Is it bad or unprofessional to hide from drug company reps

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I don't appreciate having to stop to talk to these people several times a day when I have a room full of patients waiting to see me and I have a ton of work to do. I know they're only doing their jobs. But, its not like I'm going to prescribe their new overpriced drugs to my mostly working class clients who can't afford them anyway. So...

I was told by somebody that it doesn't look professional to not stop to talk to reps. What is the consensus here?

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Specializes in Surgery.

Say hello and that you have a busy day but would be happy to look over their product information later on and have them leave it?

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Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.

Our office no longer allows them in to provide food. If they wish to leave samples and info fine but we don't take time to talk to them becuz that is time away from pts

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Use them as a resource. They will often do research for you or make recommendations. If I have time I will talk to them, but if I don't I don't feel guilty.

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They're salespeople. You don't have any obligation to them.

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As a former drug rep who is now a NP I have a different view. I use them as a resource. These reps know more about the job market for NPs than most NPs do. They go into all of the clinics, know the politics, who has an opening and who is about to get fired. It's a great resource if you want to find out about new jobs around your community. These reps are also the experts on the drugs they promote. They spend their entire day promoting one or two products. If I have a question that I can't find the answer to online I will have them do a "medical inquiry" and have a doc from their company answer my questions regarding drug interactions side effects etc. I always make a point to interact with them if I have five minutes. It's called networking and you can never have enough of that in your career.

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Specializes in retired LTC.

to FNP2BI - very ingenuous tip for networking. I understand the product knowledge, but the job openings tip is quite resourceful.

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Specializes in allergy and asthma, urgent care.

If I have time, I will talk to them. I also find them to be a valuable resource.

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I agree with aligning with them to some extent for networking. Some of them are very helpful and are good, genuine people.

I always made it very clear I respected them, but was never going to use their products unless it was a last resort. Their "coupons" rarely worked or if they worked, it was just for a short-time. I am always going to find the lowest cost product to use with a patient and am never ever going to jump right in and use a brand name product when a $4.00 drug will do the job with the same outcomes and the same side effect profile.

Don't even get me started on the scantily dressed reps who are overly flirty or the reps who start to get nosey about prescribing patterns after they have done a lunch or two and think they own you. Hmmmm..

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Specializes in Nursing Professional Development.

I am not an NP, but used to have a job as a CNS where I interacted with medical supply companies, infant formula companies, etc. all the time. I required them to call ahead and schedule a semi-appointment with me. For them to expect me to drop everything and spend 15-30 minutes with them at the drop of a hat was not reasonable of them -- and I told them so. They should at least call me the day before, give me an estimated time of arrival, and ask if I would have time to meet with them. They soon learned that if they just dropped in with no warning ... I would smile and politely tell them that I had a meeting to go to ... and if they wanted to meet with me, they should call ahead and get on my schedule.

Hiding, etc. is not professional. Addressing them directly and asking them to treat you like a professional and be respectful of your time teaches them and establishes a professional foundation for your relationship.

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^^^^ IDK....eating my lunch (that I brought from home) in another part of the office while the reps chat with everyone else is not necessarily hiding. I always called it "keeping my sanity" and "taking a real lunch."

I do like the idea about making them set up a loose appointment. I always hated how they would just drop in and then we were supposed to make people wait while we saw them?

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Specializes in Outpatient Psychiatry.

I'll talk to them about anything, but I seldomly prescribe new meds. In psych, they seldomly work better and are stupid expensive.

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