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Karen Bonney, PT, DPT, CSCS, is an Area Sales Manager for Bioness Medical. The company makes rehabilitation technology — functional electrical stimulation systems and robotic therapy equipment — for hospitals and rehab clinics. Most of the patients are recovering from a stroke or a brain injury. If a rep has ever walked into your clinic to demo a device, you have met someone doing Karen’s job.
The title is worth unpacking, because the word “sales” talks a lot of clinicians out of a career they’d be good at. She spends her days with the therapists who will use the equipment and the administrators who approve buying it. That is exactly why device companies keep hiring non-clinical physical therapists, OTs, and SLPs into these roles.
Bioness Medical is a hiring partner of Go Non-Clinical, our community for rehab pros exploring non-clinical careers. You can find open roles on their careers page, and those specifically fit for rehab experience on own private job board.
Karen’s answers are below.
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What is your full name, title, and company name for your current, primary role?
Karen Bonney, PT, DPT, CSCS — Area Sales Manager for Bioness Medical
What additional roles do you currently have?
Founder of Elite Performance & Rehab; Functional Dry Needling Instructor for Evidence In Motion (EIM)
Where are you located?
Arnold, Maryland
Where did you go to PT school, and what year did you graduate?
University of South Carolina, 2010
What did you do when you first finished school, and for how long?
I excitedly made my way out of the rural south and worked for a large medical organization in Washington, DC (MedStar Health) for the first three years of my career.
In what setting(s) did you work, and what types of patients did you treat?
Outpatient Ortho/Sports. I treated everything but really specialized in the athletic and active young professionals of DC.
What did you enjoy about your early roles? What didn’t you enjoy?
I’ve always loved helping people get better faster and return to whatever adventures life has in store for them. During my time with MedStar Health, I gained a broad clinical foundation through a wide range of patient experiences.
But I craved more. I wasn’t seeing enough of the population I was most passionate about serving—so I took the bull by the horns and opened my own cash-based practice inside a CrossFit gym in Washington, DC.
It was the BEST and SCARIEST thing I’ve ever done—and I wouldn’t change a thing.
What else have you done since then, prior to your current role?
After gaining my initial experience as a practicing clinician within a large medical organization, I quickly launched a successful cash-based practice in Washington, DC. That experience opened my eyes to the possibilities within the profession, and I knew there was more ahead for me.
When the opportunity came to help launch a brand-new Sports Performance Clinic with MedStar Health in DC, I didn’t hesitate. As Clinic Director, I led the team from the ground up and guided the clinic through six years of sustained growth and development.
After stepping away from that role, I took some time for self-reflection and exploration. I ventured into other areas of physical therapy, including PRN work in skilled nursing facilities and home health care throughout New England. These experiences helped broaden my perspective and reaffirmed my passion for innovative, patient-centered care.
When and why did you decide to do something non-clinical?
I decided to switch gears and branch out of clinical practice because I know I’m more than just a clinician.
I’m a growth-obsessed human, and I was craving a new challenge—an avenue to stretch both my professional and personal skills in ways the clinic couldn’t.
What are you doing these days?
I’m now working as an Area Sales Manager for Bioness Medical, where I continue to change lives every day. While I’ve stepped outside of traditional clinical practice, my mission remains the same—helping people perform better and live fuller lives. Now, I get to do that through Bioness Medical’s cutting-edge robotic technologies and innovative product platform.
At the same time, I still treat some patients through my private practice and occasionally teach dry needling courses with Evidence In Motion (EIM). Staying connected to hands-on care and education keeps me grounded in my clinical roots while fueling my passion for growth and impact.
Are you still treating patients, or are you solely non-clinical?
Yes, I’m still treating occasionally.
What percentage of your time is spent clinically vs. non-clinically?
Less than 5% clinical, outside of my full-time position with Bioness Medical.
How long have you been in your current Area Sales Manager role?
I started with Bioness Medical in April 2025.
What do you wish you would’ve known before going into this role?
Before taking the leap into my role with Bioness Medical, I wish I had known just how happy and fulfilled I’d feel on the other side. If I had, I would’ve made the transition much earlier in my career.
This role has allowed me to grow in ways I never expected—both professionally and personally—while still staying true to my purpose of helping others thrive.
Did you get any special certifications or training along the way to help you get into your current role?
No, but I did have a few very influential mentors that helped guide me along the way.
How did you find your job? Did you apply or find it through a connection?
I found it through a connection.
Did you do anything special to your resume and cover letter to land the job?
I used Teal Resume Builder, which helped me reframe my clinical experience to better align with sales-focused roles.
What was the interview like for the Area Sales Manager role?
The interview process was more challenging and extensive than anything I’d experienced before. It included over five hour-long interviews—both virtual and in-person—as well as several role-play sales scenarios and take-home assignments after each round.
