My Path to Achieving Membership of FPM (MFPM)

Absolutely nothing at all! I first heard of pharmaceutical medicine four years later through a chance introduction to a friend of a friend who worked in the specialty. At the time I’d just started Internal Medical Training, had passed my Membership of the Royal College of Physicians (MRCP) diploma and was lining myself up to pursue specialty training as a stroke geriatrician. I didn’t have any publications or research experience (and always struggled with statistics), so I had written off the pharmaceutical industry as something I’d never be able to pursue, but I guess he must have at least planted a seed into my head that there are non-clinical career options out there.

I think I was surprised to see just how much I still use my clinical acumen day to day. The broad medical knowledge that I gained in my clinical training meant that I’ve been able to learn different therapy areas relatively easily, and have been able to translate data into what it actually means for the patient or health service. I know how clinicians think because I am one; I’ve been the person breaking the news of a cancer diagnosis or managing adverse events presenting to A&E at 3am. Bringing these real world clinical experiences to discussions helps the team to anticipate challenges and come up with strategic solutions that are grounded in the reality of the healthcare systems in which we operate.

I was about two years into industry life when I started toying with the idea of formalising everything I was learning with a qualification. My medical director suggested the DPM, and I was very fortunate that my company were willing to fund it. I was a bit hesitant as I didn’t know whether I could get back into revision mode in my thirties with all the sacrifices that come with that, but I couldn’t turn the opportunity down. At the time, my view was that the knowledge that I’d gain was more important than the qualification itself, so I told myself that I’d knuckle down and give the exams one good go, and if I didn’t pass then at least I’d come away having learnt what I needed to.

I signed up to the DPM Training Programme in 2024, but due to work commitments I didn’t get to attend many sessions live. Thankfully you get access to the portal for two years so I had all the recordings and materials when I came to sit the exams in 2025. I started by watching all the live session recordings which I found helpful to orientate me as to what the exam is about and what kind of things I need to be learning. I then used the learning materials to work my way through the syllabus line by line. I’d say it took me about 2-3 months to go through and make sense of all the content, and then I had about a month left before the exam to commit it all to memory.

My confidence has increased massively. The DPM content is incredibly broad, so I think more than anything I now just ‘get it’. I understand ‘the why’ of everything and how a cross-functional development and access strategy all comes together. Standard Operating Procedures that once felt restrictive, confusing (and let’s face it, frustrating) now make sense as I know the regulatory and quality frameworks that they’re based on. I can speak competently at meetings, as I have a real working understanding of what cross functional colleagues bring to the table, what they need from me, and how I can bring value to them as a physician. One of my Pfizer Health & Technology Assessment colleagues even joked recently on a strategy call that he’ll “make a health economist out of me yet!”

After 12 years of medical school and clinical practice, being a doctor was very much part of my identity. I struggled a little bit when I transitioned into the industry as I wasn’t quite sure whether I could still call myself a doctor or how to answer the “what do you do for work?” question. Becoming a Member of FPM has helped to give me back a professional identity as a pharmaceutical physician, as well as a sense of belonging to a medical specialty to which I can contribute over the rest of my career.