Joshua Said:

Who can help me get a job in medical device sales or pharmaceutical sales?Suggestions are greatly appreciated!

We Answered:

First and foremost, it is not impossible. I made the move from industrial sales to pharmaceutical (big pharma via little pharma) six years back now. It does and can happen. In fact, I've seen people of all ages hired in the last few years.

However, to be frank, why pharma? Many of us are trying to get so we'd be happy to make the vacancy. The game of pharma just aint that sweet these days.

Medzilla.com is a great resource for finding openings. But often, recruiters aren't going to work with people without industry experience. If you have b2b experience hype it in your resume and contact recruiters directly, or hr at various company websites.

Med device sales is different than pharma. It is more hands-on and measurable, whereas pharma sales is much more intangible as only information and sales presentations are passed on, but no product.

Look, lots of device companies are looking for people with strong b2b without pharma experience because selling is selling, just a different widget. Pharma is selling without the widget.

I got my first job, and subsequently current pharma position by applying to newspaper ads. Now, it's all web driven. I knew a salesman for a tobacco company who would take his lunch break everyday and stand in parking lots of hospitals and large practices to pass his resume on to reps.

Most tossed it as many of us are extremely arrogant. He eventually got a position and is one of his company's top reps.

Do some research first. What does the future hold for this industry; I have no idea. It won't, though, look like it does now in a few more years.

I guess to best answer your question is to pass on the best resources. Below:

www.monster.com
www.cafepharma.com
www.medzilla.com

Soul search, my friend. And good luck!

Randy Said:

I am looking at a medical sales career, is the NAMSR helpful?

We Answered:

If you want to get into a medical sales career in 2009 you should definitely get your RMSR Certifcation. See below:

New sales training strategies need to take place as the medical device companies do not have the luxury of being able to do the same things as before the new sales rules and guidelines. The emphasis is more on having a quality and educated exchange with the physicians. According to the Society of Pharmaceutical, Medical and Biotech Trainers (SPBT). "E-learning is becoming an effective tool for certain part of medical sales training. We are seeing medical device companies increase their use of technology and e-training."

RMSR Training is becoming more popular as medical companies look to hire new reps with some industry education and training. According to the National Association of Medical Sales Representatives - NAMSR, "We have seen a large number of requests to speak to our trained RMSR students. One of our training programs is geared to candidates who are looking to break into a medical sales career. The training is offered as a web based training program through the association. By obtaining a RMSR, medical sales candidates will possess the industry and product knowledge that medical device companies are looking for."

Bertha Said:

What courses/background study should I do, to become a Medical Device Consultant?

We Answered:

I am in the Medical Device industry....started in Engineering, now in Marketing. In general, the two medical device topics that are the most difficult to understand and also the most important are:

1) Regulatory requirements - the product that you are working on may be classified by the FDA from Class I, which include basic products like bandages and syringes, to Class III, which generally are life-sustaining and /or invasive and probably require human-use clinical trials. These distincitions drive everything from the level of control (i.e. documentation, testing and oversight) that you will need over your design and manufacturing processes to the amount of time and money it will take you to get your product to market. www.fda.gov provides a pretty good overview of the requirements.

2) Reimbursement (i.e. Medicare, Medicaid, Private Insurance, etc.) - who will pay, how will they pay, how much will they pay. Everyone has an opinion on the state of medicine in the U.S., particularly with the elections getting warmed up, but rest assured that reimbursement for facilities and practitioners in the U.S. is complex.

In reality, you don't need to become an absolute expert at either of these topics, but you need to know the basics. Do not assume that medical professionals will understand these things either. Doctors generally don't need to know what it takes to get a medical device to market and don't really understand how they are being reimbursed.

Hope this helps!

Barry Said:

Has anyone undertaken a post grad (masters) in Medical Physics? Is it difficult and worthwile careerwise?

We Answered:

Here's a description of the requirements from Purdue's masters program.

"Students entering the medical physics graduate program are expected to be proficient in at least one programming language, usually C or Fortran, and the UNIX or Linux operating system. They also are expected to have completed a course in differential equations and one in modern physics."

While you can probably pick up a programming language on your own if you have any background in it, you need at least two semesters of calculus to take differential equations and two semesters of physics to take modern physics. So I would recommend finding a masters program you're interested in, and making up the requirements at a community college (and find one that offers more advanced math and physics if you can).

Arthur Said:

how do i break into a medical device sales career with a strong medical background but no sales experience?

We Answered:

Pharmaceutical Companies do hire a lot of people without Sales Experience. I would research companies that make these devices, and pick out ones I like. Then I would call doctor's offices to see if I can get phone numbers for the sales reps. Then call the sales reps and ask for their District Managers' number. I would also try calling the sales departments in these firms and try to get in touch with the district managers.