serve as scientific peers and resources within the medical community, and are scientific experts to internal colleagues at companies. This demonstrates the prestigious connotation associated with the BCMAS mark. Those professionals working within clinical development, research & development and are transitioning to a medical affairs role. Director, Head of Medical Affairs, Astellas. This is rather controversial around here. With this credential, your organization substantiates its commitment to quality care and improved patient outcomes. What constitutes a board certification designation? MSLs are focused on building relationships with key experts I learned so much last night from the free courses with a certificate to-show-at-the-end offered by NIH office of clinical research too. However, you never know where your career will take you down the road and if you think that one day you might want to expand from an MSL to a medical director, medical affairs vice president, medical information or other areas in pharma, then having BCMAS is the way to go. medical affairs and MSL colleagues to enroll in BCMAS, Board Certification Medical Affairs (BCMAS), The Fundamentals of Pharmaceutical Industry Compliance, Prior Authorization Certified Specialist Program (PACS), Listen to the ACMA podcast on Pharmacy Podcast, Clinical Trial Design & Evidence Based Medicine, Comparative View of the Mechanism of Action of Drugs for every organ system, Presentation & Communications Strategies for MSLs, Professional Ethics Related to Interactions with HCPs, Anatomical & Physiological Effects of Drugs, Compliance for pharma, device & diagnostics, Effective Advisory Boards for Medical Affairs. Hi. It is also the first board certification for MSLs. With the addition of the BCMAS to my LinkedIn profile and resume, it attracted recruiters to me for medical science liaison roles. Your email address will not be published. Certainly time well spent! Current professionals working within clinical research organizations (CROs). It's always a challenge to transition from academia to industry. The BCMAS curriculum is comprehensive spanning 20 modules covering all areas of medical affairs. Growing need for medical affairs certification. JavaScript is disabled. Every 5 years you are required to maintain your certification. Additionally, they also have a dedicated team of advisors to help MSLs every step of the way. After completing my first postdoc, I was unemployed for over 6 months. With us it's easy to find the job you want! ACMA and The Medical Science Liaison Society (MSLS) have different board certification credentials and the question becomes which is the right one for each MSL. With BCMAS certification, you demonstrate that you've mastered the industry standard of knowledge through intensive study, self-assessment, and evaluation. MSL-BC requires this be accomplished every 3 years while BCMAS has an every 5 year requirement. Curious to know if the BCMAS is worth pursuing? In keeping with this year's emphasis on cloud services, this certification enters this list with a promise to earn its qualifiers an average salary of $142,708. I have been authorized to respond as ACMA. A risk that I (imho) think might be worth taking. They also give you 20 modules to prepare you. background, so I found the program very helpful. Both are serving a purpose for their intended audience. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. The ACMA offers a flexible payment plan where you can pay in 3 easy installments of The certification offered is not meant to train people, it isn't meant to help them "break in." But comprehensive, accredited, educational programs for medical affairs professionals are few and far between. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. Being board certified in any healthcare related career has proven to be impactful. MSL-BC is a professional standard developed only for MSLs and MSL managers. Seems like you are jumping the gun a bit. You must log in or register to reply here. healthcare & this podcast is a collection of intellectual interviews with leaders being easy to digest. The ACMA has been featured in mainstream media such as Fox News, Forbes, Al Jazeera, ABC News, etc..) which reflect their status as thought leaders within the pharmaceutical industry. Thats an important differentiator for BCMAS. Yeah, I'm sure they'll legitimately take your money and give you some extra letters after your name. This two-part article provides a good summary on the ACMA and MSLS programs. The Board Certified Medical Affairs Specialist Program was developed by industry experts, clinicians, researchers, and online learning specialists. The MSL-BC credential is still very new, and it remains to be seen how widely adopted it becomes. in our pharmacy industry. BCMAS allows up to 3 hours for their four-section exam which includes multiple choice, true/false, select all that apply and case study formatted questions totaling between 90-100 questions. Regardless of where you are in your MSL career, obtaining an MSL certification can help advance your MSL career and distinguish you among other MSL candidates when applying for a new MSL job or getting that promotion from MSL to MSL Manager or MSL Director. We are going to break down the pros and cons of each. Of these, 125 questions will be used to calculate