The QP 'Challenge'

As a Qualified Person, it's no secret that you will have faced, or be going to face, some severely complex issues in your time. It's the nature of the job.

Having supported people just like YOU for the past 7 years, I can tell you that you are NOT alone. For the best part of a decade I have listened to some real horror stories, but also some amazing challenges overcome by some of the best and brightest in the business.

Despite it not being something talked about outside of the industry, and certainly not being something that people even know about, let alone dream about from childhood days, the world of pharmaceuticals couldn't really function without the bold few who are willing to stick their neck out in the name of patient safety.

The one thing that separates the horror stories, from the feats of genius, that I have noticed across all of these challenges, comes down to your resource pool.

It reminds me of a saying that the nurses kept telling me when my son was first born. "It takes a village". It's a saying that I heard so many times, and never understood until those first few months of being a father.

It's the same as a QP. It takes a village of your closest peers and allies to help you overcome challenges, come up with the best strategies, and build your career.

There can be a perception that, as a QP you have to be the font of all knowledge, but you also can't expect to have come across every scenario, worked in every environment, and beaten every problem all single handedly. So it's important to play off those around you that perhaps have had that hands on experience.

There are some fantastic organisations that exist who can provide advice or connect you with the people you can. Alex Hall at QPQuandary Ltd is one example that comes to mind. Utilising their seminars and training, you cna provide yourself with more formal experience in these areas of challenge, and Alex Hall 's most likely the person I would call for consultation if I was a QP looking for a quick idea of how to proceed.

Alternatively, we always like to help connect people here at ARx - just because we are primarily a recruitment firm, doesn't mean that we don't tap into our networks when people need our support. If you're stuck on a problem and don't know where to turn, send us an e-mail and we can make a confidential introduction to another QP that has had this experience and who can help you.

There are even QPs already in the market that collaborate and support on larger projects, who (Depending on their availability as they are often in high demand) could help work alongside you to fix whatever problem you are looking to overcome. People like Thomas Denton and his network of QA professionals could help you out of any tough spot.

The point here really is that sometimes the largest challenge as a QP can be realising that you don't have to face it alone, and it is better to play off the strengths of those around you and in turn help others when they struggle.

If you are a QP that is struggling with something at the moment, feel free to e-mail [email protected] in confidence, and I can help point you in the right direction of a QP or a Service that we know about that could help you. Alternatively, if you prefer not to have anything in writing, call +44 (0) 1273 92 88 99 and ask for Luke Blaney.