I am in my first year of medical school. I have ALREADY had big pharma send me invites, gift cards and "incentives" to pay for my education.
Is this NORMAL? And HTF do they have my information????
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I am in my first year of medical school. I have ALREADY had big pharma send me invites, gift cards and "incentives" to pay for my education.
Is this NORMAL? And HTF do they have my information????
by Anonymous | reply 30 | September 20, 2019 7:14 PM |
No, just you. You are special. Big Pharma knows about you OP and they are watching. Be careful.
by Anonymous | reply 1 | September 18, 2019 7:39 PM |
Thank you for your intelligent reply R1. Ahem.
by Anonymous | reply 2 | September 18, 2019 7:40 PM |
You set yourself up. Most physicians I know are bitter and hoping to retire. They are making less than the receptionist. Times have changed. Becoming a doctor is no longer an entrance to the good life.
by Anonymous | reply 3 | September 18, 2019 7:50 PM |
They probably have your name/email from your medical school or your internship or residency programs. Or they are trolling state licensing boards for new licensees and get their info.
by Anonymous | reply 4 | September 18, 2019 7:51 PM |
Big Pharma = Legalized drug mafia Don. They're putting their feelers out to see of you'll want to become their equivalent of the ordinary street pusher once you start writing those scripts! What will you do, OP? Will you become a legalized prescription drug pusher for BP, putting your patients on any number of unneeded medications just to get that kick-back? It's all about the money, pal - EVERYTHING!
by Anonymous | reply 5 | September 18, 2019 8:17 PM |
Such bullshit R3. Why do you even bother? The average US physician salary is over $200,000 a year, the highest physician salaries in the world.
by Anonymous | reply 6 | September 18, 2019 8:38 PM |
You must be attending medical school via time travel. I graduated 15 years ago and I never had any pharm rep offer me incentives. You can't even write scripts until you get your license as an intern.
Pharm companies stopped giving out even pens and notepads about 10 years ago. I haven't seen a branded item since.
By the time I was a resident at a major hospital, they were phasing out allowing pharm reps to visit doctors there. This is the widespread norm now.
This has led to the rise of a position called "Medical Science Liaison". These are MDs or PhDs (mostly Pharm PhDs) - hospitals will allow these types of medical professionals to discuss medications with their staff.
by Anonymous | reply 7 | September 18, 2019 8:41 PM |
Being a doctor is great! Thank you OP for choosing this career path!
NYU has free tuition for medical school! (for real)
by Anonymous | reply 8 | September 18, 2019 8:42 PM |
R6 You are very wrong. Most doctors in the US are unhappy with their profession and would leave if they could, according to many surveys.
I went to a training/conference (fee $1000) on nonclinical careers and the place was packed with unhappy doctors interested in a way out.
As I mentioned above, the medical science liaison positions have become extremely competitive. I had to hire a former pharm executive (for about $1200) to create a new CV and prep me for MSL interviews before I could get my foot in the door.
I also started a very successful peer to peer review consultancy.
by Anonymous | reply 9 | September 18, 2019 8:46 PM |
NYU wants to attract the IVY cream of the crop with their free tuition. Everyone goes into finance now - as opposed to years gone by when top students would still chose medicine.
Trust me - the only people (apart from non-Asian minorities and the poor-poor) to get in now will be from the top levels of top universities.
by Anonymous | reply 10 | September 18, 2019 8:50 PM |
I wonder if those unhappy in their field can re-train and go in other specialty? Dermatology is very lucrative.
I see so many clinics for injections (face etc)
by Anonymous | reply 11 | September 18, 2019 8:53 PM |
Pharma reps are still visiting regular MD offices R7. Almost every time I visit my primary care physician there are always drug company reps that show up and are escorted right back to chat with the the doctor ahead of the patients sitting in the waiting room.
by Anonymous | reply 12 | September 18, 2019 8:58 PM |
R12 I said hospitals. And in larger urban areas usually a few corporate entities control hospital systems and attached outpatient clinics. I am in the greater NY area and trained in Los Angeles.
Non corporate smaller practices still allow pharm reps come by - they bring samples that can be given to those who can't afford the meds.
R11 Derm is extremely competitive. They used to say you had to be a hot woman or have a PhD to get into Derm. Plus it is a 4 year residency where you would be making less than the minimum wage.
by Anonymous | reply 13 | September 18, 2019 9:05 PM |
R12, I know two pharmaceutical reps. I don’t know where everyone got this idea that they don’t “do that” anymore. Those pushy bitches (at least the ones I know) make a decent living. Enough to live on the UES.
