Longing to have a medical career is a great thing. And a path to a medical equipment or pharmaceutical product sales representative sounds a fulfilling one. What’s not to love? Is it the privilege to serve and save lives, the lucrative pay of the job, or the fact that it’s in high demand? Indeed, a medical career is one of the most fulfilling professions you can choose. However, it takes more than longing to land a medical job. 

It takes good, well-packaged credentials to get into the healthcare industry. Find out here everything you need to know about how credentials can pave the way for you to land a career as a medical sales professional, also known as a healthcare industry representative (HCIR). 

What Are Credentials?

In broader terms, credentials are those which give their bearer the stamp of expertise, aptitude, and experience in a job or industry. One can think of degrees (e.g. college or university majors), and licenses (for example, RN for registered nurses and MD for medical doctors). Another type are certificates. Examples of these in the medical field are bloodborne pathogens certificates and HIPAA Training (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act).

Medical Sales Credentials

Here are three ways your credentials can help you get and keep your medical sales dream job: 

1. Be Careful With Vendor Credentialing

Vendor credentialing is specific to healthcare establishments and hospitals. It is a system set up to vet medical sales professionals and related personnel. It gives information about whether or not certain medical representatives can promote their products within the hospital premises, or to healthcare providers associated with the said hospital. 

The criteria used in these systems vary for each healthcare center. Some of them are certifications, employee identification from pharmaceutical companies or medical equipment manufacturers, vaccine records, criminal records, and other whitelists. 

You may be an HCIR advocating the latest and cutting-edge coronary pacemaker, or a pharmaceutical representative finding customers for a new and more efficient pneumonia vaccine. But you’d be frustrated and derailed if not given entry to a prospective hospital because of information about you showing up on their vendor credentialing software. Your sales will not continue to boost. You would have misspent gas going to the medical center, or phones minutes trying to argue with the hospital information center.

Remember that vendor credentialing companies exist because the healthcare institutions have a responsibility to keep patients (and their care providers) safe and secure. This is true, too, for private information within the hospital’s system. Aside from these functions, regulatory bodies like CMS (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid) and JCAHO (Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Organizations) check them for compliance. And hospitals have a healthy aversion to non-compliance and malpractice suits.

With that said, it’s beneficial for you to get certified in the necessary trainings and compliance essentials these hospitals are mindful of. Your employer usually attends to your and your fellow representatives’ credentialing, but it helps for you to be informed, in case you need to get the certifications individually.

2. Earn A Relevant Degree

HCIRs are known for their people and persuasion skills. Hence, one can assume there’s no need to get to college to become one. But perhaps there’s good reason to think otherwise.

Most pharmaceutical companies look for individuals with an undergraduate degree for their entry-level medical representative job postings. A degree in pharmacology, marketing, the life sciences, or business is suitable. Medical equipment and device manufacturers (e.g., makers of implants, ventilators, patient monitors, electrosurgical units, and others) gravitate toward job hunters who majored in medical engineering. 

Given a scenario where you are discussing with a medical director the new device your company has made. It will help if you can talk with them in the level of competence needed for the said product. The medical jargon necessary in your dialogue won’t hinder you. 

What’s more, your customer will be more convinced to try the new innovation in light of your knowledge of and confidence in it. Indeed, soft skills, coupled with hard skills one usually only gets from school and training, can help you in landing a medical career. 

3. Take Care Of Your Reputation 

Your reputation acts as a form of intangible credential, especially in medical sales. If bosses, colleagues, doctors, hospital staff, and nurses know you as reliable, friendly, genuine, knowledgeable, efficient, humble, and trustworthy, you’re sure to find your way in every hospital and healthcare institution you have jotted on your planner. 

Taking care of your reputation starts as early as in your teens. The character traits mentioned don't require any credentialing or degree at the onset. Just being responsible and mindful of your work ethic (in school) will train you and give you the necessary habit-forming competencies. These core traits will help you through your major or program, your jobhunting, your tenure in your company, and your entry into the hospitals in the geographical region assigned to you.

To help you further, here are a few suggestions:

• Use a CRM (customer relations management) software to manage your customers’ information, communication, and appointments. Make sure no appointment falls through the cracks.

• Subscribe to news outlets relevant to your industry. 

• Keep your certifications up-to-date.

• Stay professional in your posts on your social media accounts.

• Upgrade your communication devices, phone subscription and internet service plan to make certain each call, text, chat, or instant message is sent to your customers and colleagues seamlessly and clearly.

Conclusion

A medical career is both lucrative and demanding at the same time, whether you’re in the thick of things, or just supporting the prime movers in the industry. If you’re the latter, credentials are important in conducting your business. Nurturing your reputation from the start, getting the significant hard skills, and being mindful of your credentialing badges, will help you land your dream job, and gain an edge in your HCIR journey.