What are some of the things you did to stand out, take initiative, and advance in your career?
I never gave up. I always focused on growth and sought out feedback to propel myself forward. I lived by the motto: never be the smartest person in the room!
When did you start your business?
I started my business in 2014.
Where did you get the idea for your business?
I’ve always had the entrepreneurial mentality, and when I wasn’t getting the patient population I craved in the corporate clinical world, I took matters into my own hands.
What is your business, and what types of products or services do you offer?
Elite Performance & Rehab, PLLC: physical therapy and consultative services.
How have people reacted to you leaving patient care?
Everyone is excited and curious to learn more about my transition. Some clinicians are eager to hear what it’s like on the other side and my family/friends are excited for my adventurous mentality!
What’s a typical day or week in the life like for you? What types of tasks and responsibilities fill your time?
My week involves territory planning and strategy, field visits and clinical meetings, and account development and new business collaborative efforts.
What are some of the rewards of your Area Sales Manager role? What are the biggest challenges?
Rewards: an impressive compensation package, and a flexible and autonomous role with an amazing work-life balance.
Challenges: long sales cycles (which require much patience and strategy), a 40+ hour work week with weekly travel, and complex stakeholders (which require strategic management styles).
How did your clinical background prepare you for this role? Which skills transferred?
My PT career produced deep clinical credibility for this role selling rehab robotic technologies. As a therapist, you are trained to build rapport quickly and navigate emotionally charged situations.
We are all natural relationship builders, which is incredibly valuable in sales.
Being outcome-oriented preps you to communicate value to decision-makers and strategically manage a territory.
Roughly speaking, how are the hours and pay compared to patient care?
It’s a 40+ hour week, but the compensation package finally matches the value you bring to the table!
What type of person do you think would do well in your Area Sales Manager role?
Pursuing a medical sales role can be an excellent transition for someone with leadership clinical experience, especially if you’re used to high-pressure environments. It offers high earning potential, autonomy, and a performance-driven culture.
Being self-motivated, detail-oriented, and organized will take you far in this role.
Do you work remotely or onsite?
I work remotely with weekly travel across my territory.
Does your organization hire PT, OT, or SLP professionals into non-clinical roles? If so, what type of roles?
Yes, all of the above!
Did you read any books, take any courses, or do anything special overall to get you where you are today?
Yes! Integrity Selling for the 21st Century by Ron Willingham and How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie.
What is a typical career path for someone in your Area Sales Manager role?
High-performing Area Sales Managers can progress to Regional Sales Managers with a path to Directors of Sales or National Sales Leadership opportunities.
What is next for you? What are your high-level career aspirations?
I’m not sure what’s next for me, but I know it will involve growth and positions that challenge and push my career limits.
Do you have any special advice for others who want to follow in your footsteps?
Change is always worth it. Take the leap. I promise, you won’t be disappointed!
What Karen’s move says about getting into device sales
Two things in Karen’s answers deserve more attention than they’ll get on a first read.
The first is what Karen’s interview actually asked of her: five hour-long rounds, role-play sales scenarios, and a take-home assignment after each interview. Very little of that is clinical. Anyone walking in braced to be quizzed on gait mechanics is preparing for the wrong thing. The good news is that the real thing is entirely rehearsable. Do your research on what the sales role actually is and practice, practice, practice.
The second thing is that Karen didn’t trade one life for another. She still treats occasionally, still runs the practice she started in 2014, and still teaches continuing education courses. Going non-clinical didn’t mean leaving that behind.
Where to go next
- Medical sales careers for PTs, OTs, and SLPs — the full guide to the path Karen took, including what the work pays and how people break in without sales experience.
- The Non-Clinical Jobs Report, from Go Non-Clinical — sales and business development was the second-largest category of non-clinical postings last quarter, at about 12%.
- Suzy Keenan, an OT doing a territory role at the same company — a second account of Bioness Medical, from the OT perspective.
- How to build your first non-clinical resume — the translation problem Karen solved with a resume tool, walked through step by step.
- What hiring managers actually look for — patterns from months of employer Q&As, from the people doing the hiring.
More resources for your non-clinical career
If you’re finding your own way through the non-clinical transition, we’ve created these FREE resources to help you get your bearings.
- Our weekly jobs newsletter: 100+ fresh non-clinical job postings every week, plus new spotlights, our latest articles, and hiring partners recruiting straight from our community.
- Four Secrets to Landing a Fulfilling Non-Clinical Healthcare Job: our free mini-course, delivered to your inbox.
- Our free career quiz: 15 questions, and you’ll come out with a much clearer picture of which non-clinical sectors suit you.
If you’d rather follow a step-by-step roadmap than piece this together on your own, that’s exactly why we made Non-Clinical 101. It’s our course & community teaching rehab pros how to make the switch in half the time with twice the confidence.
