NAMSR - National Association of Medical Sales Reps (I am trying to obtain information about the NAMSR and the RMSR training)?

Linda Hertz in Thousand Oaks, California said: I am sorry, but I have been a recruiter for 4 years in Medical Sales and A Divisional Manager and RVP in Medical Sales with fortune 500 companies previously. This RMSR Training...is hype...and in fact, almost a given they have a weak resume for medical sales. NO PROGRAM like that is going to make you a top candidate...have to put in the time as a copier rep., ADP, Paychex and etc. first, then Medical Disposables and then Medical Device...save your money or in this case...move to the right career pathing. I am sure someone will disagree BUT don't spend any more money on this...I and others have plenty of FREE Blog Advice from my experience that will probably serve you better. Just google and you will find it. So sorry you spent money on this, but we all learn; it's like getting a mail order degree...RMSR...do the time and earn the experience.

Linda,

Would you consider looking at my resume, and telling me what I need to improve on? I am trying to break into Medical Sales, and would appreciate any help.

Thank you so much,
Gail

Heather-medical rep in Laguna Nigel, California said: My company needs around 40 new reps. We love to interview RMSR graduates from the NAMSR. So if you have your RMSR go to www.hill-romcareers.com/hill-rom/jobboard/searchjobs.aspx to apply.
Heather

Heather,

Can I send you my resume so that you would get a referral fee? I am not sure if there are any openings around the LA area. Please let me know. I am RMSR certified with a degree in Communications and 3+ years outside sales experience.

Thanks
Peter

Heather:
I just interviewed with Owens & Minor for a medical sales job and they are requiring me to get my RMSR Certification before they would even consider hiring me. I read your post earlier and I am upset that you mislead me. The RMSR is required from many medical device companies and I have wasted time looking for a medical device sales job without it.

gail in Springfield, Missouri said: Linda,

Would you consider looking at my resume, and telling me what I need to improve on? I am trying to break into Medical Sales, and would appreciate any help.

Thank you so much,
Gail

I would get your RMSR. I just talked to 2 companies today about interviewing and both are requiring it. I think the Heather posting here is old school or misinformed!!!

Keep in mind that owens and minor is a distributor, not a device company. Distribution is a good foot in the door. I know this because I work for a division of McKesson and did the RMSR training. It certainly did not hurt.

I just received an offer today for a medical sales job with a major medical distributor and they said that because of me possessing my RMSR, it was the major factor in selecting me over other candidates.

so it sounds as if the RMSR is a requirement. Stephanie, can you tell me more about the program? I am looking at a career change, 14 yrs outside sales and a BA. Any other advice out there? How long does it take to complete? thanx

bossert in kansas city mo in Eureka Springs, Arkansas said: so it sounds as if the RMSR is a requirement. Stephanie, can you tell me more about the program? I am looking at a career change, 14 yrs outside sales and a BA. Any other advice out there? How long does it take to complete? thanx

Stephanie,

Can you tell me more about the program as well! I have a BS, with 20 years of selling. Any tips would be helpful!
Thanks,
Gail

Medical companies look to hire individuals for medical sales rep jobs who have a combination of sales ability and a solid medical background. The RMSR Certification is administered to help those who want to break into a medical sales career and does provide the necessary medical education to work as a med rep. It is well respected in the medical device industry. Almost of my colleagues have taken the RMSR Program.

Stephanie in Ballwin, Missouri said: I just received an offer today for a medical sales job with a major medical distributor and they said that because of me possessing my RMSR, it was the major factor in selecting me over other candidates.

Stephanie,

Just checking in on how your job is going? Just curious if it's exactly what you thought it would be?

Thanks so much,
Gail

Christopher in Trenton, Ohio said: Hello all,
I am a non-degreed professional in the middle of a career change from the Real Estate and Mortgage Industry to the healthcare field, particularly in medical device sales. My question is, will the RMSR certification, along with my current background be enough to land a career in medical sales or will they also require a 4 year degree?

You can pitch yourself until you are blue in the face but ultimately the convo is going to lead with them saying "contact me when you receive your 4 year degree."

Stephanie in Ballwin, Missouri said: Heather:
I just interviewed with Owens & Minor for a medical sales job and they are requiring me to get my RMSR Certification before they would even consider hiring me. I read your post earlier and I am upset that you mislead me. The RMSR is required from many medical device companies and I have wasted time looking for a medical device sales job without it.

