Welcome to the MSL Mastery Blog

By Sarah Snyder, PharmD

If your training program doesn't immediately connect to an MSL's daily reality, it's already failed. 

After 20 years as an MSL and daily conversations with field teams, I see this disconnect growing wider. While we're living in 2025's fast-paced medical landscape, our Me...

By Patrina Pellett, PhD (Follow me on LinkedIn)

“Hi Patrina, Happy Holidays! I just wanted to let you know that one of the best moments for me this year was when I printed all your blogs, made a binder, and read through them multiple times—they’ve been so inspiring and insightful.”
— Aspiring MSL

By Sarah Snyder, PharmD

A Medical Science Liaison candidate recently confided, “I miss the old days of interviewing in person. I’m just better that way. I can connect more easily.”

I understood. In-person interviews had a certain simplicity and immediacy. Sitting face-to-face, shaking hands, an...

By Patrina Pellett, PhD (Follow me on LinkedIn)

Whoop whoop! You landed your first MSL role! 🎉

First things first. Take a moment to celebrate. Getting an MSL position is a huge accomplishment, and you should be proud! But now that the excitement is settling, let's talk about what's ahead.

That...

By Patrina Pellett, PhD (Follow me on LinkedIn)

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase, MSL Mastery may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.

2025 is YOUR year. It’s the year to elevate your impact, refine your craft, and priorit...

By Patrina Pellett, PhD (Follow me on LinkedIn)

When you think of “presentation skills,” what comes to mind? Probably a big, formal event with a polished PowerPoint and an audience full of bigwigs, right? But here’s the truth: it’s not just the big moments that shape your career.

It’s the everyday...

By Patrina Pellett, PhD (Follow me on LinkedIn)

Let me ask you something: who’s responsible for your career growth? Is it your boss? Your company? A magical hiring manager with a secret roadmap to your dream job?

Spoiler alert: it’s you.

Here’s the thing. Waiting for someone else to hand you o...

By Patrina Pellett, PhD (Follow me on LinkedIn)

We’ve all sat through (or delivered) those presentations. You know the ones I’m talking about. Slide after slide of data with numbers that blur together until you’re left with nothing but a vague sense of, well, something. But there’s one simple wa...

By Patrina Pellett, PhD (Follow me on LinkedIn)

Most aspiring MSLs walk into an interview as their personable, engaging selves and then something strange happens. They switch to “robot mode,” giving overly formal, rehearsed answers. The warmth and authenticity that make them memorable vanish, an...

By Patrina Pellett, PhD (Follow me on LinkedIn)

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase, MSL Mastery may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.

If there's one thing I’ve noticed about aspiring MSLs, it’s that they’re lifelong learn...

By Patrina Pellett, PhD (Follow me on LinkedIn)

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase, MSL Mastery may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.

If you’ve ever attended a conference, met dozens of people, and ended up with a stack o...

By Patrina Pellett, PhD (Follow me on LinkedIn)

Here's a big secret of mine: I used to have a serious "um" problem. While watching videos of myself presenting, I was shocked by how often I said it. It was so cringey! Recognizing this was a huge step, and I worked hard to eliminate "um" from my p...