John Wilkinson (pictured), Chief Executive of Eucomed, has received a special Career award from the International Vascular and Endovascular Course (IVEC) in Milan.

The award recognises the medtech industry’s contribution to the development of vascular and endovascular surgery.

IVEC Chairman Giorgio Biasi presented the award to John Wilkinson to “honour the excellence of a distinguished scientist and eminent colleague who has contributed enormously in promoting, divulging and spreading culture, development and achievements in the field of vascular and endovascular techniques.”

Following the award presentation, Wilkinson gave the Edmondo Malan Lecture on ‘Development and Achievements in Endovascular Procedures as a Result of a Continuous and Ingenious Co-operation between Physicians and Industry’.

He discussed the long history of collaborative working between clinicians and industry over 200 years, with ideas from doctors and surgeons being developed by companies, culminating in such revolutionary devices as the drug-eluting stent.

Wilkinson also emphasised the need for innovation to be built on a platform of ethical interaction and transparency, and for industry to support education and training in the delivery of new therapies.

Finally, he drew attention to the demographic and economic challenges facing Europe’s health systems, and called for a collaborative approach between all stakeholders to support innovative solutions to these urgent problems.

Eucomed is the leading European medical technology industry association. It represents 4,500 designers, manufacturers and suppliers of medical technologies.

Being in the early months of my new job having come through a recent recruitment process, I almost religiously searched for advice on how to write the perfect CV.

There’s a lot of information online, and if you’re anything like me, you’ll divulge the whole mass and end up biting off more than you can chew, becoming more confused than when you started. But here is what I learned.

First of all, no matter how much advice you try to follow, the key point to remember is that your CV is your CV. Nothing’s more personal than how you spend your 40 hours per week, so make sure you sell yourself, not entirely copy a generic layout and writing style. Don’t get me wrong, you need to cover all bases, but your personal qualities and skills need to stand out in a way that is unique for you to get the job.

For sales jobs, recruiters are looking for candidates who are motivated by financial targets, are resilient against setbacks and show initiative when faced with complicated challenges.

If you already have a sales background, then you’re already one step up from the wide-eyed graduates. Sales experience opens doors to management roles, so beef up your CV with examples of your experience in sales. There are less of these positions available thanks to the recession, but it doesn’t mean they’re non-existent. You’ve just got to want it more and prove it in your CV.

Having good communication skills will be your saviour through your cold calls, and listening is just as important.

Putting across a genuine personality helps you connect with a client, and in turn they’ll respect your expertise and honesty. If you’re able to make a connection with your potential manager at your interview, they’ll know that this will be transferable when dealing with clientele.

But how can you put this across in a CV? Here are a few basic tips that will help you go far in the recruitment process:

A list of achievements where you've interacted with a variety of people is clear evidence to the employer that you are comfortable working with others. These activities could include work experience, voluntary work, or gap years. Experience in hospitality and retail are also great examples of proving to the employer that you can work under pressure as well as sustain interaction and customer service.

Thinking laterally and being flexible with your initiative is key to solving challenges at work. Thinking on your feet will save a lot of time, as we all know: time = money!

In terms of CV layout, it depends on your personality and the specific job application, but basic content is similar throughout:

• Name, contact details, website
• Language qualifications, sporting achievements, academic awards
• Education, include educational experiences that contribute to your personal skills ie public speaking, group presentations

The countdown to the Pf Awards 2012 has officially begun. The most exciting awards ceremony for UK medical sales professionals has now launched and is open for entries for what promises to be yet another competitive and compelling occasion.

The Pf Awards are unique. Not only are they supported by the ABPI, but all candidates entered into the process are nominated by their company and not the customer. This ensures that only the industry’s top performers get to take part – guaranteeing competition of the highest possible standard.

The awards are now in their 12th year and continue to recognise high achievers within the industry. They have evolved and been developed over this period using feedback from the industry, judges and an independent advisory board.

As always, our purpose and vision is to deliver a cross-industry awards programme which rewards excellence in pharmaceutical sales in a variety of categories. With this in mind, three new categories have been added to the selection of accolades to be presented in 2012; Sales Team, Joint Working and Customer Recognition Awards.

In the coming months we will be taking a look at each of the categories and outlining key criteria for potential candidates. We begin by examining the Joint Working, Medical Representative and Account Team Awards.

Joint Working Award

The new Joint Working Award has been introduced to recognise where a working relationship with a customer has made a meaningful difference to patients, or patients’ services. There is no set length of service required to be nominated for this category, although compliance with the ABPI Code should be demonstrated. To be considered, there must be positive feedback or endorsement from a customer and both parties must have a vested interest in the joint working initiative. Candidates can be in either a field-based or office-based role. During the assessment, candidates are required to give a short presentation outlining their joint working venture.

Medical Representative Award

The New Medical Representative Award, which has been a longstanding category at the Pf Awards, has been renamed as the Medical Representative Award. Candidates should have up to five years experience in a primary care role within the industry at the point of entry. An ABPI examination pass is also required. Candidates will be asked to participate in a company product sales call, complete a written case study and also present a pre-prepared presentation.

The Pf Awards 2011 winner of the New Medical Representative Award was Claire Carr (pictured) of Astellas. The award was Claire’s first as a medical sales professional and although she found the process to be demanding, it was also something she relished and embraced. “The experience was a challenging one from the initial nomination all the way through to the application process and then assessment day and presentation,” she said. “It was a tough, but very enjoyable day.”

Account Team Award

Key Account Management is currently playing an important role in the sales and marketing strategies of most UK pharmaceutical companies. Consequently, the Account Team Award is arguably one of the most relevant categories. Candidates need to demonstrate working to a clearly defined account plan. Teams also need to have a clearly defined account management structure in place and must work across multiple disciplines within the account. They also need to implement a degree of autonomy to select practice accounts and stakeholders.

The Assessment Day will be held on Wednesday 14th March 2012 at the King Power Stadium, Leicester – formerly known as the Walkers Stadium. The Pf Awards Dinner takes place on Thursday 22nd March 2012 at the Lancaster London Hotel.

How can I enter?

If you or a colleague would like to know more about the Pf Awards, the categories, criteria, and how to enter, please visit www.pfawards.co.uk.

The ABPI has generated ten key facts to deliver accurate information on the latest UK medicines bill.

The list has been produced to increase transparency and counter myths and exaggerations, whilst highlighting achievements and possible improvements for the future.

The Association says the bill is “cost efficient” and highlights how the UK has some of the lowest priced medicines in Europe, and how only 10% of new medicines account of the NHS’ total spending.

The bill is a sum total of how much the NHS spends on medicines for patients every year in the UK. Figures showed the UK spends just 0.9% of GDP on medicines – less than the European average of 1.2%.

The ageing population in the UK is the main cause of the increase of growth, with 65% of prescriptions written for the over 65s.

It found that the total spend on medicines by the NHS is likely to increase by around £400m in the next three years, reaching a total of nearly £15bn; and that the proportion of the NHS budget spent on medicines has fallen since 1999.

The bill revealed that the UK has a significantly lower introduction rate for new medicines than the European average. In the UK, the use of new cancer medicines is 33% lower compared to the European average.

Other facts show that two-thirds of all prescriptions are for cheaper generic medicines; the NHS is expected to save £3bn due to the number of drugs coming off patent; and how the rate of secondary care is slowing.

A full list of the ten facts can be viewed here