Onboarding in Medical Affairs with Stacey Gorski of AstraZeneca

Next to digital innovation and omnichannel, onboarding rarely gets top billing in Medical Excellence. As Stacey Gorski puts it, "It's not the sexiest topic, but it's one of the most important."

Scott Thompson, CEO of Acceleration Point, talks with Stacey Gorski (AstraZeneca), Head of Medical Excellence for U.S. Oncology Medical Affairs, about the onboarding program her team built for a U.S. Medical Affairs organization with more than 100 MSLs. They walk through the three phases of onboarding (before day one, day one, and the two weeks after), role-specific micro journeys for field and headquarters (HQ) roles, and how to win manager support for protected time. In Stacey's program, protected time means a set share of a new hire's first month stays free of additional meetings so they can learn processes, compliance requirements, and the science. The conversation also covers which measures show whether onboarding is working, a question many organizations struggle with: Gallup reports that only 12% of employees strongly agree their organization does a great job of onboarding new employees. If you own onboarding for a Medical Affairs team, start here.

Key Takeaways

• Onboarding begins at offer acceptance. "For me, onboarding is the moment the offer is accepted." Stacey's dedicated onboarding lead contacts the new hire and their manager before the start date, when the new hire's excitement is at its peak.
• Orientation and onboarding are not the same thing. "Orientation is the realm of HR and IT to say, here's the basics, high level, doesn't matter if you're medical affairs, commercial or manufacturing." Medical Excellence steps in on day two with a U.S. Medical Affairs orientation, followed by two weeks of onboarding and self-serve micro journeys for field or HQ roles, such as ad board and materials review guidance for medical directors.
• Protected time should match the new hire's background. "If it's somebody who's been in pharma and medical affairs before, we asked for 60 percent protected time in that first month. If it's somebody who's never been in pharma or medical affairs, we asked for 90%."
• Manager buy-in rests on data and storytelling. Stacey pairs time-to-productivity data with "classic storytelling techniques," such as describing a new hire caught off guard in a senior meeting or a process misstep flagged by compliance. Broader workplace research points the same way: Gallup finds that when managers take an active role in onboarding, employees are 3.4 times as likely to feel their onboarding process was successful.
• Measure what onboarding can influence. Stacey's team tracks time to productivity, overall and first-year retention, and compliance "red flags." Self-reported time to productivity for field roles moved from "a little over four months" to "a little over three months," which she notes is "a bit qualitative." Retention improved by roughly 1 to 1.5 percent, though she acknowledges manager and structural changes happened during the same period.
• Emotional support belongs in the design. Welcome boxes, handwritten notes, and what Stacey calls a "trifecta of support" (onboarding lead, mentor, and manager) reinforce that new hires made the right choice. In her words, "onboarding is not just about the resources or making sure time to productivity, all of those things are important to the business, but we're also talking about people and making sure that they feel that they've been set up for success."

Resources Mentioned

RACI matrix: Stacey names clear accountability for onboarding as the first priority, and points to a RACI matrix as the place to define who owns it.

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs: Stacey uses this framework when introducing onboarding to emphasize safety, security, and togetherness alongside the practical needs of a new role.

The Journey of Building Medical Operations with Michael Kahn (OnPoint Episode 4): Stacey cites Michael's view that a new program should offer a 10 times benefit before it is worth the change management effort.

About Our Guest

Stacey Gorski is Head of Medical Excellence for U.S. Oncology Medical Affairs at AstraZeneca. A scientist by training, she earned her PhD in immunology and began her career as an assistant professor before moving into Medical Affairs as an MSL at Sanofi Pasteur. She moved into Medical Excellence through scientific and medical training, and today her team supports U.S. Oncology Medical Affairs across digital innovation, medical education, onboarding and capabilities, omnichannel, and governance. Stacey is also involved with MAPS and speaks at industry conferences.

Connect with Stacey on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stacey-gorski

FAQ

When does onboarding begin in Medical Affairs?
In Stacey Gorski's program at AstraZeneca, onboarding begins the moment a candidate accepts the offer. A dedicated onboarding lead contacts the new hire and their manager before the start date, HR and IT handle day-one orientation, and Medical Excellence leads a Medical Affairs orientation on day two, followed by two weeks of structured onboarding.

What is protected time for new Medical Affairs hires?
Protected time is a share of a new hire's first month kept free of additional meetings so they can learn processes, compliance requirements, and the therapeutic area. Stacey's team asks managers for 60 percent protected time for hires with pharma and Medical Affairs experience and 90 percent for hires with neither.

How can Medical Excellence teams get manager buy-in for onboarding?
Stacey uses two approaches: data on time to productivity, and storytelling about situations managers want to avoid, such as a compliance issue caused by an unfamiliar process. Gallup research also finds that when managers take an active role in onboarding, employees are 3.4 times as likely to feel their onboarding process was successful.

How do you measure whether Medical Affairs onboarding is working?
Stacey's team tracks time to productivity through an annual survey of new hires and their managers, overall and first-year retention, and compliance red flags before and after the program. She notes that the survey data is self-reported and that other organizational changes can also affect retention.

How does onboarding differ for field and headquarters Medical Affairs roles?
MSL core activities stay consistent across therapeutic areas, so field onboarding tends to be more structured. HQ roles such as medical directors and medical heads vary more, so Stacey's team identifies common needs like materials review, advisory boards, and grants compliance and delivers them through self-serve micro journeys.

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OnPoint: The Medical Excellence Podcast delivers insightful conversations on the most pressing issues facing top Medical Affairs professionals. Listen to stay ahead of industry trends and be inspired by leaders shaping the future of Medical Affairs.

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