[Career opportunities for female and male physicians in the pharmaceutical industry].
BACKGROUND
Pharmaceutical medicine is not only a mainstay in clinical drug development and marketing of drugs in pharmaceutical industry but also a challenging alternative to the clinic and outpatient practice for physicians. Since most of them have only a vague notion of what a career in this sector of industry involves, this paper attempts to display the scope of opportunities and responsibilities for physicians and to answer some of the most frequently asked questions.
Areas for physicians are preclinical research, clinical research, drug safety, biometry, scientific relations, marketing and sales departments, working as company physician, training of sales representatives, health policy and project management. Earnings, continued and postgraduate training, job changing as well as possibilities of information on a career in the pharmaceutical industry are described.


CONCLUSIONS
Despite the wide range of job profiles, a physician is still a physician in the pharmaceutical industry: his or her aim is to help patients and relieve their suffering through ethical and innovative therapeutic research. This aim is achieved through committed involvement in the development and marketing of new, effective and safe drugs.
Bereich Medizin International, Pharma-Forschungszentrum der Bayer AG, Wuppertal. thomas.weihrauch.tw@bayer-ag.de
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Weihrauch
D002321:Career Choice; D004345:Drug Industry; D004502:Education, Medical, Continuing; D004651:Employment / Q000191:economics / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income; D008297:Male; D010820:Physicians / Q000191:economics* / Q000523:psychology*; D010822:Physicians, Women / Q000191:economics / Q000523:psychology; D000078329:Workforce