What kind of free stuff do med students get from industry?

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badgpadoc

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What kind of free stuff do med students receive from vendors?

I know pharmacy students get lots of the same freebies that you see in doctors' offices. Pens, clocks, and lots of business card holders with oil/water "waves".

And I know optometry students get free contact lenses and solutions.

Do med students get stuff from vendors in hopes that we'll use their stuff in the future?
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badgpadoc said:
What kind of free stuff do med students receive from vendors?

I know pharmacy students get lots of the same freebies that you see in doctors' offices. Pens, clocks, and lots of business card holders with oil/water "waves".

And I know optometry students get free contact lenses and solutions.

Do med students get stuff from vendors in hopes that we'll use their stuff in the future?
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I dont think they hand out free stethoscopes if thats what you care about. Im sure you get the typical free gum or pen

Im curious where you are going with this....and why you made a thread on it?
 
I haven't gotten anything. As I recall there were some restrictions placed on soliciting med students, but that was just talk I heard and never saw anything official.
 
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I don't know about you guys, but I got to go to a couple free dinners at really nice places with an open bar. The rep would ask the doc if they were interested in going, they usually said no, but he/she would say "maybe my med student is." Bingo. Next thing you know I am at fancy dinner listening to some lecture. Small perk no doubt, but a perk regardless.
 
We get food pretty regularly. They cater in chipotle and other places.
 
Chip clips, a lot of pens, food, stuff of minimal value but is nice to have even if it will influence my decisions in the future heh
 
I think this vendor was trying to tell me something...

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The usual pens, office lunches, and several really nice dinner lectures. Most useful has been small reference/pocket type books. I think my last two Sanford Abx guides have come from reps.
 
some companies trying to sell med equip or specialized equip- they have dinners and also bring in a good lecture or seminar for free.
 
The fact that I have only accumulated note pads, pens, highlighters shaped like hypodermics, clipboards, magnets and other nonsense things annoys me.

I have heard of quite a few 3rd and 4th years getting great steak dinners in Manhattan thanks to their docs passing off the 'opportunity' to them.

Then again. I shouldn't complain. The AMA flies me across the country and houses me at fancy hotels at no cost to me. So I may not be milking pharmx companies for money, but I do enjoy some perks of medical student status.
 
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free pens and notepads??? That's the life!! :)
 
Pretty much pens, free lunches, and maybe badge holders. :rolleyes:
 
I don't know what you guys are talking about.. I went to Vail on pharmacy dime and the 911 Turbo is getting delivered next week.
 
I've gotten more from hospitals trying to lure me into a residency than the drug reps. Drug reps are always good for a free lunch, pens, and other little things--you'll get a lot of that doing FM and ambulatory rotations, they like to cater in lunches to the docs. I've gotten pen lights, USB drives, coffee mugs, and all kinds of stuff from hospitals with FM residencies though. Still doesn't equal out the massive amount of debt we go into every year, but free stuff is free stuff I guess.
 
haven't gotten anything--ah, the joys of attending a school that places extremely strict limits on any sort of giveaways to med students, but no limits whatsoever on industry relationships w/ attendings and researchers.
 
Slane said:
I've gotten more from hospitals trying to lure me into a residency than the drug reps. Drug reps are always good for a free lunch, pens, and other little things--you'll get a lot of that doing FM and ambulatory rotations, they like to cater in lunches to the docs. I've gotten pen lights, USB drives, coffee mugs, and all kinds of stuff from hospitals with FM residencies though. Still doesn't equal out the massive amount of debt we go into every year, but free stuff is free stuff I guess.
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Don't get me started on FM residencies.

Notepad, usb drives, coffee mugs, pens, key chains, beach bag, shades, etc.

One even gave me lottery tickets... too bad I didn't win the jack pot :laugh::rolleyes:
 
turkeyjerky said:
haven't gotten anything--ah, the joys of attending a school that places extremely strict limits on any sort of giveaways to med students, but no limits whatsoever on industry relationships w/ attendings and researchers.
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And on top of that they send you to repeated lectures on ethics, professionalism, etc., etc...right?:laugh:
 
what about things like free website/journal subscriptions or free apps? medical dictionaries, etc.
 
badgpadoc said:
What kind of free stuff do med students receive from vendors?
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Sultry look from pharm reps. ;) (Did you know they have agencies that exclusively hire cheerleading talent to be pharm reps?) And they also dress to kill ( a mix of naughty teacher--Cuddy from house--and Stepford housewives) :love:
 
voidlogin said:
Sultry look from pharm reps. ;) (Did you know they have agencies that exclusively hire cheerleading talent to be pharm reps?) And they also dress to kill ( a mix of naughty teacher--Cuddy from house--and Stepford housewives) :love:
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Well, at least they must know the difference between satin and statin.
 
You pay somewhere between 35 and 45k a year in tuition to attend medical school ... drug pens, weird little key chain flashlights, and those annoying retractable hospital badge fastening devices don't count as free (unless they give them to you on 10k a pop pallets).
 
voidlogin said:
Sultry look from pharm reps. ;) (Did you know they have agencies that exclusively hire cheerleading talent to be pharm reps?) And they also dress to kill ( a mix of naughty teacher--Cuddy from house--and Stepford housewives) :love:
Click to expand...

Makes sense.
 
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