Not true, any form of medical background will work, not just RMSR, and many people with 4 year degrees and strong sales experience that seem capable are able to make the leap over to medical. I am sorry to say it was your resume, not lack of RMSR that lead to you not receiving to job.

looking for advice on the RMSR - how can I confirm that it is valuable to companies?

I attained my training and RMSR certification through NAMSR 2 years ago. I have been busting away at completing my Bachelors degree in management, and I allowed my membership to lapse (although I never have been able to find any info on renewing membership.) I have left multiple messages requesting info on renewing, but I have yet to get a call back or any guidance at all.
Does anybody have ANY advice?
Thanks

Brenda Probert in Denver, Colorado said: I can tell you that medical sales is differenct from pharmaceutical sales and that medical device companies will look at and hire applicants from all age groups as well as hire non-degreed individuals. I work for a large surgical equipment company, I am 47 years old and was just hired 3 years ago as a sales rep from the Food Service industry. I love my job, I have seen patients that my products have helped and the industry has been recession proof. I would advise anybody to get into medical sales.

Brenda, I am in outside sales selling foodervice disposable packaging and have been for 12 years. I also have a Bachelor's degree. I have been looking to get a job in the medical device or pharma industry for almost a year. I know the economy is rough and many people that already have experience in the industry are out of work but wanted to know if I should get my RMSR certificate to give me a leg up?

Michael in Chicago, Illinois said: We just put 6 of our new hires through the NAMSR's RMSR program and it was great!! Five of our new hires were new to medical and we sell Neurological Portable CT Scanners, Surgical lights, and surgical microscopes so it was very important training. The RMSR training was crucial to getting these reps out in the field and I would highly recommend the RMSR program to anyone looking to work as a medical device rep.

Should I take the program at a college or directly through the NAMSR at www.medicalsalescareer.com

Bill in Onarga, Illinois said: I work for Stryker Medical and we have used the NAMSR to find new hires. Our company looks for experienced sales reps from other industries but like to see some medical education in addition to the sales background. The RMSR training helps our company get reps out talking to the medical community. Any medical education will definetly help applicants but the RMSR training is the most sought after medical sales education.

I just interviewed with Patty G.at Stryker. Can you help me get further through the process.

I don't have a degree and received my RMSR about 3 years ago. I work for a Cardiology company presently but looking to get into Orthopaedics. If anyone hears anything please post here. The RMSR programs is very valid and they have good leads for people looking to break into a medical sales career.

dave in Bristol, Connecticut said: Keep in mind that owens and minor is a distributor, not a device company. Distribution is a good foot in the door. I know this because I work for a division of McKesson and did the RMSR training. It certainly did not hurt.

I also took the RMSR program and it was helpful and probably the deciding factor in getting hired on at Stryker.

They do not seem like a very legitimate organization! Bounced back email addresses, full voicemails. I don't trust them.

Fran in Cheshire, Connecticut said: If someone could provide me some feedback about the NAMSR and its training programs it would be much appreciated. Thanks

Demonstrating to others that you have been board certified and have met the rigorous standards required for a medical device sales career is something worth pursuing at the first available opportunity. Why wouldn’t you want people to know how qualified you are to do your job as a medical sales rep. My company always looks for a RMSR Certified applicant.

The RMSR Certification helped me and now it has helped my cousin enter a career in medical sales. If you want to enter a career in medical sales the RMSR Certification will make it easier to obtain interviews and eventually job offers.

Bill in Onarga, Illinois said: I work for Stryker Medical and we have used the NAMSR to find new hires. Our company looks for experienced sales reps from other industries but like to see some medical education in addition to the sales background. The RMSR training helps our company get reps out talking to the medical community. Any medical education will definetly help applicants but the RMSR training is the most sought after medical sales education.

Hello Bill!

I just applied for a Sales Associate position with Stryker. I called HR to inquire about this certification, but have not receieved a response. Thanks for the confirmation. I have a Bachelor of Science in Business Admin/Comm. Arts, and a MHA. Will this surpass the B2B experience? I have a some sales experience.

Thanks

Bob in Boca Raton, Florida said: Demonstrating to others that you have been board certified and have met the rigorous standards required for a medical device sales career is something worth pursuing at the first available opportunity. Why wouldn’t you want people to know how qualified you are to do your job as a medical sales rep. My company always looks for a RMSR Certified applicant.

Hello Bob!

