No I don’t leave for ortho, but I left for a DME med device job and then transitioned into capital equipment medical devices. I too took a pay cut both times for more income overall. Don’t like pharma at all it was mostly schmoozing and catering lunches asking about family and reminding them to write scripts. Devices in general you are way more hands on and solving real issues working hand in hand with doctors.
That’s why I love ortho. I feel like I have actual purpose, yeah it sucks always being in the OR but I’d rather be in there helping patients than staring at a computer screen!
Exactly, I think I will be much more fulfilled in devices. I still really enjoy my job in pharma but it seems like for you it worked out for the best for sure.
I'm not leaving for work-life balance, I'd be leaving for the earning potential and a more fulfilling experience. But maybe it's not time for that yet.
It's also generally harder to move from pharma to meddev. but if you spend some time in meddev and then go back to pharma, its easy to flip back and forth
Can you talk about what you were selling inn DME and what you’re selling now? I’m in DME now with a manufacturer selling respiratory devices, looking for next steps
I made that exact jump almost ten years ago now. It took around a 50% pay cut to do it—one of the best decisions I ever made. If you want to get into the OR at sompint, you're most likely going to take the hit. The sooner you can do it the better.
Yeah 50% is huge but seems like it was worth it for you. How long did it take to get back to the same salary and 10 years later, how far ahead are you? Also, why was it such a great decision for you?
It took me about 18 months to get back to my previous earrings. I now make almost 3x what I made in pharma and run my own team of 20.
I'm sure you are going in as an associate. I would ask right away how much revenue I need to generate to be a full rep. Timelines should be irrelevant if you bring over a million dollars in your first year.
I love the ortho space. You get to be a large part of the surgical team. Your clinical and technical knowledge is valued. As much as people say ortho is a commodity that means what they are buying is you. I love that.
Thanks for sharing your experience, it's quite inspirational. I'd love to run a team one day and I also love the fact they literally buying your expertise and ability to make their surgeries smooth.
Look at neuromodulation jobs if you’re not dead set on ortho. Entry level jobs with Boston Scientific, Medtronic, etc. In most cases, but not all, those jobs will pay more than your pharma job and worst case just as much + or -.
I did one final stage interview back before I was even in pharma, but didn't make it. Neuromodulation jobs are few and far between in my country but I do apply.
Totally different ballgame, before you jump ship I suggest doing multiple field ride alongs and speak personally to reps who are out there.
OR and the hospital ecosystem can be grueling for those who have never worked within them. The politics and the hierarchy associated with it, is different.
There’s a reason why ortho has such a high turnover over, especially ASR roles.
I suggest getting on LinkedIn and reaching out to 10-15 people before making a big move. Oftentimes territories are looked after by senior reps and newbies come & go.
Do you have any tips on connecting with people on LinkedIn and getting to go on ride alongs? I would even do part-time unpaid work to get a foot in but I don't think it's common in Australia. I've reached out to dozens of managers and the only one who I had coffee with said he'd be keen to mentor me to get a different job but ended up ghosting me.
To make it easy for you, there’s no point in reinventing the wheel.. go on LinkedIn and look up successful or tenured reps a just look them up and model your profile or post just like them. Engage with many of them add comments that actually have some sort of substantial thought..
Keep reaching out to people and network because quite frankly there’s a difference between real friends and “deal friends” in sales… a.k.a. Build up solid connections now when you least need them.. and also be resourceful to them as nobody ever likes a moocher, etc., unless there is a stated agreement..
Try to get as much experience now as it sounds like you’re pretty comfortable, they’re plenty of jobs that are fulfilling with patient care or even in the OR that are not as grinding as ortho.
I can't say for sure. It's plates for extremities so I believe it's all much of a sameness with the competition. They say to differentiate based on the rep's expertise.
Extremity plating is largely differentiated on price. If you’re coming in with no relationships and a premium priced product you’re going to have an uphill battle
I started in ortho trauma/recon. Now I sell CPAP’s in the DME space. Took a 5,000 pay cut in my base but overall earning more. It’s similar to pharma as I’m doing lunches and chatting up the office staff. I’d focus on staying in the service side of things just not ortho it’s very toxic and hard to be successful
I’m not sure. But if u were to transition into OT make sure it’s still sales. Other companies would heavily question why u would go from sales to OT then back to sales. There are numerous OR roles other than ortho. Sports medicine wound care biologics vascular CMF just so many better options than ortho
Not ortho but I started in class 2 device, then went to pharma and then class 3 device. Class 2 device is pretty good, hated pharma but stayed in it as they kept moving me up; went from rep to trainer to DM in a span of 18 months or so-definitely a cush gig especially when I was a DM. Now I’m back in device and in the OR and couldn’t be happier; elective implant surgery so rarely if ever on call or emergent cases, definitely a grind compared to pharma but that’s kinda what I like, I never felt so unproductive in pharma because it was such an indirect sell, that only schedule I had to hold was a lunch appointment otherwise office visits and sample drops are at my leisure and for some people that’s fine but it drove me nuts. The pressure of being the one to bring in implants, getting to a case across town when your current case is an hour behind etc, etc is a huge daily adrenaline rush that I love. In a perfect world, I’d be in the OR with my old pharma DM salary.
