I am an LVN that  currently markets for a DME (durable medial equipment company). One of the great things about being a rep is all of the people you get to meet along the way. You learn their stories, personalities and make some great friends. I have even got to know my competition. We have very similar stories on how we got into the world of marketing.

Most of the reps I know have a clinical background; they range from respiratory therapist to BSN’s. Some are not clinical but have a degree in marketing. I know one DME rep that actually started with her company as a biller and worked her way up from inside.

If you’re interested in becoming a marketer just start looking around. What services and providers are in your town? There are marketers/liaisons in my area for the following: home health, hospice, SNF/long term care facilities, DME companies and the rehab hospitals. That’s not counting all the pharmaceutical reps or the instrument reps that assist in surgery. One thing that I find really cool is that once you’re in marketing somehow you magically get placed in a head hunters data base and get calls when new positions become available. I still have not figured out how they got my information!

One thing I do suggest is doing extensive research on whatever company you choose. Certainly find out what reputation they have. No matter how good of a salesperson you are it’s much easier to sell a good product. Due to all the Medicare cuts so many companies are laying off reps left and right. Make sure they are financially sound. Make sure you are going to be provided with what you need to succeed i.e. Training, marketing tools, budgets etc. With gas prices through the roof are you allotted a car or reimbursement for mileage? Do you get a phone or a phone allowance? Bottom line is don’t just jump right in if given the opportunity. Make sure it’s going to benefit you first.

The great thing about being a rep is that once you have established a relationship with a client you have passive income from that client utilizing your company’s products or services.  Of course, don’t forget to regularly call upon your clients!  But unlike traditional nursing, you will be making money (through your commisions) on your time off.

[This is a guest post by Heather Pennington.]
I have been a RN for 16 years with experience as an office nurse (cardiology, oncology, general surgery), emergency room, operating room, medical sales, and have now found my perfect “fit” as a Registered Nurse First Assistant (RNFA).

The perfect “fit” as a RNFA was a challenge to achieve as a single mother of two. The effort it involved was worth every minute. I went to a college in Florida for my RNFA training and it was a wonderful experience. The lectures and skill labs were interesting and fun. The testing was intense. There were NO open book tests here!!; The training I received there was a great way to build on the knowledge I had and prepared me for the 200 hours of clinical internship to follow. That was the FUN part! For your intership look for surgeons that love the operating room, and want to be operating. Choose surgeons that love to teach and understand the valuable role you provide! Also, when finding a RNFA program it is imperative that it is accepted by the Certification Board of Perioperative Nursing. There are also RNFA state networking groups that are available as a resource.

I no longer work 6:30 – 3:30 for a hospital or a surgeon. I am an independent contractor. With the relationships I have build over several years as a circulator and scrub, and the RNFA training I now work with surgeons I choose to work with and that I enjoy working with. Some days I may assist with a laparoscopic cholecystectomy and make $200 for thirty minutes of work. That’s just a quick example! When my children have something special at school, I am able to BE THERE!! Without the hassle of turning in requests for PTO!!! The surgeons I work with are my friends that want the best for me and my family. They like having an independant RNFA help them with cases because it frees up their office nurse or PA to stay in the office and take care of office duties like calling patients back, working on charts and other duties. It’s a WIN WIN situation.

If you are a registered nurse with operating room experience as scrub and circulator do not let this opportunity pass you by. You can provide a service and receive great personal enrichment from making someone’s life better! If you are looking for someone(or something) in your life to provide you with comfort and love, what better way to achieve that than by providing that to someone else!!!! Become a nurse, go to the operating room and you will know quickly if this is your place to be. Our personalities are strong willed and somewhat quirky. You develop many interpersonal relationships in the operating room and that is a very important key to a successful career as a RNFA.

7) Not everyone gets in. This means you have to be better than other people. Yes this includes better grades. There are numerous pre-requisite classes and the more you have completed the better chance you will have of getting accepted into school. It is much harder to get into school and eventually receive a license with any kind of criminal record. If you have problems in this area then it is best to speak to a counselor or advisor to find out if you will be able to proceed with school before getting too far. Our first day of class our instructors warned us that even having been convicted of driving while intoxicated could prevent us from obtaining a nursing license.

6) Everything else in life becomes less important. Your family, loved ones, yes even the boyfriend/husband (or for you guys, the girlfriend/wife, though we are typically more understanding in general). They will all need to understand that nursing school is a full time commitment that has to take precedence over everything else in life in order for you to succeed at it. You will need a lot of support and assistance so that you can put all your effort into the program. This is a full-time commitment.

5) Be positive nursing is something you TRULY want to and can do. Nursing is not for everyone. Do not waste your time if it is not something you can do. In my first year of school we lost a student because the first time she held a needle to someone’s skin she passed out…..she had worked very hard to get to that point and realized it wasn’t for her. I’m not saying you should go around sticking people with needles to see if you pass out or not, just think about it and maybe volunteer at a hospital or nursing home to see if you are prepared for that kind of environment.

4) It is unlike any other classroom experience you have ever had. Nursing school is not like your biology class or English class of the past. This is serious stuff. I am not just talking about the clinical aspect. Nursing education is not in the black/white format of a math class. 2+2 is not always 4, sometimes it is 5 or 10, just depending on the situation. You have to learn a new thought process. You may have several “right” answers in front of you, but must choose the “best” right answer depending on any number of variables. Sure, any of the answers may get you where you need to go, but will the patient make it through your trial and error?

3) Clinicals are meant to scare the crap out of you. You will be forced to actually walk into a stranger’s hospital room and examine them from head to toe; this includes ALL parts by the way. And while doing this you must appear that you are totally at ease looking at strange naked people and behave as if you know exactly what you are doing. This is even more difficult to accomplish with the ever present instructor standing behind your back watching everything you do. But if you make it to your final semester, they essentially leave you to your own devices because at that point even the instructors are fooled into thinking you might actually know what you are doing.

2) There will be nursing students who are not married, do not work, do not have kids, and can totally devote their whole being to succeeding at school. You will hate these people. They will go above and beyond and impress the instructors with their knowledge because they can study 14 hours a day and knit all 6 instructors personalized stethoscope covers in their spare time. Again, you will hate these people. Don’t try to talk to them or get them to downplay their abilities because they will not listen and will only work harder to show you up!

1) It is extremely rewarding! Once you finish, and yes you can finish and graduate and pass boards, you will have joined a professional organization that you can grow and change with. There are so many possibilities for nurses to gain autonomy and become a valuable asset to any community. Nursing is not just a job; it is a career in which we change people’s lives. A very intelligent nurse once told me that if he (the patient) can lay there and go through it then I can certainly stand beside him and comfort him during it. Nurses are comfort to a patient; always remember why you are there and what you mean to the one you are caring for.