I don’t know what they’re legally allowed to do, but they’re still making plenty of money. Maybe they can’t give expensive gifts, but they’re doing something. And no, it’s not sex.
by Anonymous | reply 14 | September 18, 2019 10:00 PM |
OP I'm shocked but not surprised.
by Anonymous | reply 15 | September 18, 2019 10:51 PM |
Independent outpatient clinic RN here. Free meals every Friday along with a 3 minute 'educational' presentation. Kick backs are behind closed doors. Frankly the highlight of the week
by Anonymous | reply 16 | September 19, 2019 12:09 AM |
Sorry - but I will take no bitching from doctors. Compared to my job being on call 24/7, traveling 4-5 days a week, dealing with entitled angry finance people - I would kill to be a doctor and make that living helping people. The only downside is the loss of your prime youth years of your 20s to intensive schooling. But once you get through that - being a doctor is one of the best jobs anyone can have.
Try working for a corporation selling crap - then tell me helping keep people alive is unfulfilling. Every job has BS, politics, paperwork - but most require shilling crap for rich entitled capitalists to make money with absolutely no greater purpose than to pay your rent and hope some day to have enough to retire.
by Anonymous | reply 17 | September 19, 2019 12:46 AM |
[quote]invites, gift cards and "incentives" to pay for my education.
I thought that shit was illegal.
by Anonymous | reply 18 | September 19, 2019 12:50 AM |
[quote]I know two pharmaceutical reps.
Are their names Penny and Bernadette?
by Anonymous | reply 19 | September 19, 2019 1:04 AM |
Wait til the hot sales rep pays a visit, OP It will happen. They know their customers.
by Anonymous | reply 20 | September 19, 2019 1:19 AM |
Been an MD for 31 years. Professor at a major medical school. The university does not allow our practices to sample and I don't see reps in general. I like my job but I'm in an underserved specialty that allows me a bit of autonomy. I'm paid at the low end of the scale as I don't do procedures, but still make a decent living. I thought I would work until 70 or 72 but the way the field is going, I'm thinking early retirement at 62 is the way to go. It's about to get really bad with a whole lot of angry boomers who believe they're entitled to good health and immortality descending at once and demanding that they be fixed and now. Primary Care is already in free fall. That's going to finish it off.
by Anonymous | reply 21 | September 19, 2019 2:52 AM |
Dont be naive R17, it is exhausting to treat this one patient over again and again, yet he never listens to your medical advice. Imagine that times a thousand daily. Then, battling with insurance on the phone because they decided to stiff your payment. On top of that, having management breathing down your neck about seeing more patients, thus, having zero time to actually care for the patient.
by Anonymous | reply 22 | September 19, 2019 3:53 AM |
But you get to care for a patient. I exist only to take money from one rich investor to another - and if it means some people lose their job, that’s got to be done. Maybe some doctors really don’t like people - fine, be a researcher or academic. But having people not listen to you or having a boss who demands you do more is a base universal element of every job in late capitalism. Not sure why doctors think they have it so bad. They get paid well - and actually do a valuable service for humanity. Unlike 90% of us corporate slaves - most of whom make much less than you.
I understand more why nurses complain about doctors. They really are entitled, arrogant babies who think they have it so hard and deserve more - while being paid multiples of your average person. Maybe because they live in a bubble of wealthy people.
by Anonymous | reply 23 | September 19, 2019 4:33 AM |
R7, please let the pharms know because they are clearly not in the know. They ARE contacting me, and it is annoying. Not to mention freaky.
by Anonymous | reply 24 | September 20, 2019 5:09 PM |
Thanks R8...that is my school!!
by Anonymous | reply 25 | September 20, 2019 5:10 PM |
Twice I’ve had skin rashes I needed a dermatologist - EVERY dermatologist was booked weeks out. WTF!?! How is it possible that I can’t get a dermatologist in a major US city for WEEKS! What divas! It’s like they work whenever they want - and don’t care how urgent the issue is. Forced to deal with urgent care - which has been useless and clueless.
Any dermatologists have tips for how to get appointment with you divas?
by Anonymous | reply 27 | September 20, 2019 6:44 PM |
Unless you are hospitalized and/or near death, you have to wait your turn to see a specialist, R27. That's just the way it goes.
by Anonymous | reply 28 | September 20, 2019 7:00 PM |
I can get an appointment with pretty much any other specialist within a week at most. Why don’t dermatologists have any openings for months? And offer no special consideration for urgent care?
by Anonymous | reply 29 | September 20, 2019 7:03 PM |
R28 is right. I have a laundry list of health problems (type 1 diabetes, heart problems, survived thyroid cancer), so I see specialists every few months—it is rare for them to not be booked out at least 1 month, usually more. There is only one major endocrinology practice in my city, so everyone with diabetes, thyroid, and other endocrine issues goes there.
by Anonymous | reply 30 | September 20, 2019 7:14 PM |
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