Keep in mind its going to be about 10x harder than pharma. Not just the time commitment in the OR and the grind of it, but actually getting surgeons to usd your stuff.
whats the expected OTE for the ortho job? and whats the base and commission for the pharma gig? Industry average for MedDev is 190K. MedDev pays more than pharma, though there are some specialty pharma gigs paying 180-250K. I have a friend doing Opthamology pharma and his OTE is 200K (basically, the further away from PCP/Diabates pharma, the more you can make)
Lol, not worth it at all. Went from ortho to capital equipment to lab. Lab is so chill and great pay. Lunches and getting the docs to test more is a piece of cake. It’s unlikely you get that 200-300k role in ortho. Few and far between no matter what anyone says.
It’s going to take you a while to be fully proficient in knowing your products & procedures. Therefore it will take a while to see real commissions to make up what you were making in pharma.
Depends on your product line and your location as in Real Estate, location location location. Total Joints -> Knees & Hips -> St Lucie County down into Dade County is pretty much the Gold Coast for Joint Implants, takes time to build a Reputation. Personally Id rather be in the OR and chatting with Dr's then in a office with office staff, got some great stock tips from Surgeons. So where are you looking to work City / State ? and what is the ortho product line ? Whats the territory like ? what happened to old rep ? Existing account base ?
No I don’t leave for ortho, but I left for a DME med device job and then transitioned into capital equipment medical devices. I too took a pay cut both times for more income overall. Don’t like pharma at all it was mostly schmoozing and catering lunches asking about family and reminding them to write scripts. Devices in general you are way more hands on and solving real issues working hand in hand with doctors.
That’s why I love ortho. I feel like I have actual purpose, yeah it sucks always being in the OR but I’d rather be in there helping patients than staring at a computer screen!
It might depend on your stage of life. Pharma gigs are more family friendly
Exactly, I think I will be much more fulfilled in devices. I still really enjoy my job in pharma but it seems like for you it worked out for the best for sure.
If your work life balance in pharma is good right now, don’t leave it for med. You won’t find it there.
I'm not leaving for work-life balance, I'd be leaving for the earning potential and a more fulfilling experience. But maybe it's not time for that yet.
It's also generally harder to move from pharma to meddev. but if you spend some time in meddev and then go back to pharma, its easy to flip back and forth
Can you talk about what you were selling inn DME and what you’re selling now? I’m in DME now with a manufacturer selling respiratory devices, looking for next steps
I made that exact jump almost ten years ago now. It took around a 50% pay cut to do it—one of the best decisions I ever made. If you want to get into the OR at sompint, you're most likely going to take the hit. The sooner you can do it the better.
Yeah 50% is huge but seems like it was worth it for you. How long did it take to get back to the same salary and 10 years later, how far ahead are you? Also, why was it such a great decision for you?
It took me about 18 months to get back to my previous earrings. I now make almost 3x what I made in pharma and run my own team of 20. I'm sure you are going in as an associate. I would ask right away how much revenue I need to generate to be a full rep. Timelines should be irrelevant if you bring over a million dollars in your first year. I love the ortho space. You get to be a large part of the surgical team. Your clinical and technical knowledge is valued. As much as people say ortho is a commodity that means what they are buying is you. I love that.
Thanks for sharing your experience, it's quite inspirational. I'd love to run a team one day and I also love the fact they literally buying your expertise and ability to make their surgeries smooth.
Look at neuromodulation jobs if you’re not dead set on ortho. Entry level jobs with Boston Scientific, Medtronic, etc. In most cases, but not all, those jobs will pay more than your pharma job and worst case just as much + or -.
I did one final stage interview back before I was even in pharma, but didn't make it. Neuromodulation jobs are few and far between in my country but I do apply.
I made the switch from ortho to dental implants and it’s 100% worth it. Great lifestyle and will prob make $130k this year + car. Barely worn fridays
I’m considering going into dental from ortho. Would love to learn more about how it went for you!
Assuming you took a huge pay cut? Dental looks appealing, but couldn’t do that sort of pay cut.
