Maureen R. Wasilewski

I think it's having that passion and that drive. You have to be very motivated, because you're basically getting up every day and making your calls, and making sure that you're pulling through the information they requested. So I think it's just motivation, perseverance, and a passion to truly, truly help these patients and the prescribers find ways so they can just feel better. Like, again, I've got other really severe disease states, but asthma is the most prevalent one, and it's terrible. I have a respiratory infection right now, and I'm like, oh my god, this is like what an asthmatic feels like. If I could just make one person's life better, and that's how we do it. We think one patient at a time, if we can help these patients breathe better and just be able to enjoy life and their families, that's truly why I do it.

You know, if you love what you do every day, then it's not a job. When my daughters were going to college, I said that to them, and sometimes they would ask me why I was in this field. I said, you know what, you can't listen to anybody, because if you go to work miserable every day, you work more than you do relax. So I said, if you love your job, and if you are happy, then that's half the battle. It's not work, then. It's enjoyment. So that truly, somebody gave me that advice, and honestly, it's been so long, so I just carried that forward when my girls were picking majors in their college.

If you're going to come into this field, whether it's pharmaceutical, biological, or medical device, you have to have passion. And you have to become an advocate for the patient, because I think so many people say, oh my gosh, how do I get into your industry? I heard you could do really well, and it's a lot of work. I mean, it's not - again, you have to have that motivation. So I'd have to say motivation, passion, and advocacy, because you're not reporting like you are getting yourself up, and you have to have the drive and the desire to go out and do those 6 or 7 calls a day. I have a huge territory - I have San Antonio all the way to Mexico. My farthest account is 3 hours away. So I mean, I would just say, look, you have to be very self-motivated, have tremendous passion and advocacy for the patient. Those three things, and if you don't have that, if you're not self-motivated, and you can't get up and get to talk to these people 5 days a week, and then there's many evenings you may have educational programs, there's weekend work, so it's - again, you have to have that love for it.

The challenges can be that, as we all know, the medical industry is very difficult right now with reimbursement issues and access issues. I'm fortunate in my area, but there are several areas where a lot of these offices are now becoming part of very big institutions, and trying to get access to these prescribers to share your information to help these patients can be very difficult. That's probably my biggest challenge, and anyone in this industry faces it. It's just even access to the medication with a lot of patients' insurances as well. A lot of them will be like, well, you know, the patient was denied, they can't gain access. And again, there are a lot of things in place that can help these patients, but truly, I just feel if a patient needs access to a medication, the doctor should have the ability to say, yes, this is the best medication for you, and we're gonna get it. But truly, it's not like that. There's a whole protocol. That is the biggest challenge. And the flip side, the opportunity is when you do see that happen, and you've put in the work and the effort, and you've helped the provider. We also have other reimbursement managers and programs, we've got patient assistance for those that can't afford it. So again, on the flip side, there are opportunities that we can try and help these patients gain access to their medication.

From a work perspective, I have a very nice reputation with my offices and my providers. I have great relationships, and they look at me as a resource, because when you think of sales, sometimes we get such a bad rap. You know, it's like, oh my god, you'll do anything, and they know that I am not like that. When I'm there, it's truly about the patient. It's not about, oh my god, put all these patients on this drug, and I'll make all this money. I really think that I bring a value, and I think I'm highly respected, not only by my peers but by my providers that I call on. And in my personal life, I have - I'm a grandma now of 5 grandbabies. I have 3 daughters, and 2 of my daughters moved here, and so I've got 3 grandbabies here in Texas. My daughters respect me. I have a phenomenal relationship with all three of them. If you read my cards, you'd cry. So I do feel that that's the same value, and just maybe what was instilled with me from my mom, is just having that respect and valuing life and just trying to make every day as special as you can. That is really how I live my life.