Medical sales specialist vs medical sales representative

The differences between medical sales specialists and medical sales 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 specialist and a medical sales representative. Additionally, a medical sales representative has an average salary of $74,079, which is higher than the $69,959 average annual salary of a medical sales specialist.

The top three skills for a medical sales specialist include patients, medical devices and medical sales. The most important skills for a medical sales representative are patients, medical sales, and customer service.

Medical sales specialist vs medical sales representative overview

	Medical Sales Specialist	Medical Sales Representative
Yearly salary	$69,959	$74,079
Hourly rate	$33.63	$35.61
Growth rate	4%	4%
Number of jobs	76,398	206,149
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 79%	Bachelor's Degree, 82%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	2	2

What does a medical sales specialist do?

A medical sales specialist is an individual who advertises, markets, and distributes a specific pharmaceutical product or medical equipment to medical establishments. Medical sales specialists must manage a network of independent representatives and maintain relationships with their clients to attain territory-specific sales goals. They develop marketing strategies and business sales plans to identify key growth areas and deliver short and long-term corporate objectives. Medical sales specialists should also conduct analyses on product and market trends to achieve and exceed sales goals.

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.

Medical sales specialist vs medical sales representative salary

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

	Medical Sales Specialist	Medical Sales Representative
Average salary	$69,959	$74,079
Salary range	Between $47,000 And $102,000	Between $45,000 And $121,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	California	California
Best paying company	Medline	Intuitive Surgical
Best paying industry	Pharmaceutical	Pharmaceutical

Differences between medical sales specialist and medical sales representative education

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

	Medical Sales Specialist	Medical Sales Representative
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 79%	Bachelor's Degree, 82%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Medical sales specialist vs medical sales representative demographics

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

	Medical Sales Specialist	Medical Sales Representative
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 50.8% Female, 49.2%	Male, 51.3% Female, 48.7%
Race ratio	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%	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%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between medical sales specialist and medical sales representative duties and responsibilities

Medical sales specialist example responsibilities.

Demonstrate strong teamwork skills by partnering with Novartis counterparts and other pharmaceutical consultants to achieve company and individual goals.
Coordinate memory screenings working primary care and neurology practices using Eisai develop tools to increase Alzheimer's awareness.
Increase market share of cardiology, endocrinology and antibiotic products in the Chicago region.
Train and educate referral sources and patients on Medicare coverage criteria guidelines.
Market and promote dermatology products to dermatologists and allergist in Raleigh market.
Secure business from a top-rate dermatology practice that have previously establish preferred vendors.

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.

Medical sales specialist vs medical sales representative skills

Common medical sales specialist skills

Patients, 19%
Medical Devices, 12%
Medical Sales, 10%
Product Knowledge, 7%
Capital Equipment, 7%
Sales Territory, 5%

Common medical sales representative skills

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

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Medical Sales Specialist
Medical Sales Specialist vs Medical Sales Representative

Updated January 8, 2025

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