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The differences between medical sales representatives and medical representatives can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a medical sales representative and a medical representative. Additionally, a medical sales representative has an average salary of $74,079, which is higher than the $36,309 average annual salary of a medical representative.
The top three skills for a medical sales representative include patients, medical sales and customer service. The most important skills for a medical representative are patients, customer service, and first aid kits.
| Medical Sales Representative | Medical Representative | |
| Yearly salary | $74,079 | $36,309 |
| Hourly rate | $35.61 | $17.46 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 206,149 | 176,481 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 82% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A medical sales representative, also known as a pharmaceutical sales representative, is an individual who is responsible for selling and promoting medications and medical equipment. Medical sales representatives set appointments with doctors, pharmacists, and other healthcare professionals so that they can promote their company's medical supplies. They are required to build and maintain relationships with their customers so that they can encourage repeat purchases. Medical sales representatives should obtain a bachelor's degree in nursing, pharmacy, life sciences, or a related field.
A medical representative is responsible for selling medical equipment, medications, and other medical supplies by demonstrating benefits and features to patients and healthcare professionals. Medical representatives work closely with their company's marketing department to develop strategic procedures and promotional techniques to attract customers and generate revenues for the business. They respond to the customers' inquiries and concerns, take their orders, and process their payments. A medical representative also analyzes the current trends in the medical industry to identify business opportunities that would establish a market presence.
Medical sales representatives and medical representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Medical Sales Representative | Medical Representative | |
| Average salary | $74,079 | $36,309 |
| Salary range | Between $45,000 And $121,000 | Between $27,000 And $48,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Lansing, MI |
| Highest paying state | California | Michigan |
| Best paying company | Intuitive Surgical | Capgemini |
| Best paying industry | Pharmaceutical | Pharmaceutical |
There are a few differences between a medical sales representative and a medical representative in terms of educational background:
| Medical Sales Representative | Medical Representative | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 82% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between medical sales representatives' and medical representatives' demographics:
| Medical Sales Representative | Medical Representative | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 51.3% Female, 48.7% | Male, 45.2% Female, 54.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.8% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 13.9% Asian, 5.1% White, 73.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 3.8% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.2% Asian, 5.2% White, 72.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |