New Major in Medical Sales

The College of St. Catherine and Pfizer Launch Innovative Medical Sales Program.

St. Paul, Minn.-The College of St. Catherine today announced a new medical sales program at the college funded with a $350,000 grant from Pfizer Inc. This unique program allows participating students to earn a bachelor's degree in business administration with a concentration in medical sales.

In addition, qualified students will have sales internships with Pfizer with training in New York, Chicago and field experience in Minnesota.

The program, which will be offered through the Center for Sales Innovation at St. Catherine's beginning this fall, will serve traditional day students as well as non-traditional weekend students who are interested in changing careers or re-entering the work force. The state of Minnesota will be another beneficiary of the new medical sales program. More than 8,000 manufacturers, health care service providers, dealers, wholesalers and retailers comprise the state's health care sector.

"Pfizer is proud to sponsor the medical sales program at the College of St. Catherine. We believe our partnership with St. Catherine's will dramatically improve the preparation levels of graduates interested in pursuing medical sales careers. This unique program will introduce students to the dynamics of the healthcare marketplace, provide them with insights into the pharmaceutical industry and teach them about sales strategies," said Hank McCrorie, Executive Vice President of U.S. Pharmaceutical Sales at Pfizer.

"The medical sales program is a natural for St. Catherine's," said College of St. Catherine Director of Corporate Relations Marjorie Mathison Hance. "The program combines the college's strengths in health care, business and science with a solid liberal arts education. In addition, our emphasis on developing leadership skills is tremendously important to Pfizer's goal of hiring women sales leaders who will help drive the company's long-term growth."

"Medical sales is a complex business," added McCrorie, "requiring knowledge of many topics, from anatomy, physiology and disease management, to legal and FDA issues to ethical constraints. Well-prepared and knowledgeable sales representatives are the crucial link to effectively transferring knowledge from the lab to physicians and their patients."

The medical sales program will broaden the College of St. Catherine's sales major offered through its business administration department since 1998. The sales major concentrates on business-to-business sales, emphasizing a broad educational base, a strong business background and a sophisticated skill set.

In addition to the sales major, the college launched the Center for Sales Innovation, conducting original research, such as a Sales Force Retention Study with 3M, and continuing education programs. Grants from 3M provided initial funding for the Center. Five partners-Ecolab, Medtronic, Northwest Airlines, Pfizer and Tennant-also provide financial support. In January the college announced its financial services sales concentration funded with a grant from American Express.

Pfizer discovers, develops, manufactures and markets leading prescription medicines, for humans and animals, and many of the world's best-known consumer products. Pfizer had global revenues of $29.6 billion in 2000 and plans to make a research and development investment of about $5 billion in 2001. Pfizer has been recognized as one of America's most generous companies in the world. In 2000, Pfizer and the Pfizer Foundation gave more than $300 million in drug donations and cash contributions. Pfizer provides its medicines at no charge to eligible, uninsured, low income Americans through many of its drug donation programs. Additional projects include the international trachoma program and the Diflucan Partnership Program.

The College of St. Catherine is the largest and most comprehensive Catholic college for women in the country. Through a diversity of programs, the college offers the intimacy of a four-year liberal arts college and the opportunity to complete associate, baccalaureate, and master's degrees in a variety of health care specialties and professional programs. Committed to meeting the educational goals of women of all ages, St. Catherine's offers many of its bachelor's and master's programs in both weekday and weekend formats. The college has a total enrollment of 4,487 students on campuses in St. Paul and Minneapolis.