Oh, I did advance into account management, infusion therapy, acute care for key accounts. Then I had my first stint of illness that lasted about a year. I came back but my name was mud. People treat you like a leper if you've been ill a long time and no one trusts you anymore to work your butt off. In some ways, I was not the same person and one real bad manager that road my ass gave me a nervous breakdown. So, more negative shit. I was pegged for a layoff right when my husband was out of work. I support my mom and my kid. Not much choice but to try and start again. I did try but got stuck in what should have been hospital specialty into basically a PC job. I got a MS degree in hopes the advanced clinical education would give me another shot at onc or hep or another rare biologic. So far nothing. I had an interview for MS but did not know enough about buy and bill to impress the manager and it would have been a real tough sell. I just know that I cannot do this PC thing for big pharma or I will blow my brains out. It is truly hell on earth. I know I'm too old for device. I do think I could do a great job in oncology or GI and wish someone would give me a shot. I am sick of cathlabs and cardiology. I do not want to work doing SSDD. Any other recommendations other than to let me know how right you ran your life and what a shithead I am?
Not trying to make you feel bad but just giving you an objective view of why you are where you are in this industry. Believe me I feel for you that you got sick and that you have responsibilities…so do many others, myself in included, so you are not alone with your situation.
The trust thing is very interesting…I know it is hard to do but maybe look at yourself and what vibe you are giving off where people don’t trust you. I highly doubt it was because you took some time off for an illness. People take time off all the time for maternity leave, FMLA, etc, so maybe your perception of yourself is skewed. If more than one person mistrusts you my guess is you behaved in a way to warrant their lack of trust or you weren’t well liked prior to taking time off and this just fortifies there negative opinion of you. From what it sounds like you have an “everybody is out to get me” “Woe is me” mentality, which to me screams insecure, paranoid, lacking self-awareness and out of touch, and not the people you want to work alongside with nor trust.
No doubt there are horrible managers in this and every other industry and that sucks. But to allow a Pharmaceutical DM to have that much influence over your happiness and wellbeing to cause a breakdown, shows me you lack any will, drive, self-respect, and unwilling to stand up for yourself. Those are YOU issues not anyone else’s. If you were being treated unfairly or asked to do things far beyond the scope of your job, or you were harassed(and no, working with you every week is not harassment) then you should have reported him or her to HR, to their boss, or to anyone in a senior level. If that failed to work call the EEOC and file a complaint or hire an employment attorney. If that fails…do nothing in the job, while looking for another job and let them fire you so you can collect unemployment. – Come on ya gotta think a little bit here.
Lastly, what is “account management, infusion therapy, acute care for key accounts”?
None of those sound like a therapeutic specialty and none of them sound like progressive steps. They sound like you sold the same stuff just to different customers or departments.
With that being said it is very hard to offer you advice as it seems like you had a tough time understanding buy and bill to an acceptable level so I hate to say this but is seems like you are a very tenured “entry level rep”. Not a good place to be in this industry…suffice to say if you are over 30 and selling anything to a primary care doctor you are in a bad spot career wise. My best advice is that this industry has passed you by and left you behind…may be time to reinvent yourself and do something completely different.