I have a bachelor's degree and Master's degree with some sales experience, but not B2B. Will my degree help, or surpass that requirement by some companies? Do many companies require you to have B2B sales experience?

Thanks for your response.

Michael in Chicago, Illinois said: We just put 6 of our new hires through the NAMSR's RMSR program and it was great!! Five of our new hires were new to medical and we sell Neurological Portable CT Scanners, Surgical lights, and surgical microscopes so it was very important training. The RMSR training was crucial to getting these reps out in the field and I would highly recommend the RMSR program to anyone looking to work as a medical device rep.

Hello Michael!

How important is it to have B2B sales experience?

Thanks

Bill in Onarga, Illinois said: I work for Stryker Medical and we have used the NAMSR to find new hires. Our company looks for experienced sales reps from other industries but like to see some medical education in addition to the sales background. The RMSR training helps our company get reps out talking to the medical community. Any medical education will definetly help applicants but the RMSR training is the most sought after medical sales education.

Hi Bill,
I would love to land a job with Stryker. I have applied but never received a call for an interview. I have been looking at the NAMSR and wondered if it is a ligitimate company. I have a bachelor's in business administration, and associate's degree in nursing and have been a nurse for 18 years. The past 6 years have been spent in marketing positions in the healthcare field. I do not have any experience in selling products but I do have experience in selling services. I am currently employed with an Acute Rehab facility that provides physical and occupational therapy for individuals that have had strokes, hip fractures, etc. Any advice you could give me to help me get called for an interview would be greatly appreciated. I have applied at several other companies but my dream job would be with Stryker.

Thank you,
Pamela

Rita said: I also took the RMSR program and it was helpful and probably the deciding factor in getting hired on at Stryker.

Rita, I have been looking at Stryker very closely. I love this company and products. I have applied for job in Little Rock. I just completed the RMSR certification. Any suggestions or advice you could offer. Thank you.

Stryker certainly loves to hire RMSR Certified applicants. They have several people on the advisory board. You may want to call Heidie in HR and she works on the Midwest sales jobs.

I purchased theRMSR medical sales Training manual and frankly I am shocked at the many 1. spelling and grammatical errors, 2. missing words/references 3. inferior print quality of its illustrations (photocopies) and 4. second-rate copy/paste inserts it includes! The overall impression this manual gives me is it's been put together by sloppy amateurs and I am shocked that NAMSR would have its name behind such poor workmanship. It certainly leaves me wondering what I've bought and if I've wasted my money!!!

Fran in Cheshire, Connecticut said: If someone could provide me some feedback about the NAMSR and its training programs it would be much appreciated. Thanks

I took the course and passed without really studying much, I was a skeptic about NAMSR from the beginning but I have been in Pharmaceuticals 7 years and needed some kind of edge so I figured wat the hell. Spent 2 weeks everyday flooding the job site with resume's and have heard zilch. I think NAMSR is a scam and a waste of your time personally. The featured companies on their home page aren't even listed in the job site section "Medical Company Contacts" and their so called biggest supporter INTUITIVE sent me an email stating that I did not fit their criteria, My opinion of NAMSR on my scam meter gets stronger each day. Or you could just take the course, whats 250 dollars? They took 3 weeks ( they say 7 business days) to get me my certificate and that's because I bugged the @#$ out of them and I keep getting solicitations from the NAMSR web site. Should members keep getting asked to join a legitimate membership when they are already members?

Alex in LaGrange, Illinois said: Stryker certainly loves to hire RMSR Certified applicants. They have several people on the advisory board. You may want to call Heidie in HR and she works on the Midwest sales jobs.

Maybe that was 6 months ago, I have 7 years of pharmaceutical experience and 5 years of b2b and now this so called RMSR certificate that quite frankly isn't worth the paper its printed on, it looks like a 3rd grade award for spelling SCAM correctly minus the gold stars of course. Anyway, I pursued STRYKER and have heard absolutley nothing my friend.

Paul in Fairport, New York said: I purchased theRMSR medical sales Training manual and frankly I am shocked at the many 1. spelling and grammatical errors, 2. missing words/references 3. inferior print quality of its illustrations (photocopies) and 4. second-rate copy/paste inserts it includes! The overall impression this manual gives me is it's been put together by sloppy amateurs and I am shocked that NAMSR would have its name behind such poor workmanship. It certainly leaves me wondering what I've bought and if I've wasted my money!!!

