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Jan . 25, 2024 11:21 Back to list

Medical devices-How to get into Medical Device Sales

How to get into Medical Device Sales

Getting your foot in the door in a medical device career and working towards a career in medical device sales is challenging. The cardiac medical device field is a demanding one with a high barrier to entry. Clinical Specialists need a high degree of clinical and technical knowledge. Hiring managers in the medical device industry and healthcare systems ask for prior experience or training when filling these positions. It is almost impossible in the cardiac medical device space to start out as a sales person, rather the typical path is to start out in a clinical role. Once clinically and technically proven, the sales roles can be the very next step.

A medical device sales position is a well-known role. Certainly more people know or have heard of someone who works as a medical device salesperson. In the cardiac space, very few people are able to break into the space starting out in a sales role without working first as a clinical specialist. The clinical expertise is required before taking on the additional responsibilities of a sales role. There are many opportunities to enjoy a career staying in a clinical role, or moving on to a sales role. Both medical device sales and clinical specialist roles offer rewarding and meaningful career opportunities.

Medical device industry and healthcare system hiring managers in the cardiac space have the challenging responsibility to hire and train talented professionals who can meet their service burden and sales support needs.

Hiring managers rely on PrepMD Professionals, LLC Staffing Services for a vetted and better prepared pool of trained talent who arrive on the job ready to contribute. Visit PrepMD’s Placed Candidates page to see learn more about this rewarding career path.

Building Meaningful Careers in Healthcare

Cardiac Clinical Specialists have the chance to build meaningful careers and relationships with their patients. Working as a Cardiac Clinical Specialist or Cardiac Medical Device Specialist offers the opportunity for a personally satisfying career while making a good living. It’s gratifying to have some of the country’s best cardiologists and electrophysiologists looking to you for expertise about a cardiac medical device or therapy. It’s fulfilling to know you have played a role in helping people overcome heart problems. And there is no better feeling than knowing that your work as a cardiac clinical specialist has helped a patient lead a fuller life.

A cardiac clinical specialist provides procedural support, patient monitoring, and training and education. The clinical specialist enables the clinical and technical applications of medical devices by performing diagnostic tests during complex cardiac procedures including device implantations and electrophysiology mapping and ablation.

Below you’ll find a general guide to Cardiac Clinical Specialist training and testing.  In this article we’ll cover the educational requirements, personal qualities, clinical and classroom training requirements, and certifications in the cardiac medical device space.

Educational requirements for Cardiac Clinical Specialists

You’ll see that most job descriptions for Cardiac Clinical Specialist or Cardiac Medical Device Specialist posted online have the following basic qualifications listed:

Associates Degree + 4 yrs work experience in healthcare/related space Bachelor’s Degree + 2 yrs work experience in healthcare/related space Bachelor’s Degree + currently enrolled in cardiac clinical specialist certificate program

Of course, as a Clinical Specialist you may be employed by a hospital or by a medical device company. When employed by a hospital, a Cardiac Device Specialist may work in a cardiology clinic seeing patients for device follow-up checks or work in a cardiac cath lab or EP lab providing clinical support during device implantation or EP mapping procedures. When employed by a medical device company, a Cardiac Clinical Specialists balances clinical support and commercial functions in their role. He or she supports device implantation procedures, visits clinics to run diagnostic tests to monitor patient’s devices such as pacemakers and ICDs, and presents technical product information at company meetings and to physicians and clinic staff. Electrophysiology Mapping Specialists support EP procedures such as cardiac ablation by performing 3D mapping of the heart and performing diagnostic tests.

This is a rewarding line of work—but it’s also a demanding one. You will need to develop a strong clinical understanding and technical expertise about cardiovascular disease and therapies. When working for a healthcare system you must learn about all of the manufacturer’s devices and therapies. When working for a medical device company you must become the expert on your product line, all while also managing customer relationships.

Personal qualities that make great Cardiac Clinical Specialists

  • Driven—willing to work hard, work long, and spot opportunities
  • Quick study—able to absorb and apply new information in a short amount of time
  • Personable—medical device careers touch many lives, and you should be able to relate to everyone you meet on your sales round
  • Detail-oriented—your work has a direct impact on patient quality of life
  • Clear communicator—you’ll need to persuade and instruct as part of your role, so writing and presentation skills matter
  • Confident handling data—whether it’s device data or sales data, you will need to analyze numbers and create reports
  • Comfortable in medical settings—you’re likely to be present at operations, so a sturdy constitution is necessary
 

You can always strive to improve these qualities. The more exposure you get to patients, the healthcare setting and teamwork, the more you can refine these skills.

Cardiac Clinical Specialist training in the classroom

Various occupational clinical specialist training programs exist in a variety of medical specialties such as medical assistant, cardiology, radiology, orthopedics, and nursing. If you’ve enrolled in a Cardiac Clinical Specialist occupational training program, you’ll want to ensure your program provides clinical and technical applications, medical device business and market knowledge, and hands-on learning with cardiac devices and therapies.

Typical program curriculum includes foundational knowledge covering cardiac rhythm management (CRM), electrophysiology (EP), structural heart and interventional cardiology disease states, devices and therapies.

 

 

 

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Cardiac Clinical Specialist training in clinical practice

Every Cardiac Clinical Specialist training program should include some hand-on training. In addition to classroom instruction, you’ll need to learn a broad range of clinical skills.

You’ll want to experience an immersive, hands-on approach in a technologically advanced environment to ensure you are well-prepared as a future medical device professional.

The certification process

You may become a Certified Cardiac Device Specialist (CCDS) or Certified Electrophysiology Specialist (CEPS) after gaining experience in the field and taking an examination conducted by International Board of Heart Rhythm Society (IBHRE®).

Your career as a Cardiac Clinical Specialist – next steps

A Cardiac Clinical Specialist or Medical Device Specialist must have a deep knowledge of cardiac therapies and products and the associated clinical data. This position requires someone with a strong clinical aptitude who can work in a team environment. The Clinical Specialist supports all areas of cardiac cases including pre-case planning and patient recommended treatments. The Cardiac Clinical Specialist is a trusted advisor and seen as a clinical expert by the treatment team. Job titles include clinical specialist, device technician, remote monitoring specialist, EP technician, field clinical representative, technical service specialist, and EP mapping specialist. Titles and roles vary, depending upon the employer.

Career opportunities for clinical specialists exist in various cardiac specialties in cardiac rhythm management, electrophysiology, structural heart and interventional cardiology. Some clinical specialists move on into cardiac remote monitoring roles if they prefer to work remotely and of course many clinical specialists move on to sales and management roles as well.

Clinical Specialist jobs exist throughout the healthcare space, and in many cardiology specialty areas. Hopefully you now have a clear understanding of what a Cardiac Clinical Specialist does and what a training program should include. Now that you’re armed with this information, you may be eager to take the next step by learning more one of the training programs to help you get there. As a Cardiac Clinical Specialist, you can expect to enjoy a dynamic role and a personally satisfying career while making a difference in the lives of patients. Good luck to you for a successful new career!

Certifications and Licensing in Medical Device Careers

Certification and licensing are common credentialing across all types of healthcare professions. These exist to provide objective and measurable standards as protections for consumers and the general public. A professional certification, credential, or license should provide assurance that the person meets the minimum standards for expertise and competence set by a governing board.

So, what are the differences between licenses and certifications? Doctors, lawyers, nurses, and other professions have licensing examination requirements governed by their country or state. For example, a doctor in the United States must submit documentation to a Board to meet State licensing requirements in order to practice medicine in that State. The American Medical Association (AMA) serves as a central resource for licensing and board certification requirements. Each State has individual requirements, and the requirements for international trained doctors are different from those trained in the U.S.

There are certification or credentialing exams in many professions, typically offered as an opportunity to demonstrate proficiency to meet a high standard in a particular profession. Many of these certification exams are voluntary and help the individual gain recognition, validation, and progress in their career.

For allied health professionals and some medical device professionals, in addition to credentialing exams many utilize professional association memberships for continuing education, quality programming, and networking opportunities. One such example is the Heart Rhythm Society (HRS).

A well-known credentialing entity in the cardiology healthcare space is Cardiovascular Credentialing International (CCI). Common exams offered at CCI are Advanced Cardiovascular Sonographer (ACS) the Registered Cardiovascular Invasive Specialist (RCIS) and Registered Cardiac Electrophysiology Specialist (RCES). Each credentialing exam has its own strict qualification prerequisites. For example the RCIS exam requirements include proof of graduation from a formal training program, 1+ year full time work experience and 600 procedures or equivalent training all relevant to invasive cardiovascular technology.

The International Board of Heart Rhythm Examiners (IBHRE®) is the gold standard for certification in cardiac rhythm management. Data presented in 2018 showed that IBHRE® credentials were held by 9,500+ professionals in 58 countries around the world.

The IBHRE® professional designations include Certified Cardiac Device Specialist (CCDS), Certified Electrophysiology Specialist CEPS), and Certified Cardiac Device Remote Monitoring Specialist (CDRMS). These exams have strict eligibility requirements and are only offered once or twice each year. For example, the CCDS exam requirements include completion of a 6+ month formal training program, or 12+ months cardiac work experience with RCIS/RCES credentialing, or 2 +years of experience with 100 cases of direct patient care. Because of the difficulty of these exams many Cardiac Clinical Specialists and Device Specialists elect to wait to take the exam until they have at least 2-3 years of relevant work experience.

Many career opportunities exist for Cardiovascular Specialists and Clinical Specialists working in healthcare systems and medical device companies. The minimum job requirements can make this career difficult to break into. Some, but not all employers require a 4 year degree, along with a completion certificate or diploma from a cardiac electrophysiology (EP) and cardiac rhythm management (CRM) or equivalent training program. The certification or credentialing usually comes 1-3 years later and will help with career advancement, not to mention the satisfaction and professional validation among colleagues and patients alike in a rewarding and respected career.

 
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