Deb is currently a Sales Representative for Eli Lilly and Company.  As a sales representative, Deb’s primary role is to convince physicians to write prescriptions for her company’s drug products.  She enjoys the aspect of her job that involves educating health care providers about the products she represents and finds that the job can be intellectually challenging.  In order to stay abreast of medical developments and the science behind her products, Deb regularly reads medical journals in order to answer physicians’ questions.  Deb works from home and loves the flexibility of her schedule. She has a monthly quota of physician contacts, but it is up to her to decide when she makes her calls and visits. Given this freedom, it is important to be disciplined and organized to make sure the job gets done. 

When she started, Deb went through a thorough training and once a month a supervisor rides with her. In addition, she feels supported by a network of fellow sales people and a routine schedule of professional development programs. She explained that it is important to have a thick skin and to be able to handle rejection.  Deb explained that sales reps are paid with a base salary and commission and that promotions are often made based on sales and leadership skills. 

Deb explained several benefits to a job in pharmaceutical sales at Lilly.  Deb particularly enjoys the fact that there is no “glass ceiling” for women advancing through the company and that the hours are flexible and that she is able to make her own schedule.  While she admits that a pre-med curriculum is particularly useful for a salesperson to be able to converse authoritatively with researchers and physicians, Deb has been able to utilize the communication skills she developed through her English major and notes that Eli Lilly hires sales people with a huge range of academic backgrounds, including business and science. 

Deb explained that while getting pharmaceutical sales jobs is very competitive, Lilly tends to be more flexible in hiring than some other pharmaceutical firms. In contrast to many segments of the economy, the pharmaceutical industry is expanding and continues to hire. According to Deb, sales is definitely the best entry-level way to get a foot in the door of the pharmaceutical world.  She stressed the importance of persistence in the job application process.  Since the job itself requires an aggressive and persistent attitude, it is important to demonstrate these qualities when pursing a sales job with a pharmaceutical company.

B.A. History and Sociology of Science 2000 – University of Pennsylvania
M.B.E. Bioethics (candidate) 2003 – University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine

Kara is currently pursuing a Masters of Bioethics at Penn.  As an undergrad at Penn, Kara pursued internships in non-clinical areas of health care to gain a better understanding of the health care industry in general.   Over summers, Kara interned in Marketing at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and in Government Affairs at Tufts Health Plan, both in Boston. 

After graduating, Kara worked as a Research Assistant at the Washington, D.C.- based AcademyHealth, a non-partisan health policy organization aiming to provide policy makers with pertinent health services research.   In this position, Kara managed a portfolio of grants made to rural health care networks around the country.  She also staffed the Academy’s contract with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality for which she helped produce national workshops to educate state officials and policymakers on various health policy issues.  She researched policy topics, helped plan workshop agendas, identified topical experts, traveled to help with the workshop production, and wrote summary reports of the workshops.  Some of the topics she studied include strategies to reduce medical errors in hospitals and state strategies for lowering prescription drug budgets.

Kara described the field of health policy as intellectually stimulating and challenging; explaining that it provides an opportunity to think about the “big picture” of health issues, and to gain insight into the governmental and the political process.  Kara was required to stay current on health policy trends and regularly attended briefings on Capitol Hill.  Kara stressed that the field is academic in nature because it relies on the knowledge and expertise of academic researchers to provide credible advice to policy makers.  She explained that the policy process is naturally slow, and that people who enjoy thinking long-term and are comfortable with working towards somewhat intangible outcomes will do best in these positions.  She also explained that the field is relatively stable. 

Kara recommended taking a personal approach to applying for positions in this field – and that networking can go a long way.  Expressing a sincere interest in the policy issues an organization focuses on and demonstrating knowledge on the organization’s subject matter is important in the interview process.  For an extensive list of non-governmental and policy organizations, she recommends visiting AcademyHealth’s resources webpage.

Questions and Answers

How does someone without a science background make a case for being interested in pharmaceutical sales? 

Deb:  Demonstrate to the potential employer a passion for sales.  If you can make a compelling case that you are most interested in the sales aspect of the job, the science won’t matter as much.

Deb:  Every company has a different training process.  Lilly’s training lasts for two months, while other firms are known to have shorter, less intensive programs.  Lilly’s program includes both training classes and a mentor assigned to each sales rep to assist them in the beginning. 

Mary:  Sloan Kettering trains its incoming Session Assistants with a two-week program that provides an overview of the job requirements.  It also involved some role-playing so that new employees are prepared for the challenges of the job. 

Are there internship opportunities in pharmaceutical sales?

Deb:  Typically, internships in pharmaceutical sales are not widespread, but some of the smaller companies offer internships.  These positions might allow students to go into the field and provide free samples to doctors to help keep the company name top-of-mind. 

Do students with liberal arts backgrounds do well in each field?

Amy:  Yes, if you have a strong interest in clinical research there is some way to get in.  It may just take a little bit of work to find the way to enter the field.

Mary:  Yes, all backgrounds are represented in her field.

Kara:  Policy can be a haven for people with liberal arts backgrounds because the field depends on people to think critically across a number of different disciplines.

Do you recommend getting a master’s degree immediately after undergrad?

Deb:  Don’t be afraid of grad school.  It can make you much more desirable – even in humanities fields.  A master’s degree definitely opens a lot of doors.  However, deciding to go to grad school immediately after college should depend on whether or not you are decided in your career path and choice of degree programs.

Kara:  It can be very beneficial to take time off after college to gain some perspective about your field of interest.  Often times working can give you new perspectives about what aspects of the field you want to pursue and could make a difference in your choice of pursuing, for example, a law degree or a masters in public policy. 

Mary:  Working after graduating allows you time to better formulate your interests and better understand your grad school needs.

Amy:  As you work, you are more equipped to discern your likes and dislike, which can be a great benefit in choosing a graduate program. 

For those who did pursue science degrees, why didn’t you go on to medical school?

Amy:  I never had any intention of pursuing medical school.  I wanted to get a degree in biology.

Mary:  Through process of elimination and through classes, I decided that I was not interested in a clinical route.