If you are a nurse who is thinking about a career change, you're not alone. There's a recent ANM Health Care survey that says over 40% of nurses are seeking a career change. Job satisfaction for nurses is low for a lot of reasons: the hours, the pay, and a lack of respect from doctors are a few of them. Or maybe you just need a change. That's not unusual. Many people make several major career changes over their lifetimes, just because their current job no longer fits into the life they want.
![]()
But if you got into nursing because you like science and you love helping people by making a difference in one of the most important areas of their lives and you're not ready to make a 180-degree turn into show business or basket-weaving, what will you do? How can you transition the skills you've learned as a nurse into another career? What kinds of careers can utilize your particular skill set? Medical sales. Medical sales reps often have high job satisfaction, generous pay and benefits, and a more varied wardrobe (no more scrubs for you).
Transition Coaching
Nurses can often make a smooth, natural transition into medical sales jobs: medical device sales, hospital equipment sales, imaging sales, pharma sales, pathology sales, biotech sales, laboratory sales, or clinical diagnostics. Why?
Nurses - Looking For a Career Change? Think About a Transition Into a Medical Sales Career
* You have a science background-a must for anyone getting into medical sales. You need to understand what you're selling and how it can meet the needs of your customers.
* You probably have practical, on-the-job experience with the products you'd sell. What better way to be able to demonstrate how your customer can benefit from your product than by having been in their shoes?
* You already know how to deal with difficult doctors. (Enough said.)
However, landing a job in medical sales can be difficult because there's a lot of competition- it's a fantastic career. So what do you need to do to place yourself in the best possible position as a candidate? Even though you have an advantage because of your background, you're not in the clear yet. You need to do some research on how to land a medical sales job, and make sure you can present yourself as a strong job candidate. Here's a quick outline of steps you can take:
* Read sales books and get some sales training...there are medical sales training programs, but they're only one option.
* Job shadow someone in the specific product area you're interested in. That way, you'll get a feel for a typical day, and furnish yourself with a resource for your 30/60/90-day plan and your interview conversation.
* Conduct informational interviews with medical sales reps and medical sales managers. It will give you tremendous insight into the job, and make you a more informed candidate.
* Establish a LinkedIn profile that will introduce you as a professional, and find sales-related groups to join so that you can network-get your name out there, and gather industry information.
* Write a killer resume. Hire it out if you need to, and include your job shadowing and sales training on it.
* Polish your interview skills. This is critical. Interviews for sales candidates are difficult, so you must be prepared.
* Learn how to write a 30/60/90-day sales plan to present to the hiring manager. It's a written outline of what you'll do in the first 3 months on the job. A 30/60/90-day plan shows the hiring manager that you understand the job, and aren't going in cold. Plus, it spotlights your initiative, drive, and energy (all desirable qualities for a sales rep).
* Submit your resume to a medical sales recruiter.
* Consider getting custom coaching. A recruiter doesn't have time to really help you get the job, but a career coach can show you what you need, role play interview questions, fine-tune your resume, and guide you through all the details.
Nurses - Looking For a Career Change? Think About a Transition Into a Medical Sales Career
