Scrubs Yay or nay?

I just started with this company and I am getting mixed reviews. I have googled this question as well, and I'm not sure what to think? Alot of people say that people are "posers" or that scrubs are unneccesary...and others say that there are benefits to dressing down...
From my point of view I see both sides... I'm going to list the positive and negative feedback I've gotten from current CN employees....and please somone point me in the right direction.....
Positives:
-Practice does not view you as a sales person, but a service person.
-I have heard that people can be viewed as posers....do MA's, nurses, office staff that deal with nothing but checking in... not wear scrubs? I think that the problem is, if you are "posing" as a pacer rep, or a physician, yes it is mega stupid, but if you buy basic scrubs and wear a name tag or have the company logo embroidered, is that not different? or at least perceived differently? If you are truly working hard, and doing inservices at hospitals and practices....does it not make sense?
-Physician is more likely to stop and talk if they do not feel threatend by another "pharmaceutical rep reading a detail piece"
-I have heard of some reps that wear them just for inservices, and presentations, but wear normal business attire at other times.....good balance?
-you look more professional.

Negatives:
-People see you as an idiot trying to bring more importance to yourself and your job.
-You are a service rep, not a physician or nurse.
-Wearing them takes away from your validity.
-It is against company policy...sort of????
-They are unneccesary......period.....
-You look less professional.


I am looking for honest responses to this, and reasonings either pro or against....that's all, I don't need to be told how stupid of a question this is, or how you're so much better than me because you are a closure/pacer/cath rep of some sort......I am asking this because I would like to know what people think, .....not to be told how ignorant I am.
I also didn't know if it was up to the reps choice, or if this truly is in the company guidelines that we are not to wear them...is this a firing offense? or up to the managements discretion?

 

Professional attire. Save the scrubs for those in the OR...which aren't CN reps.

 

Wear professional attire. Why would you wear scrubs from office to office? And if you say that you were in a hospital, well, most hospitals make you wear their scrubs. You will look like an idiot if you say you wear at the hospital. Get it thru your head- You are NOT a device rep!!!!

 

Nay, you are a professional sales person. Dress Professional.

 

I can see this posters point, and I can see how it would make sense either way. One of the posters was so quick to point out that people at CN are not device reps......last time I checked Event, holter and mobile telemetry monitors were in fact devices.....so CN reps ARE device reps. I personally have friends that are in the cath lab.....and low and behold....your job isn't all that much more impressive, I don't know why you feel the need to bash on those that are trying to break into the device industry and better themselves, because I'm sure that no one starts off in the pacer/icd/closure/stent industry, and if you do you must have a very powerful friend or daddy that got you in some how. So instead of getting into a pissing contest, try and add some healthy constructive criticism, and try and remember that you werent always as AWESOME as you think you currently are.
Moving on.....
I agree that scrubs are only to be worn within the hospital and then turned back in when the procedure is done....but if this individual is talking about basic scrubs....not hospital issued....I can see his/her point. Does an MA look silly wearing scrubs answering phones all day? or pulling charts?........no....because they are wearing a uniform.
I think that if this is the persons point, I can see wearing them if you are dealing directly with the patient, or doing an inservice with a patient in the office because it builds validity for the patient....I'm sure that very few if any individuals at CN have a medical background, and could be questioned by a patient if they are all "suited up" as to their qualifications.

 

You're not in the OR .... you will look silly wearing scrubs. The OR reps that wear them have a practical purpose for doing so.

 

We are NOT device reps. We are service reps. Don't justify your need for something greater by telling us that the equipment we have are "devices". You're the one pissing here. I never said that I was awesome, I am a realist. I know what we are and we are not. You will sound like a total jackass if you ever find yourself in front of a hiring manager at one of the "device" companies and you call yourself a device rep. Have you ever thought about this... We don't sell devices ( as you call them ) we give them away and the doctor makes money off them ( however little of a sum it is ). What is it that you think we sell? Does MDT, BS or STJ give their stuff away? NO!! What do they do? They sell devices!!!

So should pharma reps wear scrubs? Could it not be considered their uniform? They are in the office as much as the front desk people and the other staff.

And what's this crap about "building validity with the patient"? A patient could care less what you have on. Some doctors wear shirt and tie, does the patient think less of those doctors? You build validity with the patient by getting them their monitor on time and not billing their insurance an arm and a leg!!

I tell you what to do, go ask a MDT, BS or STJ rep what you should do and see what they tell you.

 

Oxygen tanks are devices. Should oxygen reps now wear scrubs? How about blood glucose monitors... those are devices.

 

I know the one thing Ecardio has going for them is that underwear is optional

 

CLASSIC!!!!

 

There is a reason you people will never ascend to the level of us device reps. You are arguing over whether or not to wear scrubs!!! If you can't determine for yourself what to wear and when to wear it then you should be classified as the bottom feeders. Even pharma reps know how to dress. Debating over what the receptionist wears, how stupid!!

FYI- we device reps don't always wear scrubs. We wear them when it is appropriate.

 

You obviously didn't read the whole thread fruity boots. But I'll pander to your loser ego - what device do you claim to sell that qualifies you as anything less than a "bottom feeder." Do tell, I'm dying to know how awesome your awesomeness device-ness is. Loser.

 

Wow!! What a zinger!! That really hurts!! NOT!!! Fruity Boots? Loser ego? That took some deep thought, almost as deep as what should I wear kind of thought. How awesome my device is? It is pretty good and it certainly pays the bills around here, with a little left over.

 

Do you make a pros and cons list to decide which pj's to wear at night? They will fire you for wearing the Garfield pj's.

 

If you want us to, we can provide you information on how to plan your work activities so that they offer more validity to the patients. I'm a pharma rep and I guarantee that I do sell my product, if not I would not keep getting paid. See when the doctor "buys" my product he is making a committment to write a script for it. Then the rx will have to buy it from the wholesaler. I get drug distribution data which lets me know which md's are "buying" my product. I get paid on the dollar volume I generate. I am a sales rep and I sell. I don't need to wear "scrubs" in order to feel important or make money. There are biotech pharma type reps who make a hell of a lot more money than you do. The last we/they are thinking is what should I freakin wear. You freakin sissy.

 

Pharma can be challenging. I did it for a long time. There is a difference between "making a commitment" and actually selling a product. Scripts are something they do day in and day out, and does not cost them anything. When you start affecting the pocket book, then you really have to sell.
If you are in a pod that is a different story. Pods are why device company frown on pharma.

 

You're stupid! Selling is getting a commitment. Doctors put in devices, use closure and use holter and event monitoring every day too. Everything affects the pocket book. Device companies frown on event reps because they try to be something they are not ( as evident by should I wear scrubs or not ). At one time Guidant ( now BS ) hired pharma reps with long term territory history because of the relationships and the ability to get "commitments". By the way, the use of an event monitor doesn't cost them anything either and they get a hook up and/or professional fee, although not much. You event monitor reps are the ones who think you are hot shit. I make way more money than you in biotech ( Genentech ). If you don't believe me ask any physician which is a more respected company Cardionet, Lifewatch, eCardio or Genentech. Merck is more respected in the Cardiology community than any event monitoring company.

 

"NOT!!!!" ...seriously douche bag? Are we stuck in 1993? You still kickin' around your in your Air Jordan Pump's with the hypercolor scrubs little device guy? Paying the bills with "a little left" over sounds about as awesome as being a pharma rep with a part time Starbucks gig. You really make the device community proud.