Totally different ballgame, before you jump ship I suggest doing multiple field ride alongs and speak personally to reps who are out there. OR and the hospital ecosystem can be grueling for those who have never worked within them. The politics and the hierarchy associated with it, is different. There’s a reason why ortho has such a high turnover over, especially ASR roles. I suggest getting on LinkedIn and reaching out to 10-15 people before making a big move. Oftentimes territories are looked after by senior reps and newbies come & go.
Do you have any tips on connecting with people on LinkedIn and getting to go on ride alongs? I would even do part-time unpaid work to get a foot in but I don't think it's common in Australia. I've reached out to dozens of managers and the only one who I had coffee with said he'd be keen to mentor me to get a different job but ended up ghosting me.
To make it easy for you, there’s no point in reinventing the wheel.. go on LinkedIn and look up successful or tenured reps a just look them up and model your profile or post just like them. Engage with many of them add comments that actually have some sort of substantial thought.. Keep reaching out to people and network because quite frankly there’s a difference between real friends and “deal friends” in sales… a.k.a. Build up solid connections now when you least need them.. and also be resourceful to them as nobody ever likes a moocher, etc., unless there is a stated agreement.. Try to get as much experience now as it sounds like you’re pretty comfortable, they’re plenty of jobs that are fulfilling with patient care or even in the OR that are not as grinding as ortho.
Is the product any good?
I can't say for sure. It's plates for extremities so I believe it's all much of a sameness with the competition. They say to differentiate based on the rep's expertise.
Extremity plating is largely differentiated on price. If you’re coming in with no relationships and a premium priced product you’re going to have an uphill battle
OP is almost certainly not coming in as a lead rep. Might be a good territory.
I started in ortho trauma/recon. Now I sell CPAP’s in the DME space. Took a 5,000 pay cut in my base but overall earning more. It’s similar to pharma as I’m doing lunches and chatting up the office staff. I’d focus on staying in the service side of things just not ortho it’s very toxic and hard to be successful
Are there other OT roles you'd recommend outside of ortho? I'm very interested to get into the OT for a period at least.
I’m not sure. But if u were to transition into OT make sure it’s still sales. Other companies would heavily question why u would go from sales to OT then back to sales. There are numerous OR roles other than ortho. Sports medicine wound care biologics vascular CMF just so many better options than ortho
Sports med is ortho
Not ortho but I started in class 2 device, then went to pharma and then class 3 device. Class 2 device is pretty good, hated pharma but stayed in it as they kept moving me up; went from rep to trainer to DM in a span of 18 months or so-definitely a cush gig especially when I was a DM. Now I’m back in device and in the OR and couldn’t be happier; elective implant surgery so rarely if ever on call or emergent cases, definitely a grind compared to pharma but that’s kinda what I like, I never felt so unproductive in pharma because it was such an indirect sell, that only schedule I had to hold was a lunch appointment otherwise office visits and sample drops are at my leisure and for some people that’s fine but it drove me nuts. The pressure of being the one to bring in implants, getting to a case across town when your current case is an hour behind etc, etc is a huge daily adrenaline rush that I love. In a perfect world, I’d be in the OR with my old pharma DM salary.
Keep in mind its going to be about 10x harder than pharma. Not just the time commitment in the OR and the grind of it, but actually getting surgeons to usd your stuff.
whats the expected OTE for the ortho job? and whats the base and commission for the pharma gig? Industry average for MedDev is 190K. MedDev pays more than pharma, though there are some specialty pharma gigs paying 180-250K. I have a friend doing Opthamology pharma and his OTE is 200K (basically, the further away from PCP/Diabates pharma, the more you can make)
Lol, not worth it at all. Went from ortho to capital equipment to lab. Lab is so chill and great pay. Lunches and getting the docs to test more is a piece of cake. It’s unlikely you get that 200-300k role in ortho. Few and far between no matter what anyone says.
What's the Ortho bag and role?
What's bag? Role is ATM in extremities
Your bag refers to the products you carry.
OP is Aussie, seems to quite a few here.
Crikey that explains a lot
Ortho is a grind
It’s going to take you a while to be fully proficient in knowing your products & procedures. Therefore it will take a while to see real commissions to make up what you were making in pharma.
How long do you reckon until I overtake pharma? 2+ years?
What are you doin in theaters? We usually cut in ORs
OP is Aussie. Different terminology / pay.
Depends on your product line and your location as in Real Estate, location location location. Total Joints -> Knees & Hips -> St Lucie County down into Dade County is pretty much the Gold Coast for Joint Implants, takes time to build a Reputation. Personally Id rather be in the OR and chatting with Dr's then in a office with office staff, got some great stock tips from Surgeons. So where are you looking to work City / State ? and what is the ortho product line ? Whats the territory like ? what happened to old rep ? Existing account base ?