MD & DO How does experience with surgical device sales look for medical school applications?

[headandheart]

I will have about 1 year of experience in surgical device sales before applying to medical school (hopefully 2 years before attending) and was wondering how this looks on applications...

In your opinions or prior experience, does it look as good as having a clerical/technician/etc. job in the hospital, shadowing, and so on or do you think I will need to do these as well in order to look more marketable for medical schools? I am in the OR a couple times a week and am constantly exposed to different surgeries as well as different types of doctors. Thanks for the help!

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[Goro]

I have interviewed several people with your type of experience and they were uniformly underwhelming. They thought too highly of themselves (for being in ORs) and gave off the vibe that they'd rather work on people, than with them.

 

[gyngyn]

I will have about 1 year of experience in surgical device sales before applying to medical school (hopefully 2 years before attending) and was wondering how this looks on applications...

This will probably not hurt you, if everything else looks good.
Primary care experience is a much more important aspect of your application.

 

[headandheart]

I have interviewed several people with your type of experience and they were uniformly underwhelming. They thought too highly of themselves (for being in ORs) and gave off the vibe that they'd rather work on people, than with them.

Thank you for the advice Goro! I have only been in it for two months so I've had some experience but not a ton, only wanted to give a background is all! I just personally figured it might not match up to shadowing, etc. Would you say that is the case across the board in the eyes of interviewers?

 

[headandheart]

This will probably not hurt you, if everything else looks good.
Primary care experience is a much more important aspect of your application.

Thank you gyngyn! When you say primary care experience are you saying experience such as shadowing etc.? And do you think I should still get that experience on top of the sales experience?

 

[Goro]

Thank you for the advice Goro! I have only been in it for two months so I've had some experience but not a ton, only wanted to give a background is all! I just personally figured it might not match up to shadowing, etc. Would you say that is the case across the board in the eyes of interviewers?

In this regard, all I can give is my own personal perspective

 

[gyngyn]

Thank you gyngyn! When you say primary care experience are you saying experience such as shadowing etc.? And do you think I should still get that experience on top of the sales experience?

OR experience is the least useful for an applicant. No one is easier to deal with than someone under general anesthesia.
Drug/device ales experience is barely useful in admissions (some find it a negative...).
A person who has demonstrated that they know what it means to care for chronically ill (awake) patients really knows what they are getting into.

 

[headandheart]

OR experience is the least useful for an applicant. No one is easier to deal with than someone under general anesthesia.
Sales experience is barely useful in admissions (some find it a negative...).
A person who has demonstrated that they know what it means to care for chronically ill (awake) patients really knows what they are getting into.

Thank you! I appreciate your help on the matter!