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The differences between medical sales representatives and pharmaceutical sales specialists 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 pharmaceutical sales specialist. Additionally, a medical sales representative has an average salary of $74,079, which is higher than the $73,003 average annual salary of a pharmaceutical sales specialist.
The top three skills for a medical sales representative include patients, medical sales and customer service. The most important skills for a pharmaceutical sales specialist are patients, sales territory, and diabetes.
| Medical Sales Representative | Pharmaceutical Sales Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $74,079 | $73,003 |
| Hourly rate | $35.61 | $35.10 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 206,149 | 23,474 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 82% | Bachelor's Degree, 85% |
| 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 pharmaceutical sales specialist's primary duty is to reach out to pharmacies, medical facilities, and physicians to discuss the latest medical drugs in an effort to secure sales. Their responsibilities typically revolve around learning and understanding everything about the products that they are offering, traveling to different areas to deliver samples, and maintaining records of all transactions. Furthermore, as a pharmaceutical sales specialist, it is essential to create marketing materials and build positive relationships with clients to accomplish sales targets, all while adhering to the company's policies and regulations.
Medical sales representatives and pharmaceutical sales specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Medical Sales Representative | Pharmaceutical Sales Specialist | |
| Average salary | $74,079 | $73,003 |
| Salary range | Between $45,000 And $121,000 | Between $47,000 And $112,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Nevada |
| Best paying company | Intuitive Surgical | AstraZeneca |
| Best paying industry | Pharmaceutical | Pharmaceutical |
There are a few differences between a medical sales representative and a pharmaceutical sales specialist in terms of educational background:
| Medical Sales Representative | Pharmaceutical Sales Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 82% | Bachelor's Degree, 85% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between medical sales representatives' and pharmaceutical sales specialists' demographics:
| Medical Sales Representative | Pharmaceutical Sales Specialist | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 51.3% Female, 48.7% | Male, 47.9% Female, 52.1% |
| 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, 3.9% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.4% Asian, 5.2% White, 72.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |