Medical Supply Account Manager — Michelle Fritz

This week’s spotlight is on Michelle Fritz, PT, DPT, a Non-Clinical 101 graduate who is now Medical Supply Account Manager (MSAM) PA/NJ for Numotion!

What is your full name, title, and company name for your current, primary role?

Michelle Fritz, PT, DPT — Medical Supply Account Manager PA/NJ for Numotion

Where are you located?

Hatfield, PA (Philadelphia suburbs).

Where did you go to PT school, and what year did you graduate?

Stockton University, 2014.

What did you do when you first finished school, and for how long?

When I finished school, I worked in outpatient home health physical therapy for Fox Rehabilitation for three years.

Then, I spent the next seven years in outpatient orthopedics and pelvic health for Excel Physical Therapy (now Ivy Rehab) and at One Physical Therapy and Wellness before committing myself to finding a non-clinical job.

In what setting(s) did you work, and what types of patients did you treat?

I worked in home physical therapy care, assisted living facilities, outpatient orthopedics and a pilates-based PT office. I treated all orthopedic conditions and pelvic health conditions.

What did you enjoy about your early roles? What didn’t you enjoy?

I have always enjoyed working with and motivating people. It was such a joy to help an older adult be able to dance at their grandchild’s wedding, or to assist a postpartum mom get back to running.

I enjoyed teaching my patients strategies to manage their condition and improve their overall fitness. I loved seeing patients “get it” and commit to their program once they started to see small improvements!

I did not enjoy the productivity requirements, inflexibility of the clinic, and documentation.

When and why did you decide to do something non-clinical?

I think I always knew PT wouldn’t be my long-term career. I did a ton of manual therapy, and my hands began to get sore about four years into working. While I enjoyed providing manual therapy and saw great results with various techniques including dry needling, IASTM and cupping, I still had discomfort in my hands at the end of an eight or 10-hour day. I also was getting burned out from patient care. 

After achieving my Certification in Pelvic Physical Therapy and Certification in Obstetrics Physical Therapy (CAPP-Pelvic, CAPP-OB) from the APTA Section on Pelvic Health, I realized there was no more upward mobility. I could never obtain a significant salary increase or career advancement without managing or owning my own clinic or going back to school (neither of which I wanted to do). 

Ultimately, I had maxed out my potential in pelvic health and orthopedic PT, but had not maximized my overall professional potential!

What are you doing these days?

Numotion is the leading provider of Complex Rehab Technology (CRT) in the country. The CRT side of the business is pretty large, and the medical supply side is a smaller entity.

As the Medical Supply Account Manager (MSAM) for Numotion for PA/NJ, I travel around to various urology practices and rehab facilities. We are a distributor of medical supplies, focusing on intermittent catheters, but we also provide wound care, ostomy and incontinence supplies. 

As a distributor of products, we work with all of the brands and are brand-neutral. I build and maintain relationships with providers and case managers. I can do bedside consults at rehabs, or educate patients at urology offices or on the phone. I’m able to work with each individual client to get them the most suitable product(s) that work best for them!

Are you still treating patients, or are you solely non-clinical?

Solely non-clinical, but I still get to do some patient education and interaction which I love!

How long have you been in your current medical supply account manager (MSAM) role?

I started with Numotion in December 2024.

Did you get any special certifications or training along the way to help you get into your current role?

Non-Clinical 101! I can’t say enough about how this course helped me decide my non-clinical path and gave me the confidence to put myself out there. That’s why I wanted to reach out to do this spotlight—to pay it forward. If you’re thinking of going non-clinical, take the course!!

How did you find your job? Did you apply or find it through a connection?

I found my job on Indeed.

Did you do anything special to your resume and cover letter to land the job?

Non-Clinical 101 really helped me understand what recruiters are looking for and how I could tailor my skills to meet the job requirements. While I didn’t have sales experience per se, I did have tons of experience with productivity and patient satisfaction. I was able to use phrases like “consistently met and exceeded quota as set by team leader” to convey my ability to achieve sales goals.

How have people reacted to you leaving patient care?

It has been mixed. Many of the urologists that I see are surprised to see me on this side of healthcare. They often say, “But we need more pelvic PTs!” to which I reply, “Then, write a letter to fix reimbursement rates.” However, I am able to leverage my patient-care past and explain to them how my clinical background uniquely qualifies me to help their patients. 

