How to Go From Surgical Tech to Medical Device Sales
Surgical techs know the procedural environment. Here's which roles to pursue, how to quantify your experience, and how to show you can make the jump to sales.
Anthony Giglia
· 4 min read
Surgical techs can make great medical device candidates. You already understand the procedural environment, work alongside physicians, and see how medical devices are used. The typical pathway is an associate sales rep position or a clinical specialist role.
Why companies want surgical techs
You understand what it takes to keep a case moving. You’re familiar with the devices, the staff, and the physicians who use them. That knowledge can make it easier for you to learn a company’s products and support its accounts.
Your existing relationships can be valuable, too. Getting access to an account and building trust with its staff can be a barrier for a medical device company. If you already have warm relationships with physicians and the team, you may be able to help reduce that friction and support the business.
That’s an advantage, but it isn’t enough on its own. You may not have sales experience, and a hiring manager will want to know whether you can make the transition from supporting cases to helping grow an account.
Which role should you pursue?
A clinical specialist role can be a natural transition. You may cover cases, teach staff how to use a product, and support physicians and reps in your accounts. You get to use your clinical experience while learning the medical device business. (It’s the same path many nurses take.)
You can also pursue an associate sales rep position if you want to move more directly toward sales. In that role, you’ll have to learn the product and the territory while developing your ability to prospect, build relationships, and generate business.
The right path depends on the positions available and how ready you are to take on sales responsibilities.
Barrier 1: Getting the interview
Your experience matters, but so does how you present it on your resume and how you apply and network.
Don’t fill your resume with generic descriptions of what a surgical tech does. Quantify the work you’ve actually done:
- How many physicians and surgical teams have you supported?
- How many cases have you assisted with?
- Which procedures and devices do you know well?
- How many patients have you helped serve?
Then tailor that experience to the role. Let’s say you’re applying to a company with a device used in TIPS procedures, and you’ve worked at a high-volume facility where those cases are performed. If you’ve assisted with over 100 TIPS cases, that’s a specific and relevant point to put on your resume. It tells the hiring manager much more than “assisted with procedures.”
You should also keep developing relationships with the reps who come into your facility. Learn what they do, ask thoughtful questions, and let them know you’re interested in making the transition. A warm relationship with a rep can go a long way when an opportunity opens up. (Here’s how to network your way in.)
I would rather see you pursue a few roles that fit your background and make yourself known to the people involved in hiring than send out hundreds of applications with no networking.
Barrier 2: Winning the interview
Getting an interview and getting an offer are two different things. As a surgical tech, you may look like a strong clinical candidate but a riskier sales candidate. Your job during the interview is to alleviate that concern.
Prepare to extreme levels. Know the company’s products, the patients they treat, and how those products are used. Be ready for behavioral questions, sales questions, personality assessments, and case studies. Rehearse your answers so you can clearly explain how your experience in the procedural environment will help you succeed in the role.
You also need to provide value. I encourage my clients to create a highly detailed business plan tailored to the company and role. I’m not talking about a generic 30-60-90-day sales plan that everyone else is making. Show the hiring team that you’ve thought seriously about their business and how you could contribute.
Why make the move?
A lot of surgical techs are interested in medical device sales because they want more room to grow. You can continue working with physicians and technology you care about while pursuing a higher compensation ceiling and different career paths.
Hours and work-life balance depend heavily on the role, specialty, and territory. Some positions may give you more flexibility; others, especially those involving frequent cases or call, can still be demanding. That’s something to evaluate when you look at a specific opportunity.
Your clinical background gives you a head start. The key is to quantify it, build relationships with reps, and prepare well enough that the hiring manager sees more than a tech who wants to leave the hospital. You want them to see someone who can help their team succeed.
