These days, landing an MSL role isn’t easy.
One way MSL professionals can stand out is by becoming board certified MSL professionals. The MSL Society (MSLs) and the Accreditation Council for Medical Affairs (ACMA) both offer a Medical Science Liaison (MSL) Board Certification. But how do you choose the right MSL Certification for you? This article is meant to help you make that decision. We are going to break down the pros and cons of each.
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.
Let’s get started!
1. Board Certified Medical Affairs Specialist (BCMAS)
Organization behind the MSL Certification:
The ACMA is a globally accredited & recognized organization, they have offices in the U.S., India, Europe, South America and the UAE. The ACMA provides training and certification programs for the pharmaceutical & healthcare industries.
They’re also accredited by the International Association for Continuing Education & Training/American National Standards Institute (IACET/ANSI) and they even offer CME/CE to US Licensed Physicians and Pharmacists who decide to complete the modules for the BCMAS program. 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.
About BCMAS
Currently the only accredited board certification for MSLs worldwide. It is also the first board certification for MSLs.
Developed by industry experts and considered the industry standard by most for MSL certification.
Online board certification program meant for medical science liaisons (MSL), medical directors, medical affairs professionals, medical/drug information, HEOR, pharmacovigilance, etc..
Includes 20 preparatory modules, case studies, and practice questions to help you best prepare for the board exam.
Who should enroll in BCMAS?
Current medical affairs professionals (this includes: medical science liaisons, medical directors, VP Medical Affairs, Medical Information Specialists, Pharmacovigilance, HEOR professionals, etc.)
Current professionals working in promotional or non-promotional medical education agencies which support pharmaceutical companies.
Current professionals working within clinical research organizations (CROs).
Those professionals working within clinical development, research & development and are transitioning to a medical affairs role.
Physicians, pharmacists, and PhD professionals wishing to transition into the pharmaceutical industry.
Who is Eligible?
Hold an MD, PharmD, PhD, DO, MBBS, DNP, NP, PA, BPharm, PsyD, or other relevant degree from an accredited college, university or institution.
And/Or
Have completed at least a bachelor’s degree and have 2 years relevant professional experience (ie., pharmaceutical industry experience, clinical and/or research experience).
How long has BCMAS been around for?
The BCMAS certification has been around since 2015 and the credential is very well recognized and widely used.
How widely used is the BCMAS credential?
A quick search on LinkedIn shows just how widely used the credential is among pharmaceutical industry professionals. Just perform a quick search for “BCMAS” on LinkedIn and the results will show the numerous industry professionals using the BCMAS credential in their titles. 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. This demonstrates the prestigious connotation associated with the ‘BCMAS’ mark.
How well prepared will I be for the exam?
One thing that I really liked about the BCMAS program is that it included a question bank which helps prepare its learners for the exam. Basically, it’s a way to practice before the real test. They also give you 20 modules to prepare you.
About the exam?
Online, proctored by a webcam. About 100 questions in total (Multiple choice, case studies and True/False). The exam has a 3 hour time limit. You are given 4 attempts to pass the BCMAS. ACMA does not charge any additional fees for retaking the exam if you fail which is nice.
Pricing
BCMAS Cost: $1999 USD
What’s included?
20 modules to prepare you for the Board Examination
Practice Question Bank to help prepare you for the BCMAS exam
Case Studies
An industry Glossary
Downloadable Resources
Live 24/7 Chat Support
Free inclusion into the ACMA Society
Free access to a pharma industry mentor
Assistance with connections to MSL & Medical Affairs Recruiters
ACMA Payment Options:
Full Payment (One time payment of $1999)
ACMA Easy Pay 3 Month-Installment Option (This gives you the option of splitting the payments over 3 months which is great especially for folks starting out and looking for financial flexibility.)
Financing Option through PayPal Credit (In partnership with PayPal, the ACMA offers the option for up to one year of financing for professional development and obtain your new MSL certification)
Support?
The ACMA has Live 24/7 Chat support feature. This level of support is something MSLs engaged in e-learning will really appreciate and value. If I have questions while I am learning or need support I can instantly chat with a real person. This enables MSLs to ask questions any time 7 days a week. Additionally, they also have a dedicated team of advisors to help MSLs every step of the way.
