Medical Sales Language - Directional Terminology and Learning

When I started in Medical Sales, specifically Orthopaedics (the branch of surgery relating to the musculoskeletal system), it felt like I was learning a whole new language.

Here are some basic terms to get you started.

• Anterior: The front of the body.

• Posterior: The back of the body.

• Superior: Above or higher in position.

• Inferior: Below or lower in position.

• Medial: Closer to the midline of the body.

• Lateral: Further away from the midline of the body.

• Proximal: Closer to the point of attachment or origin.

• Distal: Further away from the point of attachment or origin.

You HAVE to learn these. Whether you’re selling hips, knees, catheters or sutures.

Practice these with colleagues, practice them in your head, read the surgical techniques.

It’s particularly embarrassing if you have to explain to a surgeon what to do with a certain piece of kit by saying: “Flip it over towards the front a bit, then up a bit. No not that way, the other way. No sorry, not up, I meant down.”

Learning these simple terms (once you get the hang of them) helps to build your credibility among your customers and also help you in your day to day activities.

It also allows you to be specific about what they need to do with your product to use it effectively and eliminates uncertainty.

Often you will gain some training in the anatomy, however this is often brushed over quickly and often is not recapped later on.

Have conversations with your surgeon customers and be genuinely interested in what they are doing. Ask them questions such as “what landmarks are you using?”.

If you have a current user and you're still new to your role, tag along with them and ask if they are happy for you to turn up and observe them operating as well as ask questions during the procedure. Surgeons commonly love to teach and share their knowledge