Louise Schneid

I graduated from the University of Oregon with a degree in Sociology and a minor in Human Physiology. My professional background is in fitness, wellness & physical therapy. I was a personal trainer for 5 years and worked in a physical therapy clinic as a PT aid. Along with these positions I completed a Nursing Assistant program with the idea of becoming a Registered Nurse. I had completed the majority of the prior requisite coursework for nursing school when I decided to explore other options in healthcare and found MSC.

I had not heard about the medical device sales industry until a friend from college started a new position in the industry and this sparked my curiosity. I always knew I wanted to work in the medical field. I realized my original plan to become a RN was not really where I wanted to be in healthcare. I liked the idea of being a part of the OR team as a technical resource, I liked that the role of medical device sales rep meant I would constantly be learning, and when I discovered how important relationships are in the medical device sales role I felt it was the right career to pursue.

I began applying to medical device sales jobs online and stumbled upon an ad for MSC. I researched and applied!

I saw how the program had worked for so many people and I wanted to gain the skills necessary to break into the industry. MSC was the best option for me.

The training was challenging, but very rewarding. I believe you will get the most out of the training if you ask questions and show that you are there to learn. Anyone can memorize material for the tests, but there is so much more to get out of the program than good test scores. The instructors are great resources. Take advantage of the time and resources.

I know I would not feel as confident in the interview process and starting my new role had I not gone through MSC. I was extremely prepared and the foundation MSC has provided me with is what set me apart from other candidates. Attending MSC put me ahead of the curve.

2-4 months

My first interview was a brief phone call with the Oregon Manager, he asked a little bit about me and about my experience at MSC. At the end of the phone call he asked me on a ride along for later that week. My first face to face meeting was at the ride along. I was with the manager from 6am-1pm in cases. After that we met up with another sales rep with S&N for lunch and had a casual interview. They did not ask me very industry or company specific questions, it seemed they wanted to get to know me, my personality and my work ethic. I prepared a business plan and gave them each a copy- they were impressed by this. They asked me to stay for more cases with them that day and I was in cases until almost 6pm. I set up a call with the president of the distributor to clarify the timeline for their interview process. My next interview was on my own, a ?solo interview?.. they sent me to the account I had observed with them the previous week and I spent the entire day there observing one of their surgeons. I got to know the surgeon better as well as his team. After this interview I had another ride along the following day with the sales rep in the territory. I had one last ride along the following Monday with the manager and he offered me the position that day. The main mode of communication throughout the interview process was via text and it all felt very casual. They were giving me good feedback on my knowledge and interactions with their accounts.

I knew nothing about the industry going into MSC and coming out I have very solid foundation.

I feel I landed my position for a combination of reasons. I feel one reason was how knowledgeable I was about the pathologies, I was able to confidently share what I saw on the screen in the OR and understand the arthroscopic anatomy. Along with this I had an overall great foundation of knowledge regarding the role, how to behave in the OR, and who all members of the Surgical team were. These all proved to be valuable in my interview process.