My friends and family were less surprised, as I had expressed wanting to leave clinical care for a long time. They were very supportive—especially my husband, who also transitioned out of academia and into industry this year!

What’s a typical day or week in the life like for you? What types of tasks and responsibilities fill your time?

I do a lot of driving around Pennsylvania and New Jersey. I am on the road about 75% of the time, but I enjoy it. I listen to audiobooks and podcasts and make my personal and professional phone calls while on the road. Also, being from NJ, I can visit my parents, my mother-in-law, or meet up with friends after work if I’m in their area.

My normal day consists of driving to urology offices or rehabs and providing samples of product, educating staff and patients on catheters and product offerings, and obtaining required documentation from the providers for filling orders.

What are some of the rewards of your role? What are the biggest challenges?

The rewards include still getting to help people and build relationships with providers and office staff. 

The biggest challenge for me is learning the ins and outs of sales as a whole, but it is really fascinating, and I am learning a ton.

How did your clinical background prepare you for this role? Which skills transferred?

I think therapists have all of the required soft skills to be successful in sales. We all have to be engaging, motivating, personable and active listeners when treating patients. All of these skills are essential in sales as well.

Roughly speaking, how are the hours and pay compared to patient care?

While I took a bit of a pay cut to come to this job, the commission opportunity is such that I *could* make more money than I did in the clinic. However, the flexibility I’m afforded now is well worth the pay cut! I’ve achieved my quota four out of five months that I’ve been in the role and just attained quota for June as of 6/17, so I am making decent commission!

What type of person do you think would do well in your medical supply account manager role?

You definitely need to have grit and have a thick skin to make it in sales, but you also need to be personable and upbeat. You have to be okay with getting told, “No,” but still have the self-confidence and nerve to go back and try again.

Do you work remotely or onsite?

Both. I work remotely a few hours a week, but mostly I’m in the car heading to rehabs or urology offices.

Does your organization hire PT, OT, or SLP professionals into non-clinical roles? If so, what type of roles?

Yes! We are actually hiring right now for the Medical Supply Account Manager (MSAM) position in St. Louis, MO; Mountlake Terrace, WA; Lincoln, NE and the DC Metro area. There are also some Associate MSAM positions open in Phoenix, AZ and Aurora, CO.

They are also hiring Specialty Account Managers (SAMs) on the CRT side of the company. They are hiring SAMs throughout the country that a PT/OT/SLP would be a great fit for!

Numotion has a Speech Solutions division, which offers AAC and other AT devices as well.

Please feel free to reach out to me, and I can connect you with a leader!

Did you read any books, take any courses, or do anything special overall to get you where you are today?

I took Non-Clinical 101 and a few LinkedIn courses.

What is a typical career path for someone in your medical supply account manager role?

Many MSAMs stay in the role for a long time because once you have established yourself in your territory, the commission can be pretty lucrative. Some people move into management or switch to the CRT side of the company.

What is next for you? What are your high-level career aspirations?

I’m still trying to decide what I want to be when I grow up! I definitely want to advance my career—perhaps in a customer success-type role eventually, a clinical education-type role, or even leading a team.

I would also consider job coaching or helping people transition out of clinical care. So far, I’ve helped two people go non-clinical!

What would you recommend to someone who is considering going into a role like yours? Do you have any special words of wisdom for the readers?

Therapists are naturally driven—this will serve them well in the sales world. We have had a lot of schooling, and many of us have advanced degrees, but that doesn’t necessarily translate in the sales world. 

What does translate is the fact that it took a lot of hard work and sacrifice to become a therapist, and as long as you’re willing to put time and effort in again for the job hunt, you can land a medical sales position.

What career advice would you give yourself that you wish you had during school?

Be interested, not interesting! Active listening is a super skill—one I am still working on mastering.

What would you teach to today’s graduate students in your profession, if you had the opportunity?

If I were talking to student therapists, I would tell them to take some business classes, marketing classes and psychology classes. Don’t pigeon hole yourself. Broaden your soft skills!

Do you have any special advice for others who want to follow in your footsteps?

Network, network, network! Reach out to people who have positions that you are interested in and ask them thoughtful, meaningful questions about their job. Take notes, gain insights and spend time on personal growth.