What is the BCMAS program’s standout feature?
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. The fact that they’re accredited cannot be overemphasized. That’s an important differentiator for BCMAS. The other nice feature is that it’s a broadly used certification for everyone in medical affairs (including MSLs). So BCMAS applies to several roles in pharma-not just MSL jobs.
2. MSL-BC
Organization behind the MSL Certification:
The Medical Science Liaison Society (MSLS) is an organization dedicated to advancing the global MSL profession. They’re well known for conducting conferences and meetings for MSLs. While some MSLs view MSLS as a valuable resource, it’s worth noting that they are not accredited by any outside body.
About the MSL-BC
MSL-BC is a professional standard developed only for MSLs and MSL managers. The MSL-BC contains only an exam and has no preparatory content or material to help individuals prepare.
Who should enroll in MSL-BC?
Medical science liaisons (MSLs), MSL manager/directors.
Who is Eligible?
Bachelor’s Degree or higher from a regionally or nationally accredited educational institution (a copy of the candidate’s highest degree or transcript must be provided at the time of registration)
AND
One (1) year of cumulative experience working full-time as a Medical Science Liaison (or equivalent title) or leading a Medical Science Liaison team.
How long has it been around for?
The MSL-BC program is a very new certification (released in February 2020).
How widely used is the MSL-BC credential?
Due to the newness of the certification, there are very few people that have the ‘MSL-BC’ credential, therefore, it is not well recognized yet. At this time, it’s difficult to tell how recognized the ’MSL-BC’ mark will become in the future and whether it will stand the test of time.
How well prepared will I be for the exam?
Unfortunately, the MSL Society doesn’t have any preparatory content to help learners prepare for the MSL-BC exam. Therefore, the chances of failing the exam are higher. The other challenge is if you have a higher chance of failing; you are then paying twice for the exam which eventually adds up and make it very similar in pricing to BCMAS (which allows 4 exam retakes in the initial cost).
About the exam?
Consists of 140 multiple-choice questions. Of these, 125 questions will be used to calculate your test score. The remaining 15 items serve as pretest questions, and do not affect your final score. You will have a total of 4 hours to complete the exam. 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.
Pricing
Examination Fees
Initial Examination Attempt
Medical Science Liaison Society Member*
Non-Member
$450.00 USD
$550.00 USD
Subsequent Examination Attempts (failed exams)
Medical Science Liaison Society Member*
Non-Member
$300.00 USD
$400.00 USD
**application fee must be paid with a credit card or PayPal in US Dollars.
Support?
MSL Society is a smaller non-profit organization, so they don’t have the bandwidth to provide as much US & global support as the ACMA. They do have a chat function but I’ve noticed oftentimes it’s not available every day and at off hours which makes it tough to get answers to important questions.
What is The MSL-BC standout feature?
The biggest standout feature is the exam structure. While the exam consists of 140 multiple-choice questions, of these, 125 questions will be used to calculate your test score. The remaining 15 items serve as pretest questions, and do not affect your final score. Having pre-test questions right before your actual exam feels a bit odd. It would be nice if these questions were available before the exam to help you prepare.
Final Thoughts
When comparing both certifications directly a stark contrast can be seen. BCMAS offers you more than just the certification exam by including in-depth learning modules, a practice question bank, case studies, and more. The MSL-BC includes only the certification exam and the onus is on the learner to try and find material to help them prep for the exam. The MSL-BC credential is still very new, and it remains to be seen how widely adopted it becomes.
In comparison the BCMAS credential is already being used by professionals from around the world because it’s been around for several years and industry leaders recognize BCMAS. It also customizes BCMAS exams to reflect different regions around the world so BCMAS is a great option for global MSL teams wanting to certify.
Furthermore, if having an accredited organization confer an MSL certification matters to you, then ACMA is the way to go. If you’re looking to only be an MSL, MSL-BC might be more suitable. 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. I hope this article was useful to help you choose which MSL certification is right for you.