Student Testimonials
Tell me a little about your background.
I graduated from Penn State in 2011 with a BS in Mathematics focusing in Actuarial Science as well as a minor in Statistics. I bounced around a few analytical positions after graduation, but kept searching for a fulfilling career.
Why were you interested in pursuing medical sales as a career?
My father is a cardiologist, so growing up I always admired the medical field. I never saw myself in a clinical role specifically though, so I followed my strength in math and statistics into analytical roles. I realized the 9-5, cubicle job was not the right place for me, so I reached out to my dad and asked about the other roles in the hospital and was able to visit him and actually shadow some of the reps he worked with.
How did you learn about Medical Sales College?
Since my dad is in cardiology, I was originally considering cardiac device. After searching around online, I stumbled upon Medical Sales College.
What ultimately made you decide to attend?
I knew that I needed to get into the right career track for me, so I decided to leave my consulting position and take the full leap into gaining the experience I needed to excel in this industry.
Please describe your training experience at Medical Sales College.
It took a lot of time, focus, and energy. The days are long, but there is so much to learn that it really kept everyone involved. The variety in the course was also beneficial as we spent the day going over PowerPoints, reading studies, watching surgery videos, and roleplaying.
What is the most valuable piece of information that you learned while attending MSC which ultimately helped you land your position?
Definitely the overall knowledge that I gained in the course. I was able to immediately have a conversation at a high level about the OR, technologies, and how to communicate and sell effectively to surgeons. I think that definitely set me apart as a lot of candidates come in with sales experience but don?t understand how medical device sales is a drastically different environment from most sales positions.
Why should someone attend Medical Sales College?
How long did you try to get into the industry before attending MSC? What was that experience like?
Not too long. Most of the jobs posted online required sales experience, which I did not have. I wanted to get right into medical sales, but found it very difficult to gain any traction without the proper clinical or sales background.
Did you have any fears about attending the School? What were they?
It was a very drastic career change for me, so I was a little hesitant to take the leap. I also found it almost hard to believe that there was a way to fast track my way into the industry by gaining a substantial amount of clinical and sales training in a relatively short amount of time.
Explain what your interview process was like.
It was a long process mainly because I had to coordinate with reps in the field to find some time to meet with me. As we know, this industry is pretty hectic, so coordinating time to meet was a challenge. Overall, it took about 4-5 weeks from when I first made contact to when I received the offer.
What is your current job like?
I?ll be coming on as an associate and immediately shadowing reps in the area and supporting in every way possible. Ultimately, the goal is to get me up to speed so that I am able to cover cases on my own, before ultimately joining the sales portion of the team.
What do you know now that you wish you had known before entering the industry/attending Medical Sales College?
It?s definitely a very competitive industry. I had to step out of my comfort zone a lot, especially when it came to roleplaying scenarios in class. I didn?t think I?d get to a level where I could speak to a surgeon who has spent years devoted to medicine, but I feel very confident after completing this program.
What was the most valuable thing you learned at Medical Sales College/What piece of training do you use the most in your day-to-day activities?
I came into MSC having not taken any science course since my senior year of high school 10 years prior, so everything that we learned on a biological level was extremely beneficial for me. The way it was taught was very efficient too, as I never really felt far behind other classmates that had taken science courses throughout college.