When I sat down with Roxy Tirado, I wanted to look at how far her medical device sales career had come in less than five years.

Four and a half years earlier, Roxy was a medical assistant who had filed for bankruptcy. She joined New to become a full-line representative and top performer, moved to Intuitive and became a top performer there, and eventually became Regional Vice President of Sales-West at a MedTech startup.

What stands out most to me is that every step required Roxy to believe in herself, stay disciplined, build strong relationships, and keep choosing growth even when the next step felt uncomfortable.

Breaking Into Medical Device Sales Changed Everything

Roxy originally planned to attend medical school and was on the pre-med path.

Her direction changed after conversations with surgeons and eventually after learning more about medical device sales.

When she started, she was a medical assistant making less than $20 an hour and had gone through bankruptcy.

Her first opportunity in the industry came with Medtronic as an associate representative.

From there, she became a full-line representative, performed at a high level, moved to Intuitive, and continued succeeding.

Her career shows how quickly things can change when opportunity meets consistent effort.

Believing You Belong in the Room

Confidence was not something that always came naturally to Roxy.

As her career grew, she sometimes found herself in rooms where she questioned whether she belonged.

That feeling did not disappear simply because she became successful.

Even today, she still deals with imposter syndrome.

One thing that helps her is reminding herself of two or three things she has recently accomplished and telling herself that she deserves to be there.

I think that matters for anyone entering medical device sales. Your title may change before your confidence catches up.

Sometimes you have to remind yourself what you have already done.

Why She Left Large Companies for a MedTech Startup

Roxy had already succeeded at two major medical device companies.

So why leave?

For her, one of the biggest reasons was impact.

At a smaller MedTech startup, she could communicate directly with the CEO, contribute feedback, help influence future technology, and see changes happen much faster than they typically would inside a large corporate organization.

There were fewer resources and more risk, but that was also part of what attracted her.

Roxy likes putting herself in uncomfortable situations because that is where she believes growth happens.

Relationships Can Shape Your Entire Career

One of the strongest themes throughout Roxy’s career is relationships.

Relationships helped her get into Medtronic.

Relationships played a role in her move to Intuitive.

And surgeon relationships eventually helped lead her to her current leadership opportunity.

A surgeon she had worked with actually vouched for her when she was recruited for the role.

That is something I want new medical device sales representatives to understand.

Strategy matters, but relationships matter too.

You need to know your product and understand your business, but people also need to trust you and want you around.

Long-term success requires both.

Leadership Means Looking Beyond Your Own Number

As an associate representative, much of Roxy’s early focus was simply learning how to do the job.

As a territory manager, she became responsible for her own business, performance, relationships, and areas she needed to improve.

Leadership changed that perspective again.

As a Vice President, it is no longer just about her number.

Now she has to think about how the entire team performs, where they are succeeding, where gaps exist, and how she can help other people improve.

One lesson she carried with her from previous managers is the importance of leading from the front.

Great leaders should be willing to do the work they are asking their teams to do.

Impact Became More Important Than Money

Roxy has experienced major financial growth throughout her career. She went from bankruptcy to being able to retire her parents.

But money is no longer the only factor guiding her decisions.

Impact became much more personal after her sister was diagnosed with breast cancer and required a re-excision procedure.

Roxy had also seen close friends and surgeons she knew experience breast cancer.

That connection made her current work especially meaningful.

She wanted to work in medicine because she wanted to help people. Medical technology now allows her to make that impact on a much larger scale.

Stay Humble, Disciplined, and Focused

Roxy’s advice applies whether you are trying to break into medical device sales or already working in the industry.

Stay humble.

Be willing to ask for help.

Do not spend your energy comparing yourself with everyone around you.

Build relationships while continuing to improve your strategy.

Most importantly, be honest with yourself.

One question that has stayed with Roxy throughout her career is: What are you lying to yourself about?

Sometimes the biggest obstacle is not the company, manager, interviewer, or territory.

Sometimes it is admitting where you could be doing more.

Final Thoughts

Roxy’s journey reminds me how quickly a medical device sales career can grow when talent is matched with discipline, relationships, humility, and the willingness to take uncomfortable opportunities. In under five years, she went from being a medical assistant who had filed for bankruptcy to becoming a top performer at Medtronic and Intuitive, and eventually a Vice President at a MedTech startup. What impresses me most is that her focus has continued to move beyond titles and money toward impact, leadership, family, and helping patients. Her career proves that where you start does not have to determine where you finish, but you have to believe in yourself and continue putting in the work.

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All the best,

Jacob McLaughlin