Susan Herz

Growing up in WI, my passion for sports began at a young age. I was a competitive figure skater for nearly 12 years, and also enjoyed competing in swimming and diving. I obtained my B.S. in Sports Medicine from Pepperdine University, and worked as a personal trainer and exercise physiologist for over a decade. When I moved to Colorado, I wanted to work for the USOC (United States Olympic Committee) and currently hold two coaching certifications, one with USA Archery and another with the US Figure Skating Association. Although I love coaching and training, I was repeatedly drawn to sales, whether it was through work, volunteering or fundraising. The combination of my love of sports, competition, medicine, health and sales led me to where I am today!

I met several people over the last 2 years or so that worked in various areas of medical device sales and found it absolutely fascinating. Learning that medical device sales often meant not only being in the OR, but also working in the field, meeting with surgeons, growing territories, and traveling, coupled with amazing potential for career growth and advancement?I wanted to be a part of it!

Job hunting online through LinkedIn and Indeed.

I asked as many people as I possibly knew in the device industry if they had heard of MSC, if it was really as great as it sounded, and got all positive feedback. I knew my best chance of getting a job in medical device sales was to go to MSC. I wasn?t getting interviews or even responses to applications for jobs in device sales prior to attending, and I didn?t want to spend years looking for a job or taking something I didn?t really want, hoping it would open another door eventually leading towards my goal.

I did the 12 week combo program in Denver, with 8 weeks of Spine, 4 weeks of Ortho/Recon/Trauma, as well as a solid foundation in Biologics. My PRC training has allowed me to fast track my credentialing in my new position and has been invaluable from the very first day. I cant imagine doing what I am doing WITHOUT learning everything as MSC. I would be lost.

I cannot imagine doing what I am doing every day at work without the classroom training, mock OR sessions, saw bone labs, and the knowledge and experiences shared by each and every professor or instructor at MSC. I would have to work for a company that sent me to training for several weeks or months to even begin to come to close to knowing how things work, and that would most likely be for one speciality only, and very tilted to that company?s opinions and such. I don?t know of any device companies who offer that extensive of training, if any. From the first week, I started making connections in the medical device field and started networking and getting interview requests. It was unbelievable how quickly everything happened.

12 months or so, but I truly began more intensive job searching in the industry about 4 months before I began classes at MSC.

I had an interview with the Distributorship hiring manager at a Starbucks the day we graduated, literally right after graduation! It was comfortable and very informative for both of us, not overly formal and nerve-wracking, like many interviews can be in this industry! I was called back for a second interview within a few days, with both the Hiring Manager and the Rep that was leaving the position. We talked for well over an hour, and it was not just to measure my knowledge/skills, but also to see if my personality was a good match for everyone. The manager, the current rep, and the current surgeons. I prepared a binder with a 30-60-90 day plan, which I received excellent feedback on from the hiring manager. I was offered the position one week later and started one week after that! I was so fortunate and the whole process was much less formal than and extensive as the ?big? companies and my interviews were more like conversations and felt very natural. I knew right away it was a great fit for me, and luckily, they felt the same way!

I am working in Spine for a distributor with nearly a dozen product lines. We have several surgeons already established in Denver and Wyoming. I am working as an ASR for about 6-8 weeks, and then will be a full Sales Representative when my predecessor finishes training me. I am in the OR and training on procedures related to my current territory to start with. Once established, I have unlimited potential for increasing sales and adding surgeons to my territory.

You can have a work/life balance, unlike what many people say, but it pays to really network and take a position that is a good fit for you and the team you work with. You will have to work hard, long hours, possibly driving hundreds of miles a day at times, but if you persevere, there is no limit to how successful you can be! Get up, show up, and never give up!

There are too many to name one! In addition to learning about the specific medical devices and technologies, having professors who actually had real-life experience was invaluable. Learning to network and using LinkedIn as a tool for my job search, effectively marketing myself and my experiences at MSC is truly what led to my current position!