your test score. The ACMA provides training and certification programs for the pharmaceutical & healthcare industries. I'll be curious to read this carefully when I have a moment. The Board Certified Medical Affairs Specialist (BCMAS) Program - $1999.99 Medical Terminology & Abbreviations - $99.99 Basic Principles in Pharmacology - $99.99 + + Buy all together : $ 2199.97 The Board Certified Medical Affairs Specialist (BCMAS) Program - $1999.99 Medical Terminology & Abbreviations - $99.99 More important than setting themselves apart from other job seekers or attaching the BCMAS letters to the ends of their names, graduates of the ACMAs program want to demonstrate their commitment to medical affairs. And some of the more seasoned industry veterans have found so much value in the BCMAS program, that theyre championing it within their companies. One credentialing note of differentiation here: there is an amount of verbal diarrhea when it comes to whos the first this or which company has the only that, and both credentialing bodies claim to be the worlds first and/or only fill in the blank. The certification is a relatively new one, having launched in 2021. Current professionals working in promotional or non-promotional medical education agencies which support pharmaceutical companies. I would recommend it. Hi I just signed up for the course too. One way MSL professionals can stand out is by becoming board certified MSL professionals. Thats becoming more difficult to do as medical affairs becomes increasingly strategic, increasingly larger as a function within the industry and increasingly competitive. Those are some of the reasons why executives with more than a decade of industry experience have turned to the ACMA to earn their medical affairs credentials. BCMAS designers developed content using psychometric analysis to ensure that graduates are held to the highest standards of learning and assessment. *If you do not have a terminal degree (i. e. PhD, etc. This enables MSLs to ask questions any time 7 days a week. . The MSL-BC program is a very new certification (released in February 2020). In 2015, the ACMA developed the first board certification for medical affairs professionals and medical science liaisons known as the Board Certified Medical Affairs Specialist (BCMAS) program, and it is now considered the industry standard in the pharmaceutical industry. I am also not associated with any organization, but upon doing my research Dyer's organization seems a bit screechy to me. The ACMA welcomes all points of view but we believe it's important to separate fact from fiction. The ACMA provides training and certification programs for the pharmaceutical & healthcare industries. ACMA seems a-bit move valid and trustworthy in my opinion. All Rights Reserved. One thing that really stood out was that these industry professionals include Vice Presidents of Medical Affairs, Chief Medical Officers, Medical Science Liaisons and other industry professionals. Current professionals working within clinical research organizations (CROs). industry. An important caveat is that, unlike the BCMAS program, with MSL-BC the additional cost to retake the exam can be as high as $400. healthcare & this podcast is a collection of intellectual interviews with leaders Career-minded medical affairs professionals want to show senior leaders that their role is not just a job for them. Joined May 7, 2015 Messages . Both your newly hired and experienced MSLs will benefit from this training with topics that include: Help your MSL team understand the changing landscape when working with different internal and external stakeholders. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Thats an important differentiator for BCMAS. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. If youre looking to only be an MSL, MSL-BC might be more suitable. I have worked in medical affairs for 3 years and I still felt like I learned a lot. Jbrl Full Member. They constantly blast promotions about this certification and how important it will be without much substantiation. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience. If I have questions while I am learning or need support I can instantly chat with a real person. The ACMA provides training and certification programs for the pharmaceutical & healthcare industries. accredited college, university or institution. life sciences & healthcare industries. BCMAS was worth it!" Brian Duncan MD, BCMAS Vice President, Medical Affairs . is grabbing the attention of politicians and policymakers. The briefing will address the important and growing role pharmaceutical medical affairs and medical science liaison professionals play in educating the medical community and public on new health care advancements and the need for certification to standardize practices across the industry for greater transparency and accountability. Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. The remaining 15 items serve as pretest questions, and do not affect your final score. What do the study materials cost? But, how do you go about getting certified? As more medical affairs executives undergo the certification program, theyre seeing the value in it and recommending it to their peers. While the BCMAS program offers some great features, the 20 modules the ACMA includes to help MSLs prepare for the exam are definitely a great standout feature. They also give you 20 modules to prepare you. Speaking for myself, I can already tell a shift in mentality towards clinical development and regulatory affairs following the BCMAS modules. Listen Now! I have nothing against the guy but I don't trust his company. The ACMA has Live 24/7 Chat support feature. But you can clearly see on our website, our position. At this time, its difficult to tell how recognized the MSL-BC mark will become in the future and whether it will stand the test of time. The MSL-BC allows up to 4 hours for the 140-question multiple choice exam (of which 125 count toward your mark). hit or miss. 36, Sector 20, Airoli, Navi Mumbai, India - 400 708, Building of Chocoblooms shop,Mezan floor, Office 03United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi, Al-Nahyan. It may not display this or other websites correctly. BCMAS Graduates From Over 200 Companies Certify Your Team Payment Options One-Time Payment Application Fee $49 BCMAS Online Course $1000 Credentialing Fee $150 Examination Fee $800 TOTAL $1999 ACMA Easy Pay (3 Month) Monthly Payment $716.33 / Mo Monthly Installments 3 TOTAL $2149 PayPal CREDIT Financing Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. One way MSL professionals can stand out is by becoming board certified MSL professionals. While the BCMAS program offers some great features, the 20 modules the ACMA includes to help MSLs prepare for the exam are definitely a great standout feature. Being board certified in any healthcare related career has proven to be impactful. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. and the functions which you have worked before, you may find some modules more familiar and I can briefly share my experience with the ACMA program which I found quite worthwhile: Some are looking to add to their personal understanding of medical affairs role in the life sciences industry. Have completed at least a bachelors degree and have 2 years relevant professional experience (ie., pharmaceutical industry experience, clinical and/or research experience). A quick search on LinkedIn shows just how widely used the credential is among pharmaceutical industry professionals. Theyre well known for conducting conferences and meetings for MSLs. Regardless of where you are in your MSL career, obtaining an MSL certification can help advance your MSL career and distinguish you among other MSL candidates when applying for a new MSL job or getting that promotion from MSL to MSL Manager or MSL Director. BCMAS is a Board Certification accredited by the International Association for Continuing Education and Training /American National Standards Institute (IACET/ANSI). I took both exams. Post title says it all. These cookies do not store any personal information. When comparing both certifications directly a stark contrast can be seen. They provided quizzes and a practice exam which really helped me prepare Does anyone know about this combination? Specially during pandemic times MSL community has opportunity of BCMAS certifications to broaden the knowledge base. You were very easy and very fun to mentor! The BCMAS certification is internationally recognized, and achieving the BCMAS . The BCMAS program is the most comprehensive educational program for medical affairs professionals and unlike other training programs that may be available; it is the only one that is accredited. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. Any insight will be greatly appreciated. Physicians, pharmacists, and PhD professionals wishing to transition into the pharmaceutical industry. some would be new. Current professionals working in promotional or non-promotional medical education agencies which support pharmaceutical companies. These officials will discuss the importance of establishing certification and credentialing standards for medical affairs and medical science liaison professionals in the pharmaceutical industry. Part 2 of this short series will dive deep into the specifics of each of the certifications, including detailed descriptions of both programs, cost of the certification and exam fees and who is eligible to sit for each exam (spoiler alert: it is not the same group of test takers). This level of support is something MSLs engaged in e-learning will really appreciate and value. The BCMAS helped me to tie together my story as a candidate.. I was looking for avenues where I can learn more and grow in Medical Affairs. In fact, I completed my PhD in a little over 4 years. And going from a medical Take the first steps toward achieving the gold standard in the pharmaceutical industry. in our pharmacy industry. you didnt think were possible.. Medical Affairs as a discipline is accountable to varied deliverables. BCMAS was worth it! Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Currently the only accredited board certification for MSLs worldwide. Therefore, the chances of failing the exam are higher. The BCMAS curriculum is comprehensive spanning 20 modules covering all areas of medical affairs. Just talked to some of my colleagues in regulatory affairs who are anywhere from SM to SVP in their respective companies, mostly Temple (. Having pre-test questions right before your actual exam feels a bit odd. The Accreditation Council for Medical Affairs and MSL Society.