Medical sales representative vs specialty representative

The differences between medical sales representatives and specialty 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 specialty representative. Additionally, a medical sales representative has an average salary of $74,079, which is higher than the $49,201 average annual salary of a specialty representative.

The top three skills for a medical sales representative include patients, medical sales and customer service. The most important skills for a specialty representative are patients, oncology, and dermatology.

Medical sales representative vs specialty representative overview

	Medical Sales Representative	Specialty Representative
Yearly salary	$74,079	$49,201
Hourly rate	$35.61	$23.65
Growth rate	4%	4%
Number of jobs	206,149	50,435
Job satisfaction	5	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 82%	Bachelor's Degree, 85%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	2	2

What does a medical sales representative do?

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.

What does a specialty representative do?

A specialty representative is responsible for selling specific goods and services to target customers through remote communication or site visits, depending on business requirements and client needs. Specialty representatives assist the marketing and sales team in delivering high-quality sales strategies and promotional techniques to attract customers, identifying their needs by researching industry trends to drive more revenue resources and achieve sales goals and objectives. A specialty representative should have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially in responding to the customers' inquiries and concerns, resolving complaints, and updating their accounts within the database.

Medical sales representative vs specialty representative salary

Medical sales representatives and specialty representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Medical Sales Representative	Specialty Representative
Average salary	$74,079	$49,201
Salary range	Between $45,000 And $121,000	Between $26,000 And $92,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	-
Highest paying state	California	-
Best paying company	Intuitive Surgical	-
Best paying industry	Pharmaceutical	-

Differences between medical sales representative and specialty representative education

There are a few differences between a medical sales representative and a specialty representative in terms of educational background:

	Medical Sales Representative	Specialty Representative
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

Medical sales representative vs specialty representative demographics

Here are the differences between medical sales representatives' and specialty representatives' demographics:

	Medical Sales Representative	Specialty Representative
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 51.3% Female, 48.7%	Male, 47.7% Female, 52.3%
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, 5.1% White, 72.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between medical sales representative and specialty representative duties and responsibilities

Medical sales representative example responsibilities.

Lead the sales team in number of CPAP's sell monthly.
Work closely with manage care plans, Medicare and Medicaid to ensure full coverage of all products in portfolio
Follow policies and procedures to accomplish responsibilities including following HIPAA regulations.
Develop customer relationships and achieve sales objectives for product portfolio consisting of CNS products.
Present clinical information and lead discussions on various types of treatment for hypertension and acute coronary syndrome.
Utilize CRM database to manage and track prospect interaction to ensure accurate documentation of window requirements and ongoing communication.

Specialty representative example responsibilities.

Manage the strategic planning and territory development of neurology accounts.
Manage the development, productivity and utilization of local, regional and national speakers for hyperlipidemia and hypertension.
Attract and build strong advocates within large cardiology groups by building a reputation on integrity, product knowledge and accountability.
Develop and influence neurology and psychiatry opinion leaders by organizing medical education events, residency and speaker programs.
Present in-services for healthcare teams in surgery, ICU and GI settings.
Work with key colorectal surgeons and anesthesiologists to prepare for the launch of Entereg.

Medical sales representative vs specialty representative skills

Common medical sales representative skills

Patients, 17%
Medical Sales, 16%
Customer Service, 9%
Sales Territory, 6%
Product Knowledge, 6%
Ventilation, 5%

Common specialty representative skills

Patients, 27%
Oncology, 10%
Dermatology, 8%
Neurology, 6%
Educational Programs, 6%
Endocrinology, 5%

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Medical Sales Representative
Medical Sales Representative vs Specialty Representative

Updated January 8, 2025

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