I AM TOO! SHOTTY WORKMANSHIP ON THEIR PART. AND I WONDER WHO WROTE IT. SEEMS LIKE AN EXPERIENCED NURSE DECIDED TO GET OUT TO THE RATE RACE AND WRITE IT, BUT IT'S FLAKY. STILL GOING AHEAD WITH IT IN HOPES OF A JOB, BUT I FEAR IT MIGHT BE A LONG SHOT.

I have 7 years’ experience in Animal Health Pharmaceuticals. I have won numerous awards as well. So I have a good sales background. I sold directly to Veterinarians and want to get in to Medical Device Sales because I like to close and be directly responsible for my performance. I fear Human Pharma sales will not be as good a fit as so much of the decisions are affected by insurance companies. Would the RMSR be of benefit to me to land a Medical Device Sales job?

Mike Carlton in Claremont/Hickory, North Carolina said: I have a BA in Accounting and own my own Construction, Real Estate and Land Development Companies for 8 years now and sales is a big part of my job. Due to the economic circumstances I have to change careers so I enrolled in my local university that offers an MBA in Health Care Administration which will hopefully teach me the INS and OUTS of a hospital environment. I then came across information about NAMSR-RMSR. My question is, from a HR/Hiring stand point will one help more than the other and/or am I wasting time and a lot of money on the MBA to break into this industry when all I need is the RMSR. Or is there any other training or education (different MBA) that would be helpful?[/QUOTE

I work in HR so let me give you my two cents . . . You should not need an MBA to break into sales role. You will probably need some of the MBA coursework later on especially when dealing with c-level folks. By then, I would suggest you take advantage of any tuition reimbursement offered by your employer or take a few targeted courses in Finance, Marketing, and Strategy.

I took the NAMSR Course and it worked for me. I work in diagnostic testing and love it. I was trying for orthopedic sales but this job should be a gateway into that. The rmsr training was well noted throughout my interview process. If you took the course and still are looking for work make a note to apply to diagnostic companies as many are hiring. Spend time applying for jobs and not whining on blogs and that might help some of those above. This training and certification can only qualify you for a medical sales career and not get you the job. An investment in a new career through vocational training was a good idea for me and also is important to your potential employer.

Does anyone know how much this program cost?

Bob in Boca Raton, Florida said: Demonstrating to others that you have been board certified and have met the rigorous standards required for a medical device sales career is something worth pursuing at the first available opportunity. Why wouldn’t you want people to know how qualified you are to do your job as a medical sales rep. My company always looks for a RMSR Certified applicant.

Hi Bob, I am in the process of obtaining my RMSR certification. We are neighbors, as I also live in your area. Can you let me know the company you work for. That would be greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,
mdlady411@aol.com

Hello,
I have a BA in exercise science and a doctorate degree in Physical Therapy. I currently am working as a facility director at an outpatient physical therapy clinic and handle the patient caseload at an assisted living facility as well. I have always had an interest in working in the medical sales field, and possibly am considering a future career change. I do not have any experience working in outside sales, but have experience visiting physician offices for the purpose of marketing the outpatient physical therapy clinic. With my education, I have extensive knowledge in many aspects of healthcare and medicine, particularly orthopedics. Would I be considered for a career in medical sales without having outside sales experience? Should I consider the RMSR training program or would my education and career experience in the medical field be sufficient to obtain a quality medical sales rep position? All comments/recommendations would be much appreciated. Thank you

I am looking to buy a used NAMSR RMSR Training manual for someone. If anyone has a used one to sell that would be appreciated. I interviewed with Siemens Medical and they are looking for applicants who have medical sales training or RMSR.

Patrick M. in Homosassa, Florida said: I am looking to buy a used NAMSR RMSR Training manual for someone. If anyone has a used one to sell that would be appreciated. I interviewed with Siemens Medical and they are looking for applicants who have medical sales training or RMSR.

I started to do the training about 6 months ago and although I like the group association, I kind of felt that the book that I had was of mediocre quality as far as editing goes. I did not complete the training, and am going for my Pharmacy Tech cert (home study + local shoppe interning). So, with that said, if you want to buy it, let me know.

I absolutely agree. The book has so many misprints and missing information. Values are cryptic, but the good news is that the test covers none of these. The test was also shotty in that it had many repeat questions.

I have a BS in Biology and have a certificate in Medical Product Development from UCI. I began using the NAMSR website to look for jobs and recently received this email from a recent application I submitted:

To Whom It May Concern:

Thank you for contacting Alpha Orthopaedics for potential employment opportunity. We would like to inform you that we currently have no job openings. The National Association of Medical Sales Representatives has falsely posted job openings under our name. We have contacted NAMSR to remove the post. Thank you again for contacting us.

That said, I can also say that I have had no positive replies from any job that I have applied to through the website. I have also noticed that when I go to the actual company website to look for the job that NAMSR posts as open, these jobs are no where to be found.

Buyer beware.

If you've been on this board, cafepharma, biotechinsider, ect. you will begin to see the double posts endorsing NAMSR, NAPSRx and other certification programs. If these programs are so on the up-and-up, why do they need people to flagrantly spam these boards with endorsements? Take a look at the following example.

Across the next few posts, I am going to cut and paste some of these duplicates. Notice "her" name changes, and so does the company. The body of the post remains the same.
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Gretchen in Miami, Florida

40 months ago

I certainly owe my start in my medical sales career to the NAMSR. I have worked as a medical rep, for Medtronic selling heart stints, for 2 years thanks to the NAMSR. I completed their RMSR training and utilized their employment center to find Arrow. I had never heard of the company until I found them on the NAMSR website. I would recommend the NAMSR and RMSR training to anyone looking to work in Medical Device Sales.

here "she' is again: This time she works for Arrow for the last 2 years, not Medtronic.
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Gretchen in Miami, Florida

40 months ago

I certainly owe my start in my medical sales career to the NAMSR. I have worked as a medical rep for Arrow Int'l for 2 years thanks to the NAMSR. I completed their RMSR training and utilized their employment center to find Arrow. I had never heard of the company until I found them on the NAMSR website. I would recommend the RMSR training to anyone looking to work as a Medical Device Sales rep.

and again. This time her name is "Susan" (notice the end of the post now includes a statement about post without names not being valid. Real nice)
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Author: Susan Oct 07, 2006, 09:17AM

Re: NAMSR training Log In to Report Post

I certainly owe my start in my medical sales career to the NAMSR. I have worked as a medical rep for Arrow Int'l for 2 years thanks to the NAMSR. I completed their RMSR training and utilized their employment center to find Arrow. I had never heard of the company until I found them on the NAMSR website. I do not pay much heed to anonymous responses in this forum.

in this post, "she" is anonymous. Don't mind the hypocrisy.

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Old 04-19-2010, 08:42 AM
Anonymous

Posts: n/a
Default Re: NAMSR/National Association of Medical Sales Representatives
I agree partially with the person above where medical companies utilize device education or certfiication to eliminate applicants. The industry is technical and the selling techniques are all knowledge based. Product knowledge or a lack of it separates good reps from poor ones. To separate candidates companies are now putting alot of weight on the the RMSR Certification. I certainly owe my start in my medical sales career to acquiring my RMSR Certification. I have worked as a medical rep for Arrow Int'l for 2 years thanks to the NAMSR. I completed their RMSR training and utilized their employment center to find Arrow. I had never heard of the company until I found them on the NAMSR website. I would recommend the RMSR training to anyone looking to work as a Medical Device Sales rep.

notice the time on this on, just 5 min before the previous.

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Old 04-19-2010, 08:37 AM
Anonymous

Posts: n/a
Default Re: NAMSR/RMSR
I hope you are not calling me a troll. What does that mean anyway? I certainly owe my start in my medical sales career to the NAMSR. I have worked as a medical rep for Arrow Int'l for 2 years thanks to the NAMSR. I completed their RMSR training and utilized their employment center to find Arrow. I had never heard of the company until I found them on the NAMSR website. I would recommend the RMSR training to anyone looking to work as a Medical Device Sales rep

I have been, for many years, trying to get into the pharma industry. I was in the military for 4 years but never finished my 4-yr degree. I pretty much gave up looking into the field due to the lack of higher education. But more recently I have been with my company (a Berkshire Hathaway owned company) for 3+ years as a sales manager, and I am looking for a career change. I have researched many different possibilities and i've come back to the search of sales in the health care industry (via desire). I have found, without the 4-yr degree, it's rather hard, but I have found a few resources, some mentioned above that offer "training and cert." It appears, thus far, that w/o the BA/BS the med sales field will be easier to get into. There is a 'medicalsalescollege.com' and the 'NAMSR' for med sales. I am considering doing a med sales cert AND the NAPRx cert, have two different resumes and try to enter both fields at the same time and see. Any 'early stage' advice? Thanks, Nathan