Alternative Clinical Careers for Physicians: A Mentor-Focused Study of Medical Science Liaison Career Awareness During a Wilderness Medicine Program in Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, France

Introduction Medical education traditionally emphasizes direct patient care within established clinical specialties, with limited structured exposure to alternative clinical careers. Increasing numbers of medical students and residents are exploring non-traditional physician pathways; however, formal curricular exposure to roles in the pharmaceutical industry is limited. This descriptive study evaluated whether structured mentor-focused sessions within the University of Utah School of Medicine Wilderness Medicine Program influenced medical students' and residents' awareness of and interest in careers within the pharmaceutical industry, particularly the Medical Science Liaison (MSL) profession. Methods This descriptive pre- and post-session survey study was conducted during the 2025 University of Utah School of Medicine Wilderness Medicine Program in Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, France. The program included 65 undergraduate participants and 40 medical students and residents from diverse institutions and six countries. Medical students and residents who voluntarily attended structured mentor-focused sessions on alternative clinical careers within Medical Affairs, particularly the MSL profession, were eligible to participate. The educational intervention consisted of two interactive mentor-led sessions that included didactic presentations and moderated discussions on physician roles within the pharmaceutical industry. Anonymous electronic surveys consisting of single-response multiple-choice and Likert-type questions were administered immediately before and after the sessions using quick response (QR) code access. Results Nineteen participants completed the pre-session survey, and 11 completed the post-session survey, with a smaller post-session sample size and potential for response bias. Prior to the sessions, 12 (63.2%) had not previously considered a career in the pharmaceutical industry, and 11 (57.9%) indicated that medical school had not prepared them to explore such career options. Following the sessions, seven (63.6%) reported being "much more" informed about physicians' roles in the pharmaceutical industry, eight (72.7%) reported being "somewhat" or "very interested" in learning more, and six (54.5%) selected the MSL role as the most interesting career option presented. Conclusion Prior to the mentor sessions, most participants reported limited familiarity with physician roles within the pharmaceutical industry and limited exposure to alternative clinical career pathways during medical training. Following participation in the sessions, respondents reported increased understanding of pharmaceutical physician roles and greater interest in learning more about these careers, with the MSL role emerging as the most frequently selected role of interest. These findings suggest that even brief, structured mentor-focused educational interventions may increase the awareness of alternative physician career pathways and highlight the potential value of incorporating career exploration opportunities into medical education curricula.