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The differences between medical field representatives and pharmaceutical sales representatives can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become a medical field representative, becoming a pharmaceutical sales representative takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a pharmaceutical sales representative has an average salary of $68,571, which is higher than the $38,235 average annual salary of a medical field representative.
The top three skills for a medical field representative include patients, EMT and CPR. The most important skills for a pharmaceutical sales representative are patients, pharmaceutical products, and develop strong relationships.
| Medical Field Representative | Pharmaceutical Sales Representative | |
| Yearly salary | $38,235 | $68,571 |
| Hourly rate | $18.38 | $32.97 |
| Growth rate | 16% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 118,912 | 102,935 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 39% | Bachelor's Degree, 85% |
| Average age | 37 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 2 |
Medical field representatives and pharmaceutical sales representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Medical Field Representative | Pharmaceutical Sales Representative | |
| Average salary | $38,235 | $68,571 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $54,000 | Between $42,000 And $110,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Boston, MA |
| Highest paying state | - | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | - | Eli Lilly and Company |
| Best paying industry | - | Pharmaceutical |
There are a few differences between a medical field representative and a pharmaceutical sales representative in terms of educational background:
| Medical Field Representative | Pharmaceutical Sales Representative | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 39% | Bachelor's Degree, 85% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between medical field representatives' and pharmaceutical sales representatives' demographics:
| Medical Field Representative | Pharmaceutical Sales Representative | |
| Average age | 37 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 60.4% Female, 39.6% | Male, 41.0% Female, 59.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.3% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 19.4% Asian, 9.1% White, 55.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% | Black or African American, 3.9% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 5.2% White, 72.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |