Jobs and Careers Summer 2021 - 313

SUMMER 2021
variety in work, how supportive and
knowledgeable my colleagues are, the
amount of training opportunities provided
and the emphasis on work/life balance
- including a seven-hour work day and a
dedicated social events team. When our
offices were still open, we also enjoyed free
lunch once a week - which I really miss!
A
t Syneos Health
Communications, we foster
an environment of inspiration
and collaboration. Everyone
brings their unique talents and qualities
to our workplace, which encourages
individuals to achieve their full potential
and to become an integral part of bringing
impactful solutions to our clients.
We have nine advertising, public
relations and medical communications
agencies, where you can gain the
experience you need to advance your
career. If you were born to make a
difference and are passionate about
improving the lives of patients around the
world, we can help you grow your career.
Here Anna Gilchrist, a senior
medical writer, talks about her career
at Syneos Health Communications.
Why did you choose Syneos Health?
One of the main things that attracted
me to Syneos Health initially was the
fact it is much more than a " typical "
medical communications agency. While
communications is where my passion lies,
I found the idea of working alongside the
range of other clinical and commercial
functions required to progress a drug
from lab to life, such as clinical trial
initiation, data management, brand
commercialisation, advertising, PR and
many more, exciting in terms of the
insights and exposure I would gain.
In addition to this, the main things I
have enjoyed since joining include the
What gets you excited about your role?
For me it is the combination of finding
the work varied and interesting, and
knowing that what we produce helps
support patients and healthcare
professionals. On a day-to-day basis, I
find the role is a good balance between
continuity and variety. There is enough
continuity to build up your expertise
in a particular therapy area, establish
relationships with your clients and
watch a project blossom from initial
idea to final deliverable, but at the
same time, no two days are the same!
" I'd recommend
picking up as
much writing
experience as you
can. This might
be volunteering
for your student
paper or
volunteering to
write new starter
introductions "
How do you see the future of healthcare
communications being shaped by
what's going on in the world today?
I think this will be interesting to see.
Looking at meetings and events, for
example, the pandemic really highlighted
the full potential of some of the amazing
virtual technologies and platforms that
are available. It also demonstrated the
benefits of how a virtual experience
can make engagement in real time
more accessible and tailored to areas
of specific interest. At the same time,
replicating the face-to-face experience,
and the benefits that peer-to-peer
engagement offers remains. The desire
among HCPs to meet with colleagues,
listen to experts on their interpretation
of data and the implications for patient
management will continue to be a
major driver of future engagement.
Going forward, I think there will
be even greater consideration of the
optimal format of communications,
with virtual and face-to-face reflecting
the individual situation. In this new
world we could envisage smaller
training sessions and perhaps smaller
meetings in a virtual setting, particularly
for international groups. For larger
events, where the purpose is to network
or debate, face-to-face interaction
remains the most effective format.
What advice would you give someone
looking to get into healthcare
communications? A bachelor's degree
in a science subject is a fundamental
requirement. In addition to that, I
would recommend picking up as much
writing experience as you can! If you're
at university, this might be volunteering
for your student paper; if you're
currently in a different industry, it may
be volunteering to write new starter
introductions, for example, or your
company's standard operating procedures.
Something simple you can do is start to
analyse the healthcare communications
that you, as a consumer, come across
every day. Was there a leaflet or website
you found particularly impactful? What
was it about the language and visuals that
made it so effective? A writing test is a
key part of the communications interview
process, so anything you can learn from
what's already out there will help!
Healthcare communications is an
exciting, challenging but also rewarding
industry to work in. If it sounds interesting
to you, I would definitely say go for it!
For more information
Visit commercialcareers.
syneoshealth.com and join
our talent network at bit.ly/
SYNHTalentNetwork
http://www.commercialcareers.syneoshealth.com http://www.bit.ly/SYNHTalentNetwork
Jobs and Careers Summer 2021

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