BY – EDGAR ENRIQUEZ
Christopher Vancheri, vice president of the Health Group at Coyne PR, is an expert with significant experience (approximately 16 years) in pharmaceuticals, focused on journalism and minored in public relations at William Paterson University. He is also a councilman for the Township of Little Falls. However, soon after graduating from the class of 1999, Vancheri found himself at the crossroads on what to pursue.
“Do I want to be the journalist knowing money-wise, and a couple other things, papers back then weren’t making a lot of money, or do I look to explore the PR side of things and really just grow,” he said.
Vancheri went with journalism.
“After I graduated I took a job for a newspaper, but I was still working part-time at the supermarket because I wasn’t making a lot of money, I was an entry level reporter.”
Vancheri has a keen penchant for writing and wanted to keep reporting, but after a year he decided journalism was not the right fit. At the time, he found an opening at a public relations firm, jumped at the chance to mail his resume and got an interview.
“It was a tough call because I loved doing both,” he said.
Vancheri wrote during the weekends, even after starting in public relations.
“I would cover high school sports, college events and I would come back to William Paterson,” he said. “I wanted to keep the writing fresh, it was a passion point.”
“Push came to shove a few years later after moving up the ranks, it became clear that PR is where I wanted to go.”
Pursuing healthcare PR or public relations in general – requires much more than exceptional writing and verbal skills – students must possess patience, flexibility and confidence.
The last thing students want to do after graduation is be the quiet voice surrounded by executives who want to see what you are capable of, so confidence according to Vancheri, is imperative.
“You guys sit in a room for a brainstorm, participate,” he said. “Don’t just sit there, it drives me nuts.”
Confidence combined with exceptional communication skills will sell ideas to your colleagues when you really need to show them what you’re recommending works and why, he said.
Patience is vital because PR pros lacking in that department are easily flustered and overwhelmed by the grief. Threats are frequent in the healthcare industry. Companies file lawsuits against you, the prices on medication regularly elicit complaints, and disputes ensue after certain medications are pushed as opposed to others regarding the side effects.
“There’s always going to be someone out there looking to go after you,” Vancheri said. “You have to just roll with the punches and you can’t let it get to you.”
However, what is great about the healthcare industry is the opportunity to educate.
“I used to always say, even if you get one person, you’ve done your job because someone is going to read about it, watch it on the news, hear about it in the car, or go online and say, ‘wow I may have this condition, you know, I need to talk to my doctor and find out.’ It’s really about education, that’s the most important thing,” Vancheri said.
Also, be flexible, nimble and learn to adjust – the PR industry is constantly changing – there are always new rules and restrictions. Sometimes great ideas you had six months ago are simply not going to work six months later.
Comentarios