RN as pharmaceutical rep

mrdoc2005 · Oct 8, 2004

most of the time it is sales. I know of one girl in my class who says that is the only reason she is in nursing school. You might waht to know that now drug canpanies want people with more chemistry under their belt.

zenman · Oct 8, 2004

You visit doctors/NPs in their offices and explain the latest on the new drugs. You try to convince them to prescribe your drugs because they are the best out there...and in doing so the docs (and yours) stock will rise and you can get that new sailboat that you've had your eye on for awhile. You must watch your weight cause you are always providing lunch for the doctors and their staff as well as providing pastries. And you try to keep quiet about the millions of dollars that are spent in special entertain purposes such as the recent one here on Oahu for docs involving several famous pop and country stars that no one knows about! Shhh. :chuckle

Tweety, BSN, RN · Oct 9, 2004

When Lovenox first came out, it was an RN BSN that came to the hospital to inservice us about it. Seemed like such a clean job. I wouldn't mind teaching other nurses about drugs and such, but I'm a horrible salesperson.

Recently a coworker went after a Pharmaceutic rep job, he said he was in competition with MDs for the position. He didn't get it.

Baby Catcher · Oct 9, 2004

Did you ever notice the drug reps all look like Ken and Barbie?

NurseFirst · Oct 9, 2004

Pharm reps...when I was growing up, one of our family friends worked as a pharm rep. They were also known then as "detail men". I don't know if they are sometrimes known as "detail folks" now...

However, pharm sales are not the only place needing sales people. There are all sorts of medical equipment sales people. I did an observation in the cardiac cath lab recently, and there was a medical sales rep there who had been a Radiology Tech. She put on "leads" and came right into the cath lab just as though she were an employee there. She stayed and watched the procedure, waiting for the nurses to be done before making her presentation.

It sure didn't look to me like she had to work very hard. No malpractice insurance, either!

There are a lot of "detail men" who make more than many docs. A lot of primary care docs, after paying for their staff, their equipment and their malpractice insurance (which is frequently in 5 figures) make in the mid to low $100Ks. Please read that carefully...that is NOT the same as "low six figures." Recently, authors of the book "Critical Condition" were on NPR with Terry Gross and called what general practitioners make as "embarrassingly little."

(You can hear the program here:

http://freshair.npr.org/day_fa.jhtml?display=day&todayDate=10/06/2004 )

Actually, of the last 4 days I've been in the hospital, two of the those I've seen sales people in the hospital talking to staff. The first day I was in orientation, and the other day I worked with agency folks because the regular folks were at an in-service.

Ted · Oct 9, 2004

Did you ever notice the drug reps all look like Ken and Barbie?

:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

YES!!!

Which is why I probably wouldn't be hired as a drug-rep for a drug company.

However, I would like to be the one inservicing nurses on this or that new drug. But the selling part of the job???? Blech!!! I'm so not a sales-person! :eek: :chuckle

Ted

Tweety, BSN, RN · Oct 9, 2004

:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:
YES!!!
Which is why I probably wouldn't be hired as a drug-rep for a drug company.
However, I would like to be the one inservicing nurses on this or that new drug. But the selling part of the job???? Blech!!! I'm so not a sales-person! :chuckle
Ted

Or maybe be the one who works for an IV company and go around showing the nurses how to use the IV. When we went to a new IV it was an RN who taught us how to use them. Or even when we got new IV pumps it was an RN who showed us how to use it. Wonder how much they make?