24, RN, took a job with a big pharma company...

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Anonymous

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any career advice moving forward?
my manager seems like a good person.
the products are for diabetes, and I lost my father to that disease state, so I am very passionate about this opportunity. however, after learning of this site, I am not so convinced.

Thank you for any feedback vets!
 






Anonymous said:
any career advice moving forward?
my manager seems like a good person.
the products are for diabetes, and I lost my father to that disease state, so I am very passionate about this opportunity. however, after learning of this site, I am not so convinced.

Thank you for any feedback vets!
Click to expand...

You will make good money and will always have options. Ride the pharma gravy train as long as you can. The work is not hard and you will make a food income for as long as you can last.
 






1) Keep up your license - never know when you'll need it

2) Can almost guarantee you will be changing jobs at least once in the next five yearse

3) In this biz, by 40 you are a has-been
 






Definitely keep your hand in the nursing field, even if you volunteer once a month somewhere...pharmaceuticals is a very strange industry and unless you are lucky, there is a good chance you will be let go within 3-5 years.
 






Do not consider this a career. Work at least 20 hours a month in an active nursing role.

Many R.N.s that jumped for the money in the early 2000s were never let back into the nursing game after they left the team.

You will make far more in nursing and have a better quality of life versus a pretend job.
 












Why on earth would you want to be a drug rep? Other nurses I know that have come over think they will be able to share their knowledge with physicians and be helpful......quickly to realize...physicians don't give a crap and won't listen to you either.
 






This is a good field to make money. Try and leverage into a home office job where you will make real money.

Ignore the negative comments. The board is filled with the rejects that got kicked out. Read the other threads and will see. They still suffer from sour grapes.
 






I agree with poster 7. I've known several nurses who came into pharma thinking their status as a nurse would give them some kind of special treatment with physicians only to find it made zero difference. Both are back being nurses again. Couldn't take the micro managing, and the disrespect from offices and physicians.
 






Yes, you are a paid representative of your company now and will be treated that way in offices.

I would suggest you get your BSN if you dont have it. If you want to stay off the 'floor' consider becoming a CRN/CRC and get your certification with SOCRA or another ACRP etc...

While in Pharma, stay humble, save your money and remember to not place your value in your job. Your credentials are strong, continue to network and offer your services within your networks (home RN care 1 weekend a month or something).

The Best!
 






I am an industry vet. I have been selling in diabetes for 15+ years. I am going to give you the straight scoop. You are in a good therapeutic area! Diabetes is great as far as job security goes b/c the disease is at epidemic rates here in the US.

However; don't be fooled, your DM is likely not as nice as you think. Most people in this industry who are promoted into management are pretty savvy. They may have stepped over (or on) many others to get where they are.

Also some other things to keep in mind...your boss could have hired an out of work industry vet. Why didn't he? Because
-you are cheaper
-you are young and therefore not as intimidating
-you have passion

I sell insulin and my pompous DM told me he wouldn't even consider hiring anyone w/o 2 yrs diabetes pharma experience. I think he is just too lazy to take the time to train a newer rep, but think about why your DM hired you. Perhaps you have a new(er) manager or more likely a DM with a big ego + little self-confidence. Either way, your DM is someone who couldn't handle a seasoned vet.

They were impressed with your doe eyed passion and energy. This will wear off. Don't EVER let your DM know you are anything other than the perky sycophant he hired! Even in 6 months when you realize that all the docs are ambivalent and really don't treat diabetes with the urgency it deserves. Slap on that smile girlfriend and kiss your DMs butt. THAT is your value and that is why you were hired! Keep playing that part and you can have a good 3-5yr run.

Get your CDE, if the company pays for it. Many companies have educator jobs that are not sales. Keep up your RN license/CEUs, so you have that to fall back if ObamaCare ruins the whole pharma industry. Get your NP if you can. Just know, that this industry has downsized by 40% in the last few years, so don't get too accustomed to the money. It will not always be there. Put some money away and make a 3-5 year plan for yourself.

Also, you will at some point experience negativity from your co-workers. They know that they you are their replacement. When things go to hell, they will be the ones who are laid off, NOT you (because you are cheaper and you are little miss sunshine). They may take their frustrations out on you. Just let it roll off your back. It is not YOU, it is just the situation you are in. Keep the positive attitude. Make the most of this opportuity for you and your future! Good luck!
 






Anonymous said:
I am an industry vet. I have been selling in diabetes for 15+ years. I am going to give you the straight scoop. You are in a good therapeutic area! Diabetes is great as far as job security goes b/c the disease is at epidemic rates here in the US.

However; don't be fooled, your DM is likely not as nice as you think. Most people in this industry who are promoted into management are pretty savvy. They may have stepped over (or on) many others to get where they are.

Also some other things to keep in mind...your boss could have hired an out of work industry vet. Why didn't he? Because
-you are cheaper
-you are young and therefore not as intimidating
-you have passion

I sell insulin and my pompous DM told me he wouldn't even consider hiring anyone w/o 2 yrs diabetes pharma experience. I think he is just too lazy to take the time to train a newer rep, but think about why your DM hired you. Perhaps you have a new(er) manager or more likely a DM with a big ego + little self-confidence. Either way, your DM is someone who couldn't handle a seasoned vet.

They were impressed with your doe eyed passion and energy. This will wear off. Don't EVER let your DM know you are anything other than the perky sycophant he hired! Even in 6 months when you realize that all the docs are ambivalent and really don't treat diabetes with the urgency it deserves. Slap on that smile girlfriend and kiss your DMs butt. THAT is your value and that is why you were hired! Keep playing that part and you can have a good 3-5yr run.

Get your CDE, if the company pays for it. Many companies have educator jobs that are not sales. Keep up your RN license/CEUs, so you have that to fall back if ObamaCare ruins the whole pharma industry. Get your NP if you can. Just know, that this industry has downsized by 40% in the last few years, so don't get too accustomed to the money. It will not always be there. Put some money away and make a 3-5 year plan for yourself.

Also, you will at some point experience negativity from your co-workers. They know that they you are their replacement. When things go to hell, they will be the ones who are laid off, NOT you (because you are cheaper and you are little miss sunshine). They may take their frustrations out on you. Just let it roll off your back. It is not YOU, it is just the situation you are in. Keep the positive attitude. Make the most of this opportuity for you and your future! Good luck!
Click to expand...

What he/she is saying is to go back into nursing because there are too many losers in this industry.
 












Anonymous said:
The older I get, the less respect I have for EVERYONE in this industry. Biggest group of liars and lazy people you will ever see...

and about 90 percent can't sell.
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At times, it is sad to see people like this. They got kicked out of pharma and now struggle to provide for themselves and their families. The pain is so bad that they have to take out their frustrations on others. Perhaps if they had done things differently, they wouldn't be in this predicament. Now they just wallow around the pharma boards making themselves look foolish by making posts like this.

Just sad.
 






Anonymous said:
At times, it is sad to see people like this. They got kicked out of pharma and now struggle to provide for themselves and their families. The pain is so bad that they have to take out their frustrations on others. Perhaps if they had done things differently, they wouldn't be in this predicament. Now they just wallow around the pharma boards making themselves look foolish by making posts like this.

Just sad.
Click to expand...

What is sad? Sad is the fact you are facing a similar fate and arrive to view those that hit the concrete first. But I will wait for your response. I believe it will start something like this...

In my second business I.........

When we started in this job there were 20,000 reps (not 120,000) and you were trained and professional. Not three cheer leaders dressed for the club making calls together like sorority sisters on an outing to buy their first bottle. The whole industry was dumb-ed down. Way down.
 






Anonymous said:
What is sad? Sad is the fact you are facing a similar fate and arrive to view those that hit the concrete first. But I will wait for your response. I believe it will start something like this...

In my second business I.........

When we started in this job there were 20,000 reps (not 120,000) and you were trained and professional. Not three cheer leaders dressed for the club making calls together like sorority sisters on an outing to buy their first bottle. The whole industry was dumb-ed down. Way down.
Click to expand...

Old Timer here. You are full of it. Training was pathetic years ago. The Barbie reps have always been there.

This is a business thateople love to be in. It has always been easy work and comes with a huge paycheck. Unfortunately, the industry has downsized, and loser like you got tossed and have to take what you can get or else you call yourself "retired" (otherwise known as unemployed).
 






Anonymous said:
What is sad? Sad is the fact you are facing a similar fate and arrive to view those that hit the concrete first. But I will wait for your response. I believe it will start something like this...

In my second business I.........

When we started in this job there were 20,000 reps (not 120,000) and you were trained and professional. Not three cheer leaders dressed for the club making calls together like sorority sisters on an outing to buy their first bottle. The whole industry was dumb-ed down. Way down.
Click to expand...

finally, a person that gets it.
for those that say "oh, you are bitter, you got kicked out"...I have to say, you are truly lacking intelligence.

The smart ones are starting to see that medical sales is not the place to be. Not only is there no stability, but you don't develop as a sales professional...

and the products are over-priced and don't work.
 






Anonymous said:
finally, a person that gets it.
for those that say "oh, you are bitter, you got kicked out"...I have to say, you are truly lacking intelligence.

The smart ones are starting to see that medical sales is not the place to be. Not only is there no stability, but you don't develop as a sales professional...

and the products are over-priced and don't work.
Click to expand...

You can tell that someone is really bitter when they have to resort to coming on the board, pretending to be someone else, as a way of supporting their position.

Perhaps you should work on trying to recover from getting kicked out instead of trying to bring down other people to your level. No need to worry about us. We will be fine. In fact, we will be more than fine. Look at it this way, we are actually helping you. With our high earnings, we will be paying in huge taxes. These taxes will help fund the various government social programs that will support you over the coming years.
 






Anonymous said:
You can tell that someone is really bitter when they have to resort to coming on the board, pretending to be someone else, as a way of supporting their position.

Perhaps you should work on trying to recover from getting kicked out instead of trying to bring down other people to your level. No need to worry about us. We will be fine. In fact, we will be more than fine. Look at it this way, we are actually helping you. With our high earnings, we will be paying in huge taxes. These taxes will help fund the various government social programs that will support you over the coming years.
Click to expand...

I did 126k last year, with no micromanagement. Worked about 8-10 hours a day. Took a lot of Mondays and Fridays off to.

Don't miss pharmaceuticals for one minute. It wasn't that the job was that bad, but it was the management and corporate culture that really was stressful. It just seemed like so many people in pharmaceuticals were fake and back stabbing. I still have some of that at my current place, but its a smaller operation and I deal with less a holes.
 






Anonymous said:
I did 126k last year, with no micromanagement. Worked about 8-10 hours a day. Took a lot of Mondays and Fridays off to.

Don't miss pharmaceuticals for one minute. It wasn't that the job was that bad, but it was the management and corporate culture that really was stressful. It just seemed like so many people in pharmaceuticals were fake and back stabbing. I still have some of that at my current place, but its a smaller operation and I deal with less a holes.
Click to expand...

Running this through the truth detector, we have the following:

" I did 12.6k last year, with little oversight, since it is not needed with my menial job. I could only find a part-time job, so I work 8-10 hour days on Tuesday thru Thursday. It keeps me under the level that would require my employer to pay benefits.

I miss pharmaceuticals all the time. That is why I hang out here. The problem is that I could handle the job. It was just too stressful for me. I still have some stress here, but it is not as bad given it is